Dexys Midnight Runners

506. Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express – Come On Eileen (1982)

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The Intro

Two years after their first number 1, Geno, Dexys Midnight Runners returned with a new look, a new sound, and a future wedding dancefloor classic in Come On Eileen.

Before

Hot on the heels of Geno, Dexys Midnight Runners’ debut album, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels was released in July 1980. Pete Saunders was replaced on keyboards by Mick Talbot – future co-founder of The Style Council with Paul Weller. Although their next single There, There, My Dear was a hit, peaking at number seven, there was trouble afoot.

Frontman Kevin Rowlands insisted on rewriting the lyrics to Keep It, which was scheduled to be their next single. EMI weren’t happy, but there was no stopping Rowlands. When Keep It Part Two (Inferiority Part One) failed to even chart, the group splintered. Only two remained – Rowland and trombonist ‘Big’ Jim Paterson

After working on new songs together, Rowland and Paterson recruited new members. Kevin ‘Billy’ Adams on guitar and banjo, Seb Shelton on drums, Mickey Billingham on keyboards, Brian Maurice on alto saxophone, Paul Spear on tenor sax and Steve Wynne on bass.

Many assume that Dexys Midnight Runners went from the leather jacketed look of their first album, straight into the gypsy outfits of their second. However there was a short-lived phase inbetween, where the new group were decked out in hooded tops and boxing boots, and some wore pony tails. Rowland also instilled a fitness regime, insisting on working out and running together.

In 1981, the new Dexys Midnight Runners recorded a single, Plan B, but due to contractual wrangling with EMI, there was no promotion and it failed to break into the top 40. Rowland issued an ad stating his previous band had tried to throw him out of the group, but had failed and the new band were working on a new live show called The Midnight Runners Projected Passion Revue.

EMI let Dexys Midnight Runners go and they signed with Mercury Records. The first single for the label, produced by Tony Visconti, was Show Me, which reached 16. Wynne was sacked and replaced by Mick Gallick, who was given the stage name ‘Giorgio Kilkenny’.

Inspired by former bandmate Kevin ‘Al’ Archer, Rowland added strings to the Dexys Midnight Runners sound from his horn players and session musicians, but Liars A to E didn’t chart. When it came to recording their next LP, Rowland wanted better string players. Classical violin student Helen Bevington was poached from Archer’s band and renamed ‘Helen O’Hara’. She then in turn recruited fellow students Steve Shaw and Roger Huckle – now dubbed ‘Steve Brennan’ and ‘Roger McDuff’. The violin section was dubbed The Emerald Express. However, the horn section, fearing their role was diminishing, decided to quit after the recording of Too-Rye-Ay was finished. The new album was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who were behind the mixing desk for many Madness hits, including their recent number 1, House of Fun.

Come On Eileen had originally been calledJames, Van and Me. It was a tribute to James Brown and Van Morrison, whose influences are all over Too-Rye-Ay. Most likely lyrically similar to Geno, you can sing this title instead of Come On Eileen – and then be glad Rowland changed his mind. However, it perhaps explains the reference to Johnnie Ray in the first verse – left in from the original version?

Musically, Come On Eileen was credited to Rowland, Paterson and Adams. However, Archer was upset to hear Rowland had copied the breakdown and buildup from Archer. Check out the last few minutes of The Blue Ox Babes’ What Does Anybody Ever Think About and you’ll see what I mean. In time, Rowland admitted to the influence Archer had on the sound of Too-Rye-Ay.

Instead, Rowland came up with lyrics based on the true story of a girl Rowland grew up with. Their friendship turned romantic at the age of 13 and according to Rowland it became sexual a year later. He had been raised as a Catholic and served as an altar boy, so the thin line between love and lust, combined with the taboo of sex, interested Rowland, and he wrapped all these topics into one of the most endearing number 1s of the early 80s.

Review

Come On Eileen is so lovable that I simply don’t believe anyone who claims they’re sick of hearing it. Mind you, it could be that they’ve been to more weddings than me. Rowland is a wayward genius but when he hits – this, Geno, the cover of Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile) – it’s a hammer blow that feels so good.

