Johnny Come Home

"Johnny Come Home"
Single by Fine Young Cannibals
from the album Fine Young Cannibals
B-side	"Good Times and Bad"[1]
Released	May 29, 1985
Format	7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, CD[2]
Recorded	1984
Genre	New wave, ska
Label	London Records[1]
Writer(s)	David Steele, Roland Gift[1]
Producer(s)	Andy Cox, David Steele, Roland Gift[1]
Fine Young Cannibals singles chronology
"Johnny Come Home" (1985) "Blue" (1985)

"Johnny Come Home" was the debut single release by British band Fine Young Cannibals, taken from their debut album Fine Young Cannibals.

It is similar to the style of many other of the band's hits, a mixture of rock and ska with Roland Gift's distinctive vocals, as well as a jazz-type trumpet solo. It was released in 1985 and was one of the group's most popular hits. The song tells the gritty realistic story of a runaway youth, and alternates from the first-person narrative, explaining how his arrival in the big city has not turned out as he expected, to the view of the parents in the chorus, expressing their wish that he would come home.

Although it failed to reach the top 40 in the United States, stalling at No. 76, it was a good start for the group in their native United Kingdom, peaking at No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1985. Along with the track "Blue", "Johnny Come Home" did reach No. 9 on the dance chart in the US.^[3]

In later years the song's title would serve as the title for a Jake Arnott novel published in 2006 whose plot line is reminiscent of the themes discussed in the song.^[4]

References

1. "Fine Young Cannibals – Johnny Come Home (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
2. "Fine Young Cannibals - Johnny Come Home". Discogs. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 98.
4. "Johnny come home". Blog Spot. Retrieved 19 January 2013.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics