The Proclaimers still aren’t sick of singing 500 Miles

Almost 20 years on from their biggest hits, the Proclaimers still haven’t tired of playing them, writes Ed Power

THE Proclaimers are living proof it is possible to have a career-defining novelty hit and walk away with your sanity. In 1987, Edinburgh twins Craig and Charlie Reid stormed the charts with ‘Letter From America’, a feat they followed 12 months later with ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’. Some artists might have tried in vain to replicate such early success. The Reids had no intention of running in circles vying with their younger selves.

“The last thing I would ever want to do is rewrite one of our existing songs,” says Craig, the younger sibling by 30 minutes. “If I’m working on a record and a piece of music sounds like something I’ve heard already, or like someone else’s song, I bin it immediately.”