“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”
The Proclaimers are a Scottish rock duo formed in 1983 by twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid (1962). Their 1987 single, “Letter From America,” which reached No.3 in the United Kingdom, garnered them some attention. This was followed by the 1988 single, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” which topped the charts in Australia, Iceland, and New Zealand. Their second studio album, Sunshine on Leith, which includes the featured song, was released in 1988 and became their biggest selling album. Although they first started out as an acoustic duo, they eventually gravitated toward band-oriented rock in later years. Their most recent album, Dentures Out (insert joke here!) was released in 2022. In the same year, they also released three compilation albums and a DVD. Remember those?
Although the original success of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” was at first limited to the United Kingdom and Australia, when it was included as one of the main themes in the 1993 American comedy, Benny & Joon starring Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson, it climbed the American charts, reaching the top three on the US Billboard Top 100 during the summer of that year.
This is one of those love-hate relationships to a song. When I first heard it, I thought it was okay, not great, but okay, but then it got played over and over again on the radio, and I grew to detest it for its smarminess.
I was actually surprised to find so many covers of this song. The first one I chose, MTL (Music Travel Love), is because they are also a duo comprised of brothers, although they are not twins. Bob and Clint Moffatt are a Canadian duo that began performing professionally at four years old and have amassed over 5,000 live performances! Along with their brothers, Scott and Dave, they then formed The Moffatts and were signed to Polydor Records in Nashville, becoming the youngest band ever to sign a major record label deal. Over the course of their careers, they have sold over seven million records, recorded seven albums, and had Gold and Platinum records in 32 countries. They also performed in the first-ever paid concerts in China, performed the first-ever outdoor stadium concert in Vietnam. To this day, they hold album sales records for an international act in Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia. All this, and I had never heard of them before! I might get my Canadian citizenship revoked! MTL is a project that the two brothers continue to grow, but they are expanding into new projects, such as: Music Travel Relax, Music Studio Love, and two of their favorites, Music Travel Kids and Music Java Love.
The second cover is by Sleeping at Last, a musical project led by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Ryan O’Neal. The project initially began in Wheaton, Illinois as a three-piece band with O’Neal as the lead singer and guitarist, his brother (yes, there appears the be a brother theme going on with this song!) Chad as the drummer, and Dan Perdue on the bass. Their cover was used by Budweiser for Super Bowl XLIX Commercial, “Lost Dog.”
And finally, in keeping with The Proclaimers Scottish roots, I felt it was only fitting to provide a cover by two dudes, Jim Malcolm & Darren Maclean (no they are not brothers, but both their last names start with M!) in kilts singing this song. The heavy Scottish brogue is definitely a plus, not to mention changing the lyrics, with the second verse starting with: “And when I get drunk… instead of “And when I come home…” Make of that what you will.
Enjoy!
The Proclaimers. “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) 1988.
Music Travel Love (MTL). “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)” cover 2021.
Sleeping at Last. “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)” cover 2015.
Jim Malcolm & Darren Maclean. “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)” cover 2010.
Los Angeles 2024
I love 500 miles. Not annoying when heard while driving across the Highlands for a date with a publican. I promise!
I kind of liked “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” when it came out but can see how it can test your patience when you hear it over and over again, especially that chorus. Luckily, I never heard it as often to get to that point where I could no longer stand it. I also like the covers you highlighted, especially MTL and Sleeping at Last since they are more mellow, which works particularly well in the chorus. Jim Malcolm & Darren Maclean, on the other had, stay pretty close to the original.
Nice mile by mile breakdown of the Reid brothers song North. While I have heard of The Moffatts I really didn’t have a clue about them, so I don’t think we need to revoke that citizenship. Great selection of covers. Will repost on my site asap!
Aww, I’ve always loved this song. 1993 was a mediocre year for music as far as I’m concerned, so much so that this ended up among my top 10 favorites for that year. Surprisingly, I never tired of hearing it even though, as you noted, it was played to death on the radio.
The MTL cover is nice, but I especially love that they filmed their performance in Monument Valley, one of the most beautiful and magical places on earth. The Sleeping at Last cover is heartwarming and serene, while the Malcolm-MacLean version is lively and fun, capturing the energy of the original.
Glad you like the covers!
Well, those are indeed annoying covers. Except the last, LA, one. I like that one. Once. 🙂
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One I still like though I can understand why it is more grate than great for many more who have heard it more than enough.
I do like the song….I saw Benny and Joon when it first opened…my wife and I went to that on our first real date.
I’ve always liked the energy of the song and the charm of the heavy Scottish brogue in the lads’ voices. I didn’t care for the covers, as they took the mood of the song into a middle-of-the-road (sorry) direction.
I like the MTL version!