"Real Gone Kid" is a song by Scottish

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band

Deacon Blue Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop rock band formed in Glasgow during 1985. The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond. The band released their debut album ...

. Vocalist Ricky Ross wrote the song about a performance he saw of ex-

Lone Justice Lone Justice is an American country rock band formed in 1982 by guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and singer Maria McKee. They have recently announced they are recording new material as per Marvin Etzioni July 2022. They are part of a new exhibit in Sep ...

singer

Maria McKee Maria Luisa McKee (born August 17, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her work with Lone Justice, her 1990 song "Show Me Heaven", and her song "If Love Is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags)" from the film ''Pulp Fiction''. ...

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 ''When the World Knows Your Name'' is the second album by the Scottish rock (music), rock band Deacon Blue. It was released in 1989 and attained the number 1 chart position in the UK Albums Chart. "Real Gone Kid" was the band's first Top 10 ...

''. Issued on 3 October 1988 as the first single from the album, the "Real Gone Kid" single features three

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

s: "Little Lincoln" and covers of

Sam & Dave Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (born 1935) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988). Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The ...

's "Born Again" and

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...

's "It's Not Funny Anymore". The song was the band's first top-10 hit, reaching number eight on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, 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

, inspired by the experiences that Ricky Ross went through while touring with McKee's band,

, as their opening act. Intrigued by McKee's "wild" behavior 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 The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. A ...

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 A photo booth is a vending machine or modern kiosk that contains an automated, usually coin-operated, camera and film processor. Today, the vast majority of photo booths are digital. History The patent for the first automated photography ma ...

. 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 # "Real Gone Kid" # "Little Lincoln" Limited-edition 7-inch EP and CD single :A1. "Real Gone Kid" :A2. "Little Lincoln" :B1. "Born Again" :B2. "It's Not Funny Anymore" 12-inch and mini-CD single :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

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

In popular culture

Various mixes of the song appeared in

advert Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

s for the

Boots Pharmacy Boots UK Limited (formerly Boots the Chemists), trading as Boots, is a British health and beauty retailer and pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom and other countries and territories including Ireland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Thailand an ...

in the UK from 2015 to 2017. The song was also used by boxer Paul Smith for his ring entrances, most recently against Andre Ward.

References

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