literally to have defined the contour of his performance, the nature of his short-lived popularity, and his enduring iconic status in pre-rock and proto-rock." In popular culture Archival footage of Ray arriving at London Heathrow Airport in 1954 was featured in the 1982 music video for Dexys Midnight Runners' hit single "Come On Eileen". The lyrics of the song also mention him: "Poor old Johnnie Ray sounded sad upon the radio/Moved a million hearts in mono." Ray is mentioned in the lyrics of Billy Idol's 1986 hit "Don't Need a Gun", and appears in the video. Multiple elements of Ray's self-composed hit "I'll Never Fall in Love again" are sampled in Portishead's 1994 song "Biscuit". He is mentioned in the lyrics of Van Morrison's 1997 song "Sometimes We Cry" from his album The Healing Game, a song that features the backing vocals of Brian Kennedy and Georgie Fame. Ray is one of the cultural touchstones mentioned in the first verse (concerning events from the late 1940s and early 1950s) of Billy Joel's 1989 hit single "We Didn't Start the Fire", between Red China and South Pacific. He is mentioned in the lyrics of Jimmy Ray's 1997 song "Are You Jimmy Ray?" Ray was also referred to in two Eartha Kitt songs: "Monotonous" from New Faces of 1952 ("I even made Johnnie Ray smile for me"), and "I Want to Be Evil" ("I want to sing songs like the guy who cries"). A fictionalized version of him appears in James Ellroy's 2021 novel Widespread Panic. Bob Dylan has spoken about his very early influences, before he had ever listened to a rock'n'roll record or Hank Williams. Dylan was quoted as saying, "Before that, Johnny [sic] Ray. He was the first singer whose voice and style, I guess, I totally fell in love with. There was just something about the way he sang 'When Your Sweetheart Sends A Letter'…that just knocked me out. I loved his style, wanted to dress like him too." Selected discography Chart hits Studio albums Johnnie Ray (Columbia, 1952) I Cry For You (Columbia, 1955) The Big Beat (Columbia, 1957) Till Morning (Columbia, 1958) On The Trail (Columbia, 1959) A Sinner Am I (Philips Records, United Kingdom, 1959) Johnnie Ray (aka Till the Clouds Roll By) (Liberty Records, 1962) Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Celebrity Records, United Kingdom, 1976) Remembering (K-Tel Records, stereo re-recordings of his hits) Live albums