Craig Reid and Charlie Reid were born in Leith, Scotland in 1962, and grew up in Edinburgh, Cornwall and Auchtermuchty. After several punk rock bands at school they formed The Proclaimers in 1983.
The pair came to public attention when an Inverness based fan sent their demo to the British band The Housemartins, who were impressed enough to invite The Proclaimers on their 1986 UK tour. The exposure of the tour won them a January 1987 appearance on the British pop music television programme The Tube on Channel Four; "Letter from America" peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart, whilst the album This is the Story went gold. The follow-up album Sunshine on Leith featured "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and "I'm On My Way". They had a hit with their EP King of the Road, which reached number 9 in UK in 1990.
In March 2007 they recorded a new version of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" with television comedy characters Andy Pipkin (played by Matt Lucas) and Brian Potter (Peter Kay) for the Comic Relief charity. A long list of celebrities were featured in the music video for this new version, including David Bellamy, Rod, Jane and Freddy, Paul O'Grady, David Tennant, Frank Sidebottom and many more. This new version of the song reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart.
The band was one of The B-52s' touring partners on their Funplex tour in Australia and New Zealand in November 2009, alongside Mental as Anything.
The brothers are fans of Hibernian Football Club, and "Sunshine on Leith" has become a theme song for the club, being played at home matches for important fixtures, such as the Edinburgh derby versus Heart of Midlothian FC, the club's city rivals. Charlie and Craig Reid appeared at their Easter Road stadium for the 'Hands Off Hibs' campaign in 1990 when Wallace Mercer, a wealthly Edinburgh businessman with direct connections to Hearts FC, attempted a takeover of the club but was defeated by fan pressure.
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 during their promotional tour of Britain in March 2007. However in April 2007 Charlie Reid announced that he had switched his allegiance to the Scottish Socialist Party in protest at the Scottish National Party's receipt of funding from big business. Many of their songs reflect their political views, such as "Letter from America" and "Cap in Hand".
On 16 May 2006 the twins announced their participation in a campaign to free a fellow Scot, Kenny Richey, from his death row sentence in Ohio, including an appearance at a charity concert. Also, in 2010 they participated with Billy Bragg in a show supporting Reprieve, charity that fights the death penalty. The Proclaimers also support other charities such as The Lighthouse Foundation (addiction victims), AICR (cancer research), Drake Music Scotland (help disabled people through music) or 500 miles (amputees or disabled people in Africa).
How many times
The Proclaimers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To find the right woman
The best one there is
Not the best you can do
It takes a long time
To find the right woman
Some men never do
I spent half my life
Who were looking for love
Where it didn't exist
The rest of the time
I was worrying myself
About what it was that I'd missed
[CHORUS]
How many times
I don't know, I don't know
How many times
I don't know but when it happened my heart started to go...
Ooh-aah, ooh-aah
Ooh-aah, ooh-aah
I didn't trust you
From the moment I saw you
I didn't trust you
And I know it was right
But my head and my heart
Have been fighting a battle
And my heart started winning last night
[CHORUS]
Well I'm bored by pain and I'm tired of sorrow
Give me the word and I'll leave here tomorrow
I don't giva a damn about anything else
The rest of the world can go and hang themselves
ooh-aah....(etc.)
The Proclaimers’s How Many Times is a profound song that explores the complexities of love, the pain of heartbreak and the rewards of finding the right partner. In the first verse, the singer reflects on his search for the right woman, emphasizing that it takes a long time to find the perfect match. He expresses regret that he had to lie to women and the burden of worrying about what he missed. In the chorus, he questions how many times he has missed the opportunity to find true love, accompanied by a haunting melody that reflects the sadness of his experience.
In the second verse, the singer admits that he did not trust the person he is singing about when they first met but that his heart has started to win the fight. The lyrics suggest that, despite the pain of past heartbreaks, the singer is finally starting to let go of his fears and learn to trust again. In the final chorus, he declares that he is tired of pain and sorrow and will leave everything behind for a chance at a new beginning.
Overall, the song is a powerful reminder that love is a complex and challenging journey that, for many, takes a long time to find. However, when we are finally able to let go of our fears and trust in ourselves and others, we can find happiness and a deep sense of fulfillment in the arms of the right person.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it takes a long time
Finding the right woman is a long and arduous journey
To find the right woman
To find the perfect match for oneself
The best one there is
Not just settling for someone, but finding the best person one can
Not the best you can do
Don't settle for anything less than your ideal match
It takes a long time
Finding true love is a process that takes time
To find the right woman
To find someone worth loving and committing to for the rest of one's life
Some men never do
Some people never find true love in their lifetime
I spent half my life
Acknowledging that the songwriter spent a significant portion of his life seeking love
Lying to girls
Not being truthful about his intentions and feelings towards women he was with
Who were looking for love
Being dishonest with women who were genuinely looking for love and a committed relationship
Where it didn't exist
The songwriter was not ready or capable of being in a committed relationship
The rest of the time
The other half of his life
I was worrying myself
Obsessing over the idea of finding love and the possibility of not finding it
About what it was that I'd missed
Wondering about missed opportunities or mistakes he had made in the past that prevented him from finding love earlier
How many times
Questioning how many failed relationships or missed opportunities it takes to find true love
I don't know, I don't know
Admitting that he doesn't know how long it will take to find true love
But when it happened my heart started to go...
The moment he found true love, he felt an intense emotional response
Ooh-aah, ooh-aah
Vocalization of the emotional response he felt
I didn't trust you
The songwriter did not trust the person he is addressing
From the moment I saw you
The distrust started from their initial meeting
And I know it was right
The distrust he felt was justified, as the person proved untrustworthy
But my head and my heart
The internal struggle between reason and emotions
Have been fighting a battle
The songwriter has been struggling to reconcile his distrust with his emotions
And my heart started winning last night
His emotions finally took over, despite his better judgement
Well I'm bored by pain and I'm tired of sorrow
The songwriter is tired of heartbreak and negative emotions from failed relationships
Give me the word and I'll leave here tomorrow
He is ready to move on and start anew if he finds the right person
I don't giva a damn about anything else
All he cares about is finding true love and happiness
The rest of the world can go and hang themselves
Nothing else matters to him except finding love and he is willing to let everything else go
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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on Role Model
"Lower set of lips" is not making reference to lips on the face, but those in the lower part of her body.