10 Greatest Songs About Other Musicians

It remains a mystery how this group of white lads from Birmingham made some of the finest soul music of the ‘80s, but Dexys Midnight Runners wrote songs with energy and verve that few groups could top. One of their most enduring hits does as well as any song you can name to capture the transformative power of a great artist, and beyond that, a great live show.

“Geno” is the band’s tribute to Geno Washington, whose muscular, roaring soul style the band attempt to capture here. It tells the tale of a young man with little in the way of traditional ambition who comes alive in the sweaty soul clubs of the late ‘60s. To the protagonist, seeing Geno Washington take to, and dominate, the stage, was more instructive and important than anything the world of education, work, or even narcotics could offer.

Dexys Midnight Runners always wore their influences on their sleeve, from Washington to their faithful cover of Van Morrison’s “Jackie Wilson Said”, but they’re more than culture vultures, injecting their own modern punk energy into their blue eyed soul and coming out with propulsive gold. If you only know them from “Come On Eileen”, this one’s a must.