Come On Eileen | Belle Reve | Bar 135 | Blu 33 Rooftop | YouTube Rabbithole
Come On @YouTheReader,
Ivan the Great thinks this tune is terrible, not a fan of the change in the tempo. Lucky for you, I enjoy Come On Eileen by the Dexys Midnight Runners. It gets the people going. This song was on at one of the bars where I had a pint of Guinness.
Did you know that this song has a much deeper meaning about the Catholic Repression?
Nah I read that somewhere but we’re keeping it about a helpless romantic that gets people dancing. In case you’ve never dived into the lyrics, let’s take a look…
Johnnie Ray was a 1950s American singer, songwriter, and pianist. His most famous tune was called “Cry” and he sang the blues in a monotone voice. With this tune coming out in 1982, Ray would have been very popular with the band’s parents’ generation.
Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral (which means That's an Irish Lullaby) was a song written by the Irish-American composer James Royce Shannon way back in 1913. It became popular again in the United States when Bing Crosby brought it back in the 1940s. Too-Rye-Ay is also the name of the album Come On Eileen was on.
While in some ways, yes, the lead singer, Kevin Rowland, is asking a young lady Eileen out. You could also interpret the lyrics that he is trying to make a sad love song a bit different than what his parents’ generation would listen to due to the beat and this not being in a monotone voice.
The English band Dexys Midnight Runners was based out of Birmingham. Their lead singer and songwriter was Kevin Rowland. Kevin Rowland’s parents were from County Mayo, Ireland. It was said that Rowland was awfully difficult to work with, nonetheless, this song knocked off Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean for the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. It was also the reason Michael Jackson didn’t have two different #1 hits in consecutive weeks - Billie Jean was a single before Come On Eileen rose to the top of the charts and then Beat It would make #1 after Come On Eileen. Sadly the success of Dexys Midnight Runners didn’t last too long, at least in the US, as the band is considered a 1 hit wonder to most Americans of the 1980s.
If you’ve seen Peaky Blinders, you know that Birmingham was an industrial city so the beaten down, eyes sunk smoke-dried face could describe an English industrial worker, maybe a coal miner? Rowland is sweet-talking Eileen that they could have it better than their parents, while ironically still singing the same old tune. From a pessimistic point of view, we are far too young and clever hints at youthful arrogance like his father probably telling his mother the same sort of “we’ll have it better” type of story.
I don’t really know what this means…
Kevin Rowland told authors Jonathan Bernstein and Lori Majewski in the book Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined The 80s, “I always want what I haven’t got – or I used to. I was hankering after pop success at that point. I’m not saying we wrote it with that in mind. Oh, that I would be that clever. But we did write it, like everything we did, the best we possibly could. We worked our arses off. Every detail counted.”
Damn, so I guess I gotta dig into this a bit more.
Rowland rewrote this song a bunch of times and one of the original versions wasn’t “Come On Eileen” but “James, Van, and Me.” James would be James Brown and Van would be Van Morrison, both who like Johnnie Ray and Bing Crosby, Rowland was giving a nod to their influence on his music. In the 80s, Rowland would tell people the song was about his real-life girlfriend, but it wasn’t until years later that he admitted Eileen was a composite of Catholic repression. (Gold Radio UK)
Sorry Dad, I still enjoy the tune, the tempo change is the best part.
On to the pints…
#GuinnessChallengeSeason
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, who I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Song On In The Background: Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: “Attack of the Soft Women” movie poster on the wall. Naked flappers in the corner of the bar, but I swear this ain’t that kinda bar, they’re pictures hanging up as antiques. Maroon-painted walls. A lot of networking going on around me, looks like a corporate Happy Hour. It’s Shark Week on Discovery Channel so they have a Shark Week theme. Old school setting with modern twists. They give off Bistro vibes if that even makes sense, I’m not quite sure what bistro means but I like using the word. By the flappers in the corner, there is also a picture of the owners of Belle Reve and they are dressed up like Mafia Bosses, a cool picture. Their Southside cocktail is recommended. Danielle the bartender also recommends their tacos, chicken fried tenders, and dirty bird fried chicken.
“Belle Reve” means a beautiful dream in French. The bar has a nice slogan “To people like us. Makers of Dreams.” Not only are they a fun bar for work events, but they regularly have open mics. Every Tuesday from 10 PM to 2 AM the Strange Majik plays live music. You can also sing for yourself on Wednesdays when they have sing-a-ling with Grace Chase as the host. Fun bar. I look forward to grabbing another drink at Belle Reve again soon!
Song On In The Background: Twistin’ the Night Away by Sam Cooke
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: “Energy resonates optimism and independence” hanging up as a sign behind the bar. Ginta is the bartender. Their burger and chips is recommended. Ginta enjoys making a nice espresso martini. They opened up in September of ‘22 and it’s about to be 1 year. The crowd is corporate or neighborhood. Ginta “loves New York’s convenience and how I can walk everywhere.” Smaller pint glass, but a decent pour! Their top seller depends on the crowd. They have exposed brick on the wall behind me and a very nicely stained bar top, a wonderful one to write on!
Bar 135 is a new but classic NYC bar in the heart of Tribeca. They have an excellent menu that features locally sourced ingredients and spirits. This Saturday, December 2, Bar 135 will not only be hosting a Toys for Tots drop-off but will have an art reception from 3 to 6 PM. They are also a Bears Bar, so if you’re from Chicago or enjoy watching Da Bears play, check them out on Sundays. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Bar 135 again soon!
Song On In The Background: Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Another rare rooftop review. I can see the top of the Madison Square Garden, it’s pretty ugly, not going to lie. The elevator to get up here took about 12 minutes with many spots on different level floors. This is a hotel bar. They are open from 2 pm to 1 am. Blu 33 has daily specials such as Blu Monday, 2 for Tuesday, Wet Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, and Frozen Friday. Their Happy Hour is called Midnight Blu. The slogan behind the bar reads “Elevate what moves you.” There is a beautiful view of the Freedom Tower. The Guinness here is expensive for a bottle but cool rooftop spot. Bit windy.
Located on the top of the Fairfield Marriot by Penn Station, their rooftop is not open during the winter months. They do have a 1st-floor lounge open from 4 pm to 1 am, but it probably doesn’t hit the same.