The lyrics are just perfect. Whether the opening line is a hangover from a first draft or not, it’s a compelling intro to a description of young love between the singer and the mythical ‘Eileen’. Of course it’s a perfect wedding song – the timestamp may be for adolescent love, that feels eternal at the time, and unstoppable if you’re lucky to find someone who feels the same way.

I love the lines about escaping a dreary existence:

‘These people ’round here
Were beaten down, eyes sunk in smoke-dried face
They’re resigned to what their fate is
But not us (no, never)
No, not us (no, never)
We are far too young and clever’.

That mix of adolescent arrogance and wistfulness brings to mind Morrissey at his best.

And it makes perfect sense for Come On Eileen to become a wedding classic, because getting married brings that feeling back – that together, you’re unstoppable. Anything is possible.

And now, a confession. You can get lost in the emotion of Rowland’s songs so easily, you’re not always concentrating on the actual words – and he sometimes yelps in such a way, it’s even harder to follow. But it’s no excuse that only now, writing this, have I learned that the chorus is:

‘Come on Eileen,
Oh, I swear (Well, he means)
At this moment
You mean everything’

The bit in brackets is interesting. Is that the singer’s mates interjecting that his promise shouldn’t be taken literally, and that she’s only important right now, to the lusty protagonist who wants her dress off ASAP? Or, are they saying, he really means it? I’m not sure. It adds deeper meaning… I’m just not certain what the meaning is! I’d be interested to know if everyone else out there knew about the bracketed bit, or whether this is news to anyone else.

But yes, so strong is the music and the feel the band creates, I’m not going to get too hung up on it. And you know what, if Rowland stole the structure of the end section from a former bandmate, I’m not going to hold it against him, because he improves on it so well. The build-up from Geno-style chanting to the return of the chorus is fantastic and totally ageless. Take a bow, Rowland.

There are several versions of Come On Eileen. The single mix, which also features on some album versions, begins with a violin playing the first line of the folk song Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms. Some album versions skip this and start with the bass. Many of the re-releases add Rowland singing Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms at the end of the song.

The video is perfect. Opening with archive footage of Ray and bridged by pics of childhood sweethearts, we’re then taken to the ragtag misfits in wall-to-wall denim, performing on a street corner, while Rowland sings to Eileen, played by Maire Fahey, whose sister, Siobhan, was a member of future chart-topping acts Bananarama and Shakespears Sister. I remember thinking they looked like a cool bunch to hang around with – even if they looked like they hadn’t washed in weeks. In fact, as a young boy, it probably added to their appeal.

After

The Celtic Soul Brothers had been the first single from Too-Ry-Aye, but it failed to reach the top 40. Rowland knew the potential of Come On Eileen, and was worried it would also sink. Hedropped his imposed media blackout and gave a series of contentious interviews. The publicity helped rocket the single up the charts. Come On Eileen eclipsed the success of Geno and became a summer smash. It spent a month at number 1, becoming the best-selling single of 1982. And it also topped the Billboard chart, too.

Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile) was a deserved follow-up, yet it peaked at number five. This was in despite of the famous Top of the Pops appearance in which they performed in front of a giant picture of darts player Jocky Wilson (this was a deliberate joke by the band).

Despite the success of Dexys Midnight Runners in 1982, the horn players did indeed leave afterwards. Saxophonist Nick Gatfield and session musicians were added to the ranks, with Rowland, O’Hara and Adams became the core trio, and brand new single Let’s Get This Straight (From the Start) was released, but it only made it to number 17.

The next two years saw Rowland, O’Hara, Adams and Gatfield work with numerous session musicians and a series of producers on sessions that would become their third album. Don’t Stand Me Down finally saw the light of day in 1985 and showcased a less commercial, more introspective sound. This was emphasised by their new appearance – they smartened up and wore sharp suits. Only one single was released – a heavily edited version of the epic This Is What She’s Like – and it didn’t chart. Critics panned the new LP. Rowland turned to drugs and the band was done – apart from one wonderful single, the tender Because of You, which was the theme to the BBC One sitcom Brush Strokes. It only reached 13.

