Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Not only are the twins not one-hit wonders, their defining song remains as remarkably strong now as it was when it was first released. Most of us probably think it is called Walk 500 Miles, but this exhilarating slice of Scottish rock still has plenty more miles left in the tank. It has topped charts around the world in different decades for different reasons and helped the duo bank over £1million in one year alone. If you are wondering how to tell them apart, it's simple. While they occasionally vary hairstyles (a little), they share vocal duties but Charlie, who is older by 30 minutes, plays guitar while Craig handles percussion on bongos, maracas and tambourine.
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I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) was a hit when it was first released, making it to number 11 on the UK charts. And then it didn't just walk 500 miles and 500 more, it went way beyond that.
Probably travelling as fast as two Scots on a leisurely stroll, it topped charts in Iceland, Australia and New Zealand in the early 1990s.
The song had a major boost when it featured on the soundtrack of Johnny Depp film Benny & Joon and rocketted to number three on the US charts in 1993.
Incredibly, it still wasn't over and even greater success was still ahead.
The Proclaimers' biggest hit is I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (Image: GETTY)
The Proclaimers in 1986 (Image: GETTY)
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In 2007, the Proclaimers re-recorded the song withPeter KayandMatt Lucasfor the UK'sComic Reliefcharity telethon, scoring a number one hit in the UK and outperforming their original UK chart run.
A couple of lines were changed to "roll 500 miles" reflect the fact that the comics were in wheelchairs as their well-known charactersBrian Potter and Andy Pipkin.
The song had another boost with the release of the fantastic musical Sunshine in Leith in 2007 which Bohemian Rhapsody director Dexter Fletcher turned into an even more fantastic film in 2013 and was a number three hit at the US box office.
Starring Jane Horrock and George MacKay, the big screen musical took some of the band's enduring songs and created a deeply moving story of three couples in Edinburgh.
Fittingly it ends on a massed singalong of I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) that fills the streets and central square of the city with thousands of real people joining in.
All the while, the brothers have also continued releasing albums and touring across the globe.
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The Proclaimers: Charlie Reid at Glastonbury in 2019 (Image: GETTY)
The Proclaimers on the Sunshine on Leith red carpet in 2013 (Image: GETTY)
The Proclaimers have sold over five million albums with 1996's Sunshine on Leith making it to number six on the UK charts, followed by number eight smash Hit The Highway in 1998.
The band's first hit single Letter From America went to number three in the UK in 1997, while King of the Road travelled to number nine in 1990.
Another classic song, I'm On My Way, was a number three hit in Australia in 1998 and then popped up on the first Shrek movie soundtrack.
Add all this to constant touring, and the band has had a steady revenue stream across four decades. Their official accounts in 2016 showed they had banked£1,138,028 in that year alone.
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Craig and Charlie continue to record and perform new music, with the 2018 album marking thirty years in the music industry. It made number 17 on the UK charts and was the tenth consecutive Top Ten hit for the twins of their home Scottish charts.
The following year, at the age of 57, their ongoing success lead to an appearance at Glastonbury opening up the Pyramid Stage. Incredibly the last time they played that stage was in 1987.
At 59, the proud Scots fromAuchtermuchtyin Fife are back on Comic Relief again this weekend.34 years after their biggest hit was released it looks like it will be stuck in our heads all over again.
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