The Proclaimers
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| The Proclaimers | ||
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 Craig and Charlie on the cover of their debut album This is the Story
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| Background information | ||
| Origin |  Auchtermuchty, Scotland |
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| Genre(s) | Folk Rock, Pop | |
| Years active | 1983 - Present | |
| Label(s) | Chrysalis Records | |
| Website | Proclaimers.co.uk | |
The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twins Charlie and Craig Reid. They are best known for their songs "Letter from America" and "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" which became the theme song to the film Benny & Joon (1993), and to the charity event the Terry Fox Run, as well as a Molson Canadian commercial.
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[edit] Career
Formed in 1983, the Auchtermuchty pair leapt to public attention after a January 1987 appearance on UK popular music programme The Tube on Channel Four; [1] "Letter from America" peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart, while the album This is the Story went gold. The follow-up album Sunshine on Leith featured "I'm Gonna Be..." and "I'm on My Way".
The brothers are famous fans of Edinburgh-based football club Hibernian. "Sunshine on Leith" is played at every home match, and the refrain from "I'm Gonna Be..." is played when Hibs score. They are also well-known supporters of Scottish independence and have at various stages of their lives been activists for the Scottish National Party, expressing such views on their promotional tour of Britain in March 2007[2]. Many of their songs reflect their political views, such as "Letter from America" and "Cap in Hand". On May 16, 2006, the twins announced their participation in a campaign to free a fellow Scot, Kenny Richey, from his death row sentence in Ohio, USA, including them playing at a charity concert. [3]
"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and "I'm On My Way" were both major chart hits in Australia - so much so that the band very successfully toured the major cities of Australia in 1989. They were supported on the Sydney and Canberra legs of that tour by indie rock band The Mexican Spitfires. Helped by the inclusion of "I'm on My Way" on the Shrek soundtrack in 2001, the Proclaimers have remained popular in Australia with "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and the former song regularly played on Australian radio and at suburban parties, nightclubs, and especially RSL clubs.[citation needed]
As of May 2006 "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" had remained in the iTunes download chart since December 2004. The 1988 album Sunshine on Leith sold over 25,000 copies in 2005.
[edit] Continuing Popularity
- In 1994, their cover of "Get Ready" featured in the soundtrack for the hit film Dumb and Dumber.
- In 2003, the Proclaimers came fifth in The Glasgow Herald's poll to find The Most Scottish Person in the World.
- On July 6, 2005, they were the opening act at Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push, the final concert of Live8 at Murrayfield Stadium. They played "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" to symbolise the conclusion of The Long Walk to Justice.
- On April 30, 2006, the Proclaimers appeared on the hit cartoon show Family Guy, due to the show's creator, Seth MacFarlane, being a fan. They appeared in episode "You May Now Kiss The...Uh...Guy Who Receives", in which Stewie Griffin says Brian's homosexual cousin will fit in the Griffin family as badly as Peter fit in the Proclaimers, as a cutaway shows him fighting over who sings a lyric of "I'm Gonna Be...".
- On July 9, 2006, the Proclaimers played the Main Stage at T in the Park.
- On September 17, 2006 it was announced that a jukebox musical featuring the music of the Proclaimers was being prepared and set to debut in April 2007 performed by the Dundee Repertory Ensemble and directed by James Brining.[1]
- On the February 27, 2007 episode of the television show, How I Met Your Mother, the band's "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" was played multiple times throughout the show as the "cassingle" that was stuck in the tape deck of a car.
- "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" is an unofficial charity single for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day 2007 in the UK. It has covered by comedians Peter Kay and Matt Lucas, in character as the wheelchair users Brian Potter of Phoenix Nights and Andy Pipkin from Little Britain respectively (the word "walk" in the chorus has been replaced with "roll"). The Proclaimers feature in the song and the accompanying video.[4] Lucas wrote sleeve notes for their greatest hits, while Kay joined the band on stage when they performed at Live 8.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
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 (re-released in 2001 with King of the Road appendage) |
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[edit] EP
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[edit] Compilation
 (UK only) |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
| US | US Modern Rock | UK | |||
| 1987 | "Throw the R Away" | - | - | - | This is the Story |
| 1987 | "Letter from America" (band version) | - | - | 3 | This is the Story |
| 1988 | "Make My Heart Fly" (band version) | - | - | 63 | This is the Story |
| 1988 | "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" | 3 (1993) | 21 (1993) | 11
26 (2007) |
Sunshine on Leith |
| 1988 | "Sunshine on Leith" | - | - | 41 | Sunshine on Leith |
| 1989 | "I'm on My Way" | - | - | 43 | Sunshine on Leith |
| 1990 | "King of the Road" | - | - | 9 | King of the Road (EP) |
| 1994 | "Let's Get Married" | - | - | 21 | Hit the Highway |
| 1994 | "What Makes You Cry" | - | - | 38 | Hit the Highway |
| 1994 | "These Arms of Mine" | - | - | 52 | Hit the Highway |
| 2001 | "There's a Touch" | - | - | - | Persevere |
| 2007 | "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" feat. Brian Potter and Andy Pipkin | - | - | 1 | I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - Single |
[edit] DVD
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[edit] References
- ^ a b Brian Logan. "Pop idols", The Guardian, 2007-02-08. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
- ^ "The Simon Mayo Programme", BBC Radio Five Live, March 28, 2007.
- ^ "Letter to America: Proclaimers join campaign to free death-row Scot", The Scotsman, May 16, 2006.
- ^ "Mutual Relief: Lucas and Kay join for charity single", BBC, 17/03/2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-17.