Dexys Midnight Runners were disbanded, and in 1988 Rowland released his first solo album The Wanderer, which flopped. He went into freefall, suffering from depression, drug addiction and money problems. On the day he signed on for Jobseeker’s Allowance, someone on the dole sang Come On Eileen at him. He spent most of 1993 and 94 in rehab.

A few years later, he felt well enough to sign with Creation Records. He had been shunned by most other labels, and being on the same label as Oasis could have boded well, but it didn’t work out that way. Although a remastered and expanded version of Don’t Stand Me Down helped the album to be re-evaluated, the problems came with his new album.

In 1999 he released My Beauty, an album of cover versions that was panned and only garnered ridicule due to the cover, in which he crossdressed. It was the height of lad culture, and this was perceived as a terrible mistake. I saw him at Leeds Festival that year, and his short set was laughed at. At one point I remember watching him singing The Greatest Love of All into an almost naked dancer’s crotch. Plans to reform Dexys Midnight Runners were put on ice and he left the label.

Rowland was in a better place by 2003, and admitted publicly that his time on Creation was a mistake. With a new Dexys Midnight Runners compilation on the way, Rowland assembled a new version of the band to record a couple of new songs. Manhood and My Life in England were recorded with original bassist Pete Williams on vocals and Talbot back in the fold, plus Welsh classical violist Lucy J Morgan, trombonist Paul Taylor and Neil Hubbard on guitar. In 2004 a ‘Director’s Cut’ edition of Don’t Stand Me Down was released, and Rowland officially announced they were back in action and looking for a record deal.

It took some time, but in 2011, they were back, with their name shortened to simply Dexys. The new line-up, with Taylor gone and another new singer – Madeleine Hyland – plus the returning Paterson, worked on a new album. One Day I’m Going to Soar was released a year later and Talbot left soon after.

In 2016 they released Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul, a collection of covers and new material that had originally been planned in 1984. The core members now consisted of Rowland, Morgan and guitarist/saxophonist Sean Read. It also featured a returning O’Hara.

Rowland was a self-confessed perfectionist and had never been happy with the sound of Too-Rye-Ay, so in 2022 he, O’Hara and longtime Dexys engineer Pete Schwier released a reworked version – Too-Rye-Ay As It Should Have Sounded. It isn’t too different to my ears, to be honest, but it’s overall warmer and more organic sound, perhaps. In 2023 they released their latest album, The Feminine Divine, with keyboardist Michael Timothy joining their ranks.

The Outro

Difficult, troubled, eccentric, brilliant – Rowland has been all these things and more, but it’s good to see him come back from hard times and seemingly happy with Dexys once more. He can be more than proud of being the man behind some true 80s classics. Blessed with a voice as unmistakable as the heroes he sings about, maybe one day someone will do the same about him.

The Info

Written by

Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson & Billy Adams

Producers

Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley

Weeks at number 1

4 (7 August-3 September) *BEST-SELLING SINGLE OF THE YEAR*

Trivia

Births

10 August: Snooker player Shaun Murphy
14 August: Journalist Benjamin Cohen

Deaths

14 August: Northern Irish actor Patrick Magee
15 August: Second World War spy Jacqueline Nearne/Motorcycle racer Jock Taylor
1 September: Pianist Sir Clifford Curzon
2 September: Labour Party MP George Chetwynd

Meanwhile…

30 August: St David’s Hall opens in Cardiff as the National Concert Hall and Conference Centre of Wales.

458. Johnny Logan – What’s Another Year (1980)

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The Intro

Irish singer Johnny Logan became the first Eurovision Song Contest winner to also reach number 1 with their song since Brotherhood of Man in 1976 with Save Your Kisses for Me. He also went on to be the first act to win Eurovision twice – hence the nickname ‘Mr Eurovision’.

Before

Logan was born Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard on 13 May 1954 in the Australian suburb of Frankston, Victoria, as his father, the Irish tenor known as Patrick O’Hagan, was touring the country at the time. The Sherrards returned to Ireland when he was three, and by the age of 13 he had taken to composing his own songs. When he left school he became an apprentice electrician but was able to indulge his first love by performing music in pubs.

