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Dexy's Midnight Runners
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Artist · chart history

Dexy's Midnight Runners

Band Birmingham United Kingdom Formed 1978

Dexy's Midnight Runners formed in 1978 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Dexy's Midnight Runners has 70 chart appearances on 66 radio countdowns from 22 stations on RockLists, spanning 1982–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Come On Eileen”, which appears on 64 lists with a best position of #5. The station that charted Dexy's Midnight Runners most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 14 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1982.

70appearances
66countdowns
2songs charted
22stations
0#1 finishes
1982–2026years

Dexys Midnight Runners came out of Birmingham in 1978 with soul in their hearts and something to prove. Kevin Rowland, singer, songwriter and co-founder, was the one fixed point in a lineup that turned over constantly across 3 albums; only he and trombonist "Big" Jim Paterson played on every studio record. With Rowland keening like a man on a mission, they topped the British singles chart twice, with "Geno" and with "Come On Eileen".

"Come On Eileen" is the one the rest of the world remembers. It whirls from a folksy, lilting shuffle into a stomping, speeding-up singalong, and it swept Britain before topping the Billboard Hot 100, carried by heavy MTV rotation as part of the second British Invasion. Outside Britain, that was pretty much the whole story, and they have worn the one-hit-wonder tag ever since; at home there were other hits, including a cover of Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)".

By the mid-'80s the band had shrunk to Rowland, violinist Helen O'Hara and guitarist Billy Adams, and it broke up soon after. Rowland went solo for decades, then rebuilt the band as Dexys with new faces and a few old ones, and they have kept releasing albums since, including One Day I'm Going to Soar in 2012.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

Songs by Dexy's Midnight Runners on radio countdowns

#SongStrengthListsBest#1sPeak year
1 Come On Eileen
3,672		 64 #5 – 1982
2 Geno
196		 5 #40 – –

Every countdown appearance

Year#SongCountdown
2026 141 Come On Eileen WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s
2025 53 Come On Eileen The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs
2024 317 Come On Eileen WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years
2023 897 Come On Eileen WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023
2023 899 Come On Eileen 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time
2023 35 Come On Eileen The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s
2022 880 Come On Eileen Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022)
2022 901 Come On Eileen WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022
2021 225 Come On Eileen 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s
2018 428 Come On Eileen The Current's 893 Essential Songs
2014 1673 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2014 643 Come On Eileen WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014)
2013 1614 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2011 1566 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2010 1498 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2009 1470 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2008 1453 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2007 1520 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2006 434 Come On Eileen KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006)
2006 406 Come On Eileen WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006)
2006 46 Come On Eileen Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006)
2006 417 Geno Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006)
2005 420 Come On Eileen WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005)
2005 407 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 40 Geno Virgin Radio Top 100 Brit Songs of All-Time (May 2005)
2005 130 Come On Eileen Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 367 Geno Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2004 406 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 113 Come On Eileen Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 259 Geno Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2003 355 Come On Eileen WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003)
2003 406 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 379 Come On Eileen Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2002 371 Come On Eileen WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002)
2002 406 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 67 Come On Eileen Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 75 Artist ranking Virgin Radio Top 100 Brit Artists of All-Time (December 2002)
2001 350 Come On Eileen WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001)
2001 406 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 85 Come On Eileen Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 285 Geno Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 1208 Come On Eileen WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time
2001 117 Come On Eileen WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001)
2000 350 Come On Eileen WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000)
2000 405 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
1999 305 Come On Eileen Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 20 Come On Eileen WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 74 Come On Eileen WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999)
1999 946 Come On Eileen The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 99 Come On Eileen WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999)
1999 405 Come On Eileen CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 103 Come On Eileen CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999)
1999 5 Come On Eileen Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999)
1998 126 Come On Eileen KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998)
1996 55 Come On Eileen KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996)
1996 172 Come On Eileen Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996)
1996 92 Come On Eileen WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996)
1995 40 Come On Eileen KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995)
1995 87 Come On Eileen Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995)
1994 18 Come On Eileen KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994)
1994 494 Come On Eileen Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994)
1994 66 Come On Eileen WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994)
1992 57 Come On Eileen KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992)
1992 116 Come On Eileen Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992)
1991 232 Come On Eileen Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991)
1991 607 Come On Eileen CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)
1990 168 Come On Eileen Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990)
1989 132 Come On Eileen 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989)
1982 19 Come On Eileen John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1982
– 86 Come On Eileen WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s

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