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).
Lady Luck
The Proclaimers Lyrics
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They tumbled through the door
I counted every penny but
The bills still came to more
And printed in the paper
For Pisces it did say,
"If you would just be bolder,
Then this might be your day"
It said, "Lady Luck apologises
For the way she's been behavin'
And she promises she'll change.
If you don't want to know her, she'll understand,
But if you'd like to take her hand,
She could be back at your command."
So I ran round the corner,
The bookies there I entered
Put ten quid on a mare
From a stud in Kildare
But though the jockey beat her,
In Belgium they will eat her.
The tannoy began to rip as I tore up the slip
It said: "Lady Luckâ?¦"
I met a girl this evening
And I began to think
That I might get her drunk
But she matched me drink for drink.
So when she drew the curtains,
I felt success was certain
But as she kicked me out,
She spoke in the third person
She said: "Lady Luckâ?¦"
The Proclaimers’ “Lady Luck” is a song about perspective and personal choice. The lyrics begin with the singer receiving bills and feeling frustrated that he has not saved enough to pay them off. However, upon reading his horoscope which encourages him to be bold, he decides to take a chance on Lady Luck. The chorus introduces Lady Luck as an entity who has not been behaving well but is now looking to make amends with those who may want her back in their lives.
The second verse shifts to the singer’s social life, where he meets a girl who he tries to charm but ultimately fails. Even though he interpreted the horoscope in a positive light and took it as a sign to be bolder, the girl he tried to woo with his confident approach rejects his advances. The chorus reappears, with the same sentiment that Lady Luck is waiting for those who want to take a chance on her.
Overall, the lyrics speak to the idea that we create our own luck and success, and how we choose to interpret situations and take risks is up to us. The singer takes a chance on Lady Luck, not only in his financial life but also in his social life, and while he does not succeed in either instance, the lyrics suggest that he will continue to take chances in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I got some bills this morning, They tumbled through the door
I received some bills early in the morning that slipped through my door and fell on the floor
I counted every penny but The bills still came to more
Although I counted every coin, the total amount of bills remained more than what I had
And printed in the paper For Pisces it did say, "If you would just be bolder, Then this might be your day"
The horoscope of Pisces, printed in the newspaper, suggested that if I showed more courage, today could be my lucky day
It said, "Lady Luck apologises For the way she's been behavin' And she promises she'll change. If you don't want to know her, she'll understand, But if you'd like to take her hand, She could be back at your command."
The horoscope referred to Lady Luck, who apologized for her past behavior and assured that she would change. It also offered me a choice to either reject or accept her help to change my fortune
So I ran round the corner, The bookies there I entered Put ten quid on a mare From a stud in Kildare But though the jockey beat her, In Belgium they will eat her. The tannoy began to rip as I tore up the slip
I hurriedly went to the nearby bookies shop, placed a bet of ten pounds on a horse from Kildare, but unfortunately, although the jockey won, it is the tradition of Belgium to eat the losing horse. The announcement led me to tear up my betting slip in disappointment
I met a girl this evening And I began to think That I might get her drunk But she matched me drink for drink. So when she drew the curtains, I felt success was certain But as she kicked me out, She spoke in the third person
In the evening, I met a girl and thought of getting her drunk, but to my surpirse, she drank the same amount as me. Later, when she invited me to her place, I assumed my chances of success were high, but I was disappointed when she kicked me out and talked to me in the third person, indicating that she saw me only as a casual acquaintance
She said: "Lady Luckâ?¦"
Even she referred to Lady Luck when indicating that the failure of our encounter was due to a lack of luck on my part
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EARL CATE, ERNIE CATE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
andy mann
Best lyric ever, "and though the jockey beat her in Belgium they will eat her" absolute classiic
Serenitynell
YAY! I love this. One of my faves. Now If I could get a listen to Heaven Right Now - I'd be singing, too! Can't find it on Spotify, either!
Michael Flint
Brilliant. Sung in their own accents, not some quaisi septic drawl. Pure class
SM347
Have they ever sang this song live? I want to see them sing this, No Witness and Harness Pain live
imusthavewhisky
hehey. cheers, mate, i was looking for this one not a year ago, and couldn't find it. thank dog someone could be arsed to upload it :). a round of beers on me if ever we meet.
John MacLaurin
Guy next door to me likes the bookies and I sang this to him, looked at me & asked;
write that yersel son?
Lynda Singer
Story of my life
Radosław Wincza
Hi! It seems that I made your night! ;) I glad that you found Heaven Right Now. ;) Yeah, it's a little bit stiupid that you can't listen to Born Innocent and Persevere on Spotify...