Sherrard starred in the title role of rock musical Adam & Eve in 1976, and a year later he was the lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. In 1978 he took the name Johnny Logan from the main character in 1954 Western Johnny Guitar. His debut single was No, I Don’t Want to Fall in Love, which failed to chart. The following year he made his first attempt to appear at Eurovision, but finished third in the Irish National Final.

In 1980 Logan tried again. This time he entered the Irish National with a song by broadcaster Shay Healy, who had previously written for Billy Connolly, among others. What’s Another Year had been written with Glen Curtin in mind originally, but reworked by co-producer Bill Whelan to suit Logan better. 14 years later, Whelan was asked to compose some incidental music for that year’s Dublin-based Eurovision. He came up with Riverdance, and you know how well that went down.

Logan won the Irish National final in Dublin on 9 March, and so headed to the Eurovision final in the Netherlands on 19 April. Giving a very doe-eyed, woe-is-me performance in a white suit, he won over the judges and became the first Irish winner of the contest since Dana with the execrable All Kinds of Everything.

Review

What’s Another Year isn’t much more pleasing to the ears than Dana’s song, sadly. The saxophone at the start is probably the highlight, because it brings to mind Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street. It’s downhill from there. This is bog-standard MOR dross, in which a lovelorn Logan moans about yet another anniversary of being alone. He sings it well enough, and makes things slightly more interesting when he trills the song’s title at times. But you ultimately want to give him a shake and tell him that’s more than enough wallowing. He’s good-looking, only bloody 26, and looks a lot younger. Get on Bumble, lad! There’s very little else to add other than this was clearly a victory for the older generation, hitting back after the exciting new sounds of Blondie and Dexys Midnight Runners. Oh, and the video to What’s Another Year is classic 80s soft-focus close-up tediousness.

After

What’s Another Year became number 1 across Europe. Hoping to capitalise on his Eurovision success, In London (which was the B-side of his debut) was released in June as the follow-up, and Save Me not long after that. Neither charted. As we’ve learned, with a few exceptions, Eurovision winners can quickly get forgotten about. In a blatant attempt to win over the grandparents once more, Logan recorded a recent Cliff Richard track, but Give a Little Bit More also flopped.

Logan attempted a comeback in 1983, but his new look and single Becoming Electric were a turn-off. However, in 1985 he was involved with another number 1 single. He was among The Crowd, the supergroup that recorded a cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone in aid of the Bradford City Disaster Fund, launched in the aftermath of the terrible fire that killed 56 spectators. He followed this up by becoming simply ‘Logan’, but Stab in the Back didn’t chart.

In 1984 Logan had written Ireland’s Eurovision entry, Terminal 3, for Linda Martin. And it very nearly won, coming second to Sweden’s amazingly titled Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley by Herreys. In 1987 he won the contest in Belgium with his self-penned saccharine power ballad Hold Me Now, which reached two in the UK. He also released a cover of 10cc’s 1975 chart-topper I’m Not in Love, which was produced by fellow chart-topper Paul Hardcastle.

Logan continued to release material, but it failed to dent the UK charts. But he still faired OK in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. He even recorded a cover of Richard’s song Miss You Nights with Elvis Presley’s backing band, the Jordannaires in 1990.

Then in 1992, Mr Eurovision struck a third time. He was the man behind Martin’s Irish entry, Why Me, which won the contest in Sweden. He became one of the select few to have written two winning Eurovision entries.

Logan has continued to release material, but has mostly stuck to Europe, particularly Germany. His stature as Mr Eurovision has ensured he’s remembered by fans of the competition. In 2005 at the 50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen, Hold Me Now was voted third most popular Eurovision entry. A new version peaked at nine in Denmark four years previous. In 2007 the double A-side Don’t Cry/I Love to Party (with Kaye Styles) climbed to seven in Belgium. The last chart success he’s had to date was Pray, a number three hit in his home country in 2013.

The Outro

When the 2020 Eurovision was cancelled due to COVID-19, the Netherlands instead hosted the programme Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light. The show featured previous participants, so of course Mr Eurovision was there, performing the suddenly relevant and even poignant What’s Another Year.

