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).
Misty Blue
The Proclaimers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is above my station
Thoughts are iqeienchoiy
And I let them pass
I tend to view this nation
Through the condensation
On a dirty glass
Was a honnie laddie
When she brushed his hair
With a watered comb
Then he could have wandered
And he could have shown ye
Seven hit is like home
If misty eyes can witness
Love and affection
Why does the heart still resist
What the hell is wrong with you?
I've got eyes of misty blue
All the things I want to do
Are all I ever wanted to
As the ladik grew
And he looked around him
At the thugs and rapists
In their stolen suits
Louder beat the rhythm
Of his bloody heart
Telling him to shoot
Thoughtless competition
Like a home-made prison
Made him fix his vision
On a certain fate
What's the use in winning
All the worlds creation
If you won't create.
The lyrics of "Misty Blue" by The Proclaimers are reflective of the singer's struggle to find inspiration and purpose in his daily life. He describes this feeling as being above his station, or beyond his social status or position in society, and that his thoughts become incoherent, fleeting and easily dismissed. He then compares his distorted view of the world to looking through the condensation on a dirty glass. This suggests that his perspective is clouded and unclear, preventing him from seeing things as they truly are.
The singer then goes on to recount a story of a past love, where he describes a moment of tender intimacy. He mentions a singer, who was a honnie laddie, implying that this was a long time ago, and how they shared a moment of closeness as she brushed his hair with a watered comb. He speaks of the possibility of wandering and showing seven hit is like home, suggesting that he could have experienced great success and comfort if only he had taken a chance.
Towards the end of the song, the singer reflects on how he sees himself now compared to before. He has grown up and realized that the world is not as idealistic as he once thought, and that the people around him are capable of violence and wrongdoing. He describes feeling the beat of his bloody heart telling him to shoot, implying that he is prone to rash or violent behavior. He also speaks of winning the world's creations but not creating anything himself, suggesting that he is aware of his own lack of ambition or creative output. Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, and how the choices we make can lead to vastly different outcomes.
Line by Line Meaning
When the inspiration
When I feel inspired
Is above my station
Beyond my capabilities
Thoughts are iqeienchoiy
Thoughts are out of focus
And I let them pass
And I don't act upon them
I tend to view this nation
I tend to see this country
Through the condensation
Through the foggy window
On a dirty glass
On a window that hasn't been cleaned
When the singer solemn
When the singer was serious
Was a honnie laddie
When he was a handsome boy
When she brushed his hair
When she combed his hair
With a watered comb
With a comb that is damp
Then he could have wandered
Then he could have explored
And he could have shown ye
And he could have shown you
Seven hit is like home
Seven hits feels familiar
If misty eyes can witness
If I can see through tears
Love and affection
Love and caring
Why does the heart still resist
Why is it hard to accept
What the hell is wrong with you?
What is the problem
I've got eyes of misty blue
I have watery blue eyes
All the things I want to do
All my goals and desires
Are all I ever wanted to
Are all I have ever longed for
As the ladik grew
As the boy became a man
And he looked around him
And he saw the world around him
At the thugs and rapists
At the criminals
In their stolen suits
Wearing their illegal attire
Louder beat the rhythm
His heartