"Come On Eileen" and "Somethin' For the Fellas (That Like the Fellas)"

“Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners is a song about a woman whom the narrator once dated and his sexual desires for her. “Somethin’ For the Fellas (That Like the Fellas)” by TEAM PIMP is also a song about sexual desires. However, one of these songs would be considered offensive by many Americans because of the way it defies norms including heterosexual and gender norms. Cultural production and the public reaction to that production demonstrate a society’s norms and values. It is, therefore, important to look at why certain songs receive more negative attention than other songs.

“Come On Eileen” begins with lines that expose the patriarchy involved in the story. The lines, “Our mothers cried and sang along” and “we can sing just like our fathers” reveal the underlying gender norms and intent to follow tradition. The lead singer says, “With you in that dress/My thoughts I confess/Verge on dirty.” This is actually a very sexually-charged line that shows the narrator’s intentions. He also shows his intentions by saying, “At this moment you mean everything,” and “Ah, come on, let's take off everything.” In the music video, the band, and especially the lead singer, approach Eileen and proposition her. However, Eileen is walking with another woman and they are pushing a baby in a stroller. This setup is interesting because it implies that, while the lead singer and Eileen used to date, she has a new partner who is a woman. However, dating someone who later identifies as a lesbian threatens the masculinity and heterosexuality of the lead singer. He desires to have another chance with her and prove to her that she does not want to be with this woman. The line, “They’re so resigned to what their fate is/But not us, no, not us,” demonstrates the conflict between Eileen and the lead singer. She is not willing to resign herself to his orders, but he is not willing to give up. The band orders Eileen to “tell him yes.” In the music video, the band has to resort to carrying Eileen away from her partner.



“Somethin’ For the Fellas (That Like the Fellas)” by TEAM PIMP is also about sexual desire, but instead of undermining sexual agency, it encourages it. It is strictly about non-heterosexual sexual contact that is not within a marriage. Erika sings, “Dirty gay stuff is all I wanna do/I wanna fuck you and your boyfriend too.” Maxine sings, “taking off your shirt to make the fellas scream.” These lines in the song express sexual agency. The song is also about rejecting gender norms. Maxine sings, “You got me burnin’ up” and Erika adds, “My mussy’s on fire.” The song uses humor to be entertaining and fun, which are two adjectives that describe sexual exploration for TEAM PIMP. Erika sings, “It’s large like Charles in Charge” and “Fuck me in the ass ‘til you come real fast.” All of these aspects would make the song offensive for many parents. People reject media when it provides a free and open space to talk about sex, homosexuality, and gendered behavior. Yet, this is hypocritical. “Come On Eileen” is sexual and may even imply rape, but because it is through the heterosexual male gaze, this song receives no controversy.



These two songs relate to “Lusting for Freedom” by Rebecca Walker. Walker writes, “the suppression of sexual agency and exploration, from within or from without, is often used as a method of social control and domination” (22-23). People want to prevent their children, and especially young women, from being exposed to songs like “Something For the Fellas (That Like the Fellas)” because it may just help them achieve sexual agency, something that would subvert the patriarchy. “Sex in silence and filled with shame is sex where our agency is denied” (Walker 23). When we censor media, the things that are usually censored often present a sexuality that is beyond the norm. But this silence has a negative impact on youth who need proper sexual education. “We are growing, thinking, inquisitive, self-possessed beings who need information about sex and access to birth control and abortion” (Walker 24). Additionally, if young people are exposed to material we normally consider “explicit” and are provided with a detailed explanation, they will be better equipped to deal with the sexual issues that face them as they grow up. Walker writes, “there is no magic recipe for a healthy sexuality; each person comes into her or his own sexual power through a different route and at her or his own pace” (23). Therefore, it is imperative that we provide a wide variety of media that expose children to many different sexualities and gender expressions so that they may come into their own and know who they are, rather than closeting their sexualities.


We must be given the keys to our sexual agency.

-Erica