"Johnny Come Home" is a song by British band

Fine Young Cannibals Fine Young Cannibals (FYC) are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham, West Midlands, in 1984 by former The Beat band bassist David Steele and guitarist Andy Cox with singer Roland Gift (formerly of the Akrylykz). Their self-titled ...

, released as the first single from their debut album, ''

'' (1985). It is similar to the style of many other of the band's hits, a mixture of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

and

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

with

Roland Gift Roland Lee Gift (born 28 May 1961) is a British singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the former lead vocalist of the pop rock band Fine Young Cannibals. Early life Gift was born on 28 May 1961 in the Sparkhill district of Birmingham, to an En ...

's distinctive vocals, as well as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

-type trumpet solo. It was released in May 1985 by

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

and was one of the group's most popular hits. The song tells the gritty realistic story of a

runaway youth A runaway is a minor or (depending upon the local jurisdiction) a person under a specified age who has left their parents or legal guardians without permission. Causes Current studies suggest that the primary cause of youth homelessness is fa ...

, 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.

Chart performance

Although it failed to reach the top 40 in the United States, stalling at No. 76, along with the track, "Blue", "Johnny Come Home" reached No. 9 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' dance chart. The track was a good start for the group in their native United Kingdom, peaking at No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1985.

Reception

David Bennun from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' wrote, "I can particularly recommend 'Johnny Come Home', FYC's first and best hit, which was far more revealing of their roots in the British

scene than anything that followed; notably they had the nous to borrow not from their own former combo, The Beat, but from the much superior Specials. 'Johnny' was brisk, poignant and discreetly political, elevated by a desolate, roving trumpet and

's plaintive, mannered vocal, and they never topped it." John Leland called it, "dark, eerie dance music. 'Johnny' puts a little

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

creepiness, some fake opera, muted trumpet, and spare, pumping piano into a groove that moves on its keyboard bass." ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' called it, "an easy skittish ska-ish tune with an underlying urgency. Jazzy muted trumpet solo bops along with solid guitar. Plus Gift's instrument of a voice is gonna stick (splat!) like glue to your brain as you find yourself hummin' the refrain."

Charts

Popular culture

*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.

References

1985 songs 1985 debut singles Fine Young Cannibals songs Songs written by David Steele (musician) Songs written by Roland Gift London Records singles {{1980s-rock-song-stub