"Johnny Come Home" is a song by British band

Fine Young Cannibals Fine Young Cannibals (FYC) was a British pop rock band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1984, by bassist David Steele (musician), David Steele, guitarist Andy Cox (both formerly of The Beat (British band), The Beat), and singer Roland Gift (fo ...

, 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 Wales ...

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 walki ...

with

Roland Gift Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

'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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

-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 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. Statistics show that females are more likely to run away than males. Causes Curr ...

, 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 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 The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in July 1985.

Charts

Popular culture

*In later years the song's title would serve as the title for a

Jake Arnott Jake Arnott (born 11 March 1961) is a British novelist and dramatist, author of ''The Long Firm'' (1999) and six other novels. Life Arnott was born in Buckinghamshire. Having left Aylesbury Grammar School at 17, he had various jobs includin ...

novel published in 2006 whose plot line is reminiscent of the themes discussed in the song.

References

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