Video hit The Proclaimers

The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

The Proclaimers are the Scottish twins Craig and Charlie Reid. This is their only hit in America, but four of their other songs made the UK Top 40, including their first hit, "Letter From America," which went to #3 in 1987.

This song is about being devoted to a woman and wanting to spend the rest of your life with her. And it's all sung in a Scottish accent.

In the line "I'm gonna be the one who's havering for you," 'havering' means babbling on.

This was written in 1988 and released on The Proclaimers album Sunshine On Leith. It became a hit when the song was used in the 1993 movie Benny And Joon, starring Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson.

Craig Reid in the Daily Mail, March 23, 2007: "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."

This was a hit in the US after being featured in the movie Benny & Joon after the director heard the song being played on his personal stereo by Mary Ann Waterston. The Proclaimers had no idea it would be featured in the film.

It was a #1 hit in Australia.

This song was adopted as a theme song by Hibernian Football Club in Scotland.

In March 2007 The Proclaimers teamed up with British comedians Peter Kay and Matt Lucas to release a new version for the charity Comic Relief, which topped the UK charts. Peter Kay stars as his wheelchair bound character the Phoenix Club boss Brian Potter and Matt Lucas in turn appears as his similarly wheelchair bound Little Britain character Andy Pipkin. The comedians duet on the first 2 verses of the song before the Proclaimers take over.

The original version returned to the British chart at #37 the same week the Comic Relief version entered the chart at #3 making The Proclaimers become the first act in over 20 years to chart simultaneously with 2 different recordings of the same song. The last person to achieve this was Lulu, who in the last week of July 1986 had both her original 1964 recording of "Shout" in the Top 75 alongside a brand new "86" version.

By 2002, 500 miles just wasn't enough, as Vanessa Carlton used the same lyrical theme, but with twice the distance, in her song "A Thousand Miles."

The lyrics:

When I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you

When I go out yeah I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you

If I get drunk yes I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you

And if I have yeah I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you

But I would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more

Just to be the man who walked 1,000 miles

To fall down at your door

When I'm working yes I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you

And when the money comes in for the work I'll do

I'll pass almost every penny on to you

When I come home yeah I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you

And if I grow old well I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you

When I'm lonely yes I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you

When I'm dreaming yes I know I'm gonna dream

Dream about the time when I'm with you