THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER

598-The Proclaimers-I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles.)

1988-Number 11 single.

Best Bit-At 1.34. To ‘haver’ is to talk foolishly. Some American radio stations initially banned the song, thinking that to ‘haver’ was something very rude.

The Proclaimers are the twin brothers Craig, and Charlie Reid, who were born on March 5th, 1962, in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland. They started out as an acoustic duo, before recruiting a backing band, and becoming more Rock orientated.They have released 11 studio Albums to date, between 1987-2018, and have achieved six UK top 40 singles, including the 2007 Number 1 ‘Comic Relief’ remake of this song.’I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles’) was taken from The Proclaimers second studio Album ‘Sunshine on Leith’ from 1988, The song was mainly written by Craig who said,’I can remember sitting at the piano, and the chords just came to me. I reckon I just wrote the whole thing in 45 minutes.’ I knew that it was a good song, maybe even a single, but I had no idea how popular it would become.’

In 1993 the song was chosen for the American romantic comedy film ‘Benny & Joon’ starring Johnny Depp, and due to this exposure the song gave The Proclaimers their only hit on Billboard, reaching Number 3.

In 2007 The Proclaimers re-recorded the song with the British comedians Peter Kay, and Matt Lucas, for the ‘Comic Relief’ song of that year, it went to Number 1 in March, and ending 2007 as the eighth best selling single of the year. The popularity of the song led to renewed interest in the original, and it re-entered the UK top 40 at Number 37, which is possibly the only time that a re-recorded version, and an original version of a song have been new entries on the UK top 40 in the same week?

‘But I would walk five hundred miles,and I would walk five hundred more, just to be the man who walks a thousand miles, to fall down at your door.’