The Info

Written by

Shay Healy

Producers

Bill Whelan & Dave Pennefather

Weeks at number 1

2 (17-30 May)

Trivia

Births

22 May: Actress Lucy Gordon
30 May: Footballer Steven Gerrard

Deaths

17 May: Entrepeneur CC Roberts 
18 May: Joy Division singer Ian Curtis (see ‘Meanwhile…‘/Trade unionist Bert Papworth
19 May: Janet Hitchman/Conservative MP Sir Christopher Peto, 3rd Baronet
20 May: Diplomat Sir Oscar Morland
24 May: Diplomat Ronald Burroughs
25 May: Gardener Alan Chadwick
28 May: Rugby league player Albert Brough/Trade union leader Jack Greenhalgh

Meanwhile…

18 May: In the early hours of the morning, Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division, died by suicide, aged only 23 years old, after writing a note to his wife, Deborah. The couple were soon to be divorced. Deborah discovered her husband’s body on the eve of the band’s tour of North America.

27 May: The inquest into the death of New Zealand-born teacher Blair Peach, killed during a demonstration against the National Front in 1979, returns a verdict of misadventure.

28 May: Nottingham Forest retained the European Cup by defeating West German league champions Hamburger SV 1-0 in Madrid. This was the fourth year in a row that an English club had won the trophy.

457. Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Geno (1980)

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The Intro

Kevin Rowland’s soul outfit Dexys Midnight Runners two number 1s are among the best-loved singles of the early 80s. Their first was a tribute to Geno Washington, and a comment on the fleeting nature of fame.

Before

Rowland was born on 17 August 1953 in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton to Irish parents from County Mayo. The Rowlands lived in Ireland when young Kevin was aged one to four, before returning to Wolverhampton. The family then moved to Harrow when he was 11. Rowland left school at 15 and became a hairdresser.

The first group featuring Rowland were the Roxy Music-influenced Lucy & the Lovers. Inspired by the rising punk scene, he then formed The Killjoys. This group was also short-lived, and for his next project, Rowland decided to move into soul music, having already written the Northern soul-style Tell Me When My Light Turns Green. Together with Killjoys guitarist and vocalist Kevin ‘Al’ Archer, they began to search for members to join their new band of soul brothers.

Dexys Midnight Runners (note the lack of apostrophe in the first word. There shouldn’t be one, even though the credit for the single Geno mistakenly suggests so) are so-called as a reference to Dexedrine. This brand of dextroamphetamine was used by Northern soul fans to help them stay on the dancefloor all night.

Rowland and Archer recruited ‘Big’ Jim Paterson on trombone, George ‘JB’ Blythe on saxophone (previously of Geno Washington’s Ram Jam Band), Steve ‘Babyface’ Spooner on alto sax, Pete Saunders on keyboard, Pete Williams on bass and John Jay on drums. This original line-up were told to give up their day jobs, as an intense programme of all-day rehearsal sessions was planned. Dexys Midnight Runners was a serious business.

The group began rehearsals in late 1978. By mid-1979, Bobby ‘Jnr’ Ward had replaced Jay on the drumkit. Bernard Rhodes, manager of The Clash, signed Dexys and had them record their debut single, Burn It Down, but suggested the song be renamed Dance Stance first. Rhodes also told Rowland to change his vocal styling, to make it more emotional.

Dexys Midnight Runners supported The Specials on some live shows, and seeing them bedecked in suits got Rowland thinking. He wanted Dexys to have their own distinct look too. Taking Robert DeNiro’s Mean Streets (1973) as a cue, the band started wearing donkey jackets and woolly hats.

Dance Stance was released on Oddball Records. Rowland wasn’t happy with Rhodes’ production, and when it only scraped into the charts at 40, he fired him and signed his group with EMI. Pete Wingfield became their new producer, and Saunders and Ward left, to be replaced by keyboardist Andy Leek and drummer Andy ‘Stoker’ Growcott.

Their first single on their new label was written in 1979 by Archer, to lyrics by Rowland. There’s a striking musical similarity to Your One and Only Man by Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band, as well as elements of The Turtles’ Happy Together. The crowd noises that open and close the track were lifted from Van Morrison’s 1974 live LP It’s Too Late to Stop Now.

