"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" is a song written and performed by Scottish duo

the Proclaimers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, and first released as the lead single from their 1988 album '' Sunshine on Leith''. The song reached number 11 in 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 ...

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 Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books. Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...

and

Matt Lucas Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain'' (2003–2006, 2020) and '' Come Fl ...

for the UK's

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

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 Murrayfield Stadium (known as BT Murrayfield Stadium for sponsorship reasons, or popularly as Murrayfield) is a Rugby stadium located in the Murrayfield area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has a seating capacity of 67,144 making it the largest sta ...

on 6 July 2005, the final concert of

Live 8 Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 200 ...

, 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 ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' 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 William Peter Wingfield (born 7 May 1948) is an English record producer, keyboard player, songwriter, singer and music journalist. Career Whilst at Sussex University Wingfield and three other students formed the group Jellybread. In 1969, he ...

, 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 Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film '' Benny & Joon'' starring

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Awa ...

and

Mary Stuart Masterson Mary Stuart Masterson (born June 28, 1966) is an American actress and director. She has starred in the films '' At Close Range'' (1986), '' Some Kind of Wonderful'' (1987), '' Chances Are'' (1989), ''Fried Green Tomatoes'' (1991) and '' Benny & ...

; 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 A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the characters' jobs and portray som ...

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...

''. The song was heavily used in the CBS sitcom ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main c ...

''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 ''Derry Girls'' is a British teen sitcom created and written by Lisa McGee that premiered on 4 January 2018 on Channel 4. The channel's most successful comedy since ''Father Ted'', the series was inspired by McGee's own experiences growing up ...

'', in Season 2, Episode 6.

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Charlie and Craig Reid, except where noted. *7" single *# "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" – 3:37 *# "Better Days" – 3:14 *12" single *# "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" – 3:37 *# "Better Days" – 3:14 *# "Teardrops" – 2:33 *CD single *# "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" – 3:37 *# "Better Days" – 3:14 *# "Teardrops" – 2:33 *# "I Can't Be Myself" (

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled a ...

) – 2:30

Personnel

* Craig Reid – lead vocals, tambourine * Charlie Reid – backing vocals, acoustic guitar Additional personnel *

Jerry Donahue Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of t ...

– electric guitar *

– keyboards * Phil Cranham – bass guitar * Dave Mattacks – drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Comic Relief version

In 2007, the Proclaimers re-recorded the song with

and

as their characters Brian Potter from '' Phoenix Nights'' and Andy Pipkin from ''

Little Britain Little Britain may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little Britain'' (sketch show), a British radio and then TV show ** ''Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off * "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album ''Second Light'' * ...

'' 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 A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. George Harrison's "Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-made ...

for

immediately following its performance on the ''Comic Relief 2007: The Big One'' television show on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

on 16 March 2007. It reached number 3 on the official

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

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, and their cover of

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's "

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". 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 The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

. 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,

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, Dusty Bin,

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, Cannon and Ball, Bob Carolgees & Spit the Dog,

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, Tess Daly,

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(referred to in the lyrics),

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, Sally Dynevor,

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, Andy Gray, Clare Grogan, Paul Henry, Frazer Hines,

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(credited as "Her off

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"),

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, Kenny Lynch,

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, Timmy Mallett, Jennie McAlpine,

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, Showaddywaddy,

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, Frank Sidebottom,

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, Gary Wilmot, and Bob Wilson.

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(a kidnapped race horse) are also falsely credited as appearing in the video.

Track listing

*CD single # "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" – 3:41 # "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

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control 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