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"Real Gone Kid"
Single by Deacon Blue
from the album When the World Knows Your Name
B-side	"Little Lincoln" "Born Again" "It's Not Funny Anymore"
Released	3 October 1988 (1988-10-03)
Length	4:03 7:06 (extended version)
Label	CBS
Songwriter(s)	Ricky Ross
Producer(s)	Warne Livesey
Deacon Blue singles chronology
"Chocolate Girl" (1988) "Real Gone Kid" (1988) "Wages Day" (1989)
Music video
"Real Gone Kid" on YouTube

"Real Gone Kid" is a song by Scottish pop rock band Deacon Blue. Vocalist Ricky Ross wrote the song about a performance he saw of ex-Lone Justice singer Maria McKee during a time when Deacon Blue and Lone Justice toured together. The lyrics are a tribute to McKee, with the narrator using the term "real gone kid" as a designation for craziness, referring to McKee's "wild" onstage performance style. The song was included on Deacon Blue's second studio album, When the World Knows Your Name (1989).

Issued on 3 October 1988 as the first single from the album, the "Real Gone Kid" single includes three B-sides: "Little Lincoln", a cover of Sam & Dave's "Born Again", and a cover of Hüsker Dü's "It's Not Funny Anymore". "Real Gone Kid" was the band's first top-10 hit, reaching number eight on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 in Ireland, and number five in New Zealand. In Spain, the song peaked at number one for three weeks.

Lyrical content

Lyrically, "Real Gone Kid" is a tribute to American singer-songwriter Maria McKee, inspired by the experiences that Ricky Ross went through while touring with McKee's band, Lone Justice, as their opening act. Intrigued by McKee's "wild" behaviour on stage, Ross wrote the song about her, making the term "real-gone" refer to craziness. The lyrics of the track focus on the narrator's adoration of McKee. During the first verse, the narrator expresses his appreciation for McKee's older music, while the second verse and middle eight details the narrator's search for McKee keepsakes while reflecting on the way that she has improved his artistic knowledge.

Music video

The music video opens with a brief shot of the Deacon Blue logo, which moves into a line of various people against a white background queuing up to use a photo booth. This then cuts to the band, also against a white background, playing the song. The video consists of alternating shots of photo booth usage and the band playing; featured therein are a gay kiss between two photo booth customers, a scuffle behind the photo booth curtain and Ricky Ross jumping off a Yamaha CP-70 piano. Shots of the photo booth being used by the band members are intertwined in the last shots as the song fades out.

Track listings

All songs were written by Ricky Ross except where noted.

7-inch and cassette single (DEAC 7; DEAC C7)

1. "Real Gone Kid"
2. "Little Lincoln"

Limited-edition 7-inch EP and CD single (DEAC EP 7; CD DEAC 7)

A1. "Real Gone Kid"

A2. "Little Lincoln"

B1. "Born Again" (Isaac Hayes, David Porter)

B2. "It's Not Funny Anymore" (Grant Hart)

12-inch and mini-CD single (DEAC T7; 653035 3)

A1. "Real Gone Kid" (extended version) – 7:04

B1. "Little Lincoln" – 3:05

B2. "Real Gone Kid" (seven inch version) – 4:03

• A limited-edition version also exists with a fold-out picture sleeve.

Charts

Certifications

In popular culture

Various mixes of the song appeared in adverts for the Boots pharmacy chain in the UK from 2015 to 2017.

In the 2022 film Aftersun, the song can be heard faintly playing through Calum's headphones as he relaxes beside the pool.

References

1. "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1 October 1988. p. 31. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
2. Shelton, Jessica (9 March 2020). "'Real Gone Kid' by Deacon Blue". Song Meanings and Facts. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
3. Real Gone Kid (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Deacon Blue. CBS Records. 1988. DEAC 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
4. Real Gone Kid (UK cassette single sleeve). Deacon Blue. CBS Records. 1988. DEAC C7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. Real Gone Kid (UK limited 7-inch EP sleeve). Deacon Blue. CBS Records. 1988. DEAC EP 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
6. Real Gone Kid (UK CD single liner notes). Deacon Blue. CBS Records. 1988. CD DEAC 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. Real Gone Kid (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Deacon Blue. CBS Records. 1988. DEAC T7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. Real Gone Kid (European mini-CD single liner notes). Deacon Blue. CBS Records. 1988. 653035 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. Real Gone Kid (UK limited 12-inch single sleeve). Deacon Blue. CBS Records. 1988. DEAC QT 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. "Deacon Blue – Real Gone Kid". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
11. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 49. 3 December 1988. p. 19. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Real Gone Kid". Irish Singles Chart.
13. "Deacon Blue – Real Gone Kid". Top 40 Singles.
14. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
16. "Top 100 Singles: Year-End Chart 1988". Music Week. 4 March 1989. p. 12.
17. "End of Year Charts 1989". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
18. "British single certifications – Deacon Blue – Real Gone Kid". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
19. "boots – TV Ad Music". Tvadmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2018.

• Deacon Blue songs
• 1988 singles
• 1988 songs
• CBS Records singles
• Number-one singles in Spain
• Songs about musicians
• Songs written by Ricky Ross (musician)