And why Washington? In a 1980 interview for The Guardian, Rowland stated ‘He was the greatest soul singer that ever lived, apart from James Brown. I know he blew it, played the cabaret circuit and pissed everyone off but he’s criminally underrated, especially the band he had about ’65. The fire and emotion he performed with, total conviction … it’s that strength and aggression we try to put in.’

If EMI had had their way, Geno would have been relegated to the B-side and might never have caught the public’s imagination. The plan was for the A-side to be their cover of Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon’s Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache. Dexys’ refused, and there was talk of the single being a double-A-side, but the band won out.

Review

Discovering the riff isn’t entirely original has perhaps slightly taken the shine off the sheer catchiness of Geno. But only a little, because as Rowland said, they tried to capture the power of a Washington show, and what a performance it is. Gritty and determined, Geno is about Rowland as much as it is about his hero, if not, even more so. He recounts a Washington show from 1968 – he’s the youngest in a rough crowd (With the lowest head in the crowd that night/Just practicin’ steps and keepin’ outta fights’).

So captivating was Washington, Rowland needed no ‘bombers’ or ‘Dexys’, because his high was brought on by the gig itself. In the middle eight, Rowland switches from past to present as he explains the schooling he got at that gig, and references the Washington 1966 hit Michael (The Lover) (‘Academic inspiration, you gave me none/But you were Michael the lover, the fighter that won’). The next lyric, ‘But now just look at me as I’m looking down at you’, can be taken literally, in that Washington is now in the crowd looking up at Dexys Midnight Runners. But it’s more likely Rowland proudly pointing out how the student is now the master. Occasionally, he seems almost cruel in his delight at this: ‘And now you’re all over, your song is so tame’, but he soon follows this with more kind words ‘You fed me, you bred me, I’ll remember your name’.

If this review seems a little more lyrically heavy than usual, it’s because I’m thinking you might be like me and have never known half of the content of the lyrics to Geno. Rowland’s singing style is totally unique. Punchy, earthy and emotional, yes. Easy to understand, no. It’s more like yelping at times, but it’s impossible to imagine Geno without Rowland’s testifying.

The video to Geno distills the essence of Dexys perfectly. Switching between band members walking moodily around Birmingham wasteland, eating in a dingy cafe, jumping New Street Station barriers, at a boxing gym and stomping around a small stage with a gaudy background. If this was Madness, it’d probably be a lighthearted romp. But this is Dexys Midnight Runners.

After

Geno was criticised in the music press upon release, but that infectious, jerky rhythm caught on big time. Within two months it was number 1 and stayed there for a fortnight. It was replaced by something far inferior, but gained Dexys many fans and had them waiting expectantly for their debut album. It also inspired The Specials, who they once supported, to write their next chart-topper.

The Outro

Much like The Specials, Dexys were a band to believe in. A collective of young soul rebels committed to the rugged beauty of the music they loved. But by the time they had their second number 1 Come On Eileen in 1982, only Rowland and Paterson remained. Dexys were a new band with a totally different look.

The Info

Written by

Kevin Rowland & Kevin Archer

Producer

Pete Wingfield

Weeks at number 1

2 (3-16 May)

Trivia

Births

8 May: Scottish singer Michelle McManus
9 May: Field hockey player: Kate Richardson-Walsh
12 May: Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Deaths

4 May: Actress Kay Hammond/Scottish jazz pianist Joe ‘Mr Piano’ Henderson
5 May: Conservative MP Sir Archibald James/Singer Betty May
6 May: Labour MP William Warbey
8 May: Botanist Charles Edward Hubbard
9 May: Historian James Webb
10 May: Trade unionist Frank Lynch
12 May: Academic William A Robson
14 May: Actor Hugh Griffith/Playwright Christine Longford
15 May: Meteorologist John Somers Dines
16 May: Physicist Robert Alan Smith

Meanwhile…

3 May: Liverpool win the Football League First Division title, for the 12th time.

5 May – The Iranian Embassy Siege comes to a dramatic close when the SAS storm the Iranian Embassy building and kill five out of the six terrorists. The dramatic events are broadcast live on TV, and the SAS become national heroes.

10 May: Second Division team West Ham United win the FA Cup for the third time, defeating First Division Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.

16 May: Inflation rose to 21.8%.