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"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"
Single by the Proclaimers
from the album Sunshine on Leith
Released	August 1988 (UK) June 1993 (US) 2000 (re-release)
Recorded	1988
Studio	Chipping Norton Recording Studios, Oxfordshire
Genre	Alternative rock Celtic rock folk rock
Length	3:37
Label	Chrysalis
Songwriter(s)	Charlie Reid Craig Reid
Producer(s)	Pete Wingfield
The Proclaimers singles chronology
"Make My Heart Fly" (1987) "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" (1988) "Sunshine on Leith" (1988)

"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" is a song written and performed by Scottish duo the Proclaimers, and first released as the lead single from their 1988 album Sunshine on Leith. The song reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart on its initial release and has since become their most popular song worldwide. It was a number one hit in Iceland, then number one in Australia and New Zealand in early 1990.

In 1993, following its appearance in the American film Benny & Joon, the song was released in North America and many other countries around the world. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in August 1993, as well as number eight on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and number 25 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart; it also reached number four in Canada. In 2007, the Proclaimers re-recorded the song with English comedians Peter Kay and Matt Lucas for the UK's Comic Relief charity telethon, scoring a number one hit in the UK and outperforming their original UK chart run.

"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" has become a live staple at the Proclaimers' concerts. The duo played it at Edinburgh 50,000 – The Final Push at Murrayfield Stadium on 6 July 2005, the final concert of Live 8, to symbolise the conclusion of "The Long Walk to Justice".

Background

The song was mainly written by in August 1987 while waiting to travel to a Hibernian Football Club match in Aberdeen. Reid has said that the band's earnings from the song are about five times the rest of their catalogue combined.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "We have to get used to this, the acoustic Scottish duo being supported by a full line-up of instruments. Produced by Pete Wingfield, this highly rhythmic pop song is a taster to the forthcoming LP, Sunshine On Leith."

Later success

Originally recorded and released in 1988, the song's success was initially limited mostly to the United Kingdom and Australia. Later in 1993, it was included as one of the main themes of the 1993 American romantic comedy film Benny & Joon starring Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson; subsequently, due to the exposure it received through the film, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" reached the top 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart during the summer of that year.

The song was also used during Matthew's flash mob proposal to April in "Readiness Is All", the ninth season episode of ABC's medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The song was heavily used in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother's Season 2 Episode 17, "Arrivederci, Fiero". The song was stuck on repeat in the Fiero and was the only song Marshall could listen to on road-trips.

It is sung at the birthday party at the end of The Café, Season 1, Episode 6, "Deal or No Deal".

The song also appears in the Channel 4 series Derry Girls, in Season 2, Episode 6.

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Charlie and Craig Reid, except where noted.

• 7" single
  1. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" – 3:37
  2. "Better Days" – 3:14

• 12" single
  1. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" – 3:37
  2. "Better Days" – 3:14
  3. "Teardrops" – 2:33

• CD single
  1. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" – 3:37
  2. "Better Days" – 3:14
  3. "Teardrops" – 2:33
  4. "I Can't Be Myself" (Merle Haggard) – 2:30

Personnel

• Craig Reid – lead vocals, tambourine
• Charlie Reid – backing vocals, acoustic guitar

Additional personnel

• Jerry Donahue – electric guitar
• Pete Wingfield – keyboards
• Phil Cranham – bass guitar
• Dave Mattacks – drums

Charts

Certifications

Comic Relief version

"(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles"
Single by the Proclaimers featuring Brian Potter and Andy Pipkin
Released	17 March 2007
Recorded	1988, 2007
Genre	Celtic rock folk pop college rock
Length	3:41
Label	EMI
Songwriter(s)	Charlie Reid Craig Reid
The Proclaimers singles chronology
"Restless Soul" (2005) "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" (2007) "Life with You" (2007)
Peter Kay singles chronology
"(Is This The Way To) Amarillo" (2005) "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" (2007) "The Winner's Song" (2008)
Comic Relief singles chronology
"Walk This Way" (2007) "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" (2007) "Just Can't Get Enough" (2009)

In 2007, the Proclaimers re-recorded the song with Peter Kay and Matt Lucas as their characters Brian Potter from Phoenix Nights and Andy Pipkin from Little Britain respectively. There is a slight change in the title of the song, with the parentheses placed around "(I'm Gonna Be)" rather than "(500 Miles)". The lyrics also include a change, with the words "roll 500 miles" replacing "walk 500 miles", because the characters Brian Potter and Andy Pipkin are both in wheelchairs. "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" was released as a charity single for Comic Relief immediately following its performance on the Comic Relief 2007: The Big One television show on BBC1 on 16 March 2007. It reached number 3 on the official UK Singles Chart on download sales alone, and one week later reached number 1, where it remained for three weeks. It sold 126,000 copies in its first week, making it the biggest selling number one of the year up to that point. Its sales were double that of the official Comic Relief single by Girls Aloud vs. Sugababes, and their cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way". The song ended 2007 as the year's 8th biggest-selling single in the UK. The song was popular in Ireland as well, and peaked at #7 in Irish Singles Chart.

Kay also directed a video clip of the song featuring himself as Brian Potter, Lucas as Andy, David Walliams as Lou, The Proclaimers and an audience of celebrity guests, comprising Johnny Ball, David Beckham, David Bellamy, Dusty Bin, Tony Blackburn, Stan Boardman, Basil Brush, Bob the Builder, Holly Willoughby, Bucks Fizz, Cannon and Ball, Bob Carolgees & Spit the Dog, Jasper Carrott, Keith Chegwin, Jimmy Cricket, Tess Daly, Bobby Davro (referred to in the lyrics), Carol Decker, Sally Dynevor, Lesley Garrett, Andy Gray, Clare Grogan, Paul Henry, Frazer Hines, Siobhan Redmond (credited as "Her off Holby City"), Elton John, The Krankies, Burt Kwouk, Bonnie Langford, Eddie Large, Michael Le Vell, Limahl, Kenny Lynch, Des Lynam, Timmy Mallett, Jennie McAlpine, Bill Oddie, Paul O'Grady, Postman Pat, Wendi Peters, Robert Powell, Rod, Jane and Freddy, Rupert the Bear, Showaddywaddy, Status Quo, Frank Sidebottom, Sonia, Dennis Taylor, David Tennant, Willie Thorne, Kate Thornton, Dave Lee Travis, Owen Newton, Martin Tyler, Roy Walker, Louis Walsh, Pete Waterman, Elton Welsby, June Whitfield, Gary Wilmot, and Bob Wilson. Osama bin Laden (then still a fugitive terrorist), Lord Lucan (missing since 1974) and Shergar (a kidnapped race horse) are also falsely credited as appearing in the video.

Track listing

• CD single

1. "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" – 3:41
2. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" (1988 Original Version) – 3:37

The enhanced CD and DVD also featured the promotional video for the song and a photo gallery.

Charts

Certifications

References

1. "The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". Discogs. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
2. Ygelsias, Matthew (21 May 2007). "The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist". The Atlantic.
3. ^ Leeson, Josh (20 April 2019). "The Proclaimers on how songs can carry you 500 miles and beyond". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
4. ^ Simpson, Dave (10 August 2015). "The Proclaimers: how we made I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
5. "The Proclaimers Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts".
6. ^ "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers". toponehitwonders.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
7. "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 3 September 1988. p. 13. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
8. "Benny & Joon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Rachel Portman". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
9. "Deal or No Deal". IMDb. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
10. "The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
11. "The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
12. "The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2221." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
14. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2217." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
15. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 41. 8 October 1988. p. 26. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
16. "Tonlist Top 10". DV. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I'm Gonna Be". Irish Singles Chart.
18. "The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". Top 40 Singles.
19. "The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". Swiss Singles Chart.
20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
21. "The Proclaimers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
22. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
23. "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1989". ARIA.
24. "End of Year Charts 1989". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
25. "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
26. "The RPM Top 100 A\C Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
27. "Billboard Top 100 – 1993". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
28. "2006 UK Singles Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
29. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 225.
30. "Danish single certifications – The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
31. "Italian single certifications – The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 23 September 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
32. "British single certifications – Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
33. "Best-Selling Records of 1993". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 3. BPI Communications. 15 January 1994. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
34. "American single certifications – Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". Recording Industry Association of America.
35. "Stars unite for Comic Relief show". BBC News. 17 March 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
36. "Singles – 31.03.07: The Proclaimers". Music Week. London, England: UBM. 31 March 2007.
37. ^ "The 2007 Official Singles Chart". Music Week. London, England: UBM: 11. 12 January 2008.
38. "Hits of the World – Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 16. 21 April 2007. p. 63. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
39. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". Irish Singles Chart.
40. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
41. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
42. "British single certifications – Proclaimers ft Brian Potter & Andy Pipkin – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". British Phonographic Industry.

External links

• Official Music Video on YouTube

• 1988 singles
• 1988 songs
• 1993 singles
• 2007 singles
• British alternative rock songs
• Chrysalis Records singles
• Comic Relief singles
• EMI Records singles
• Football songs and chants
• Number-one singles in Australia
• Number-one singles in Iceland
• Number-one singles in New Zealand
• Number-one singles in Scotland
• The Proclaimers songs
• Scotland national football team songs
• Song recordings produced by Pete Wingfield
• UK Singles Chart number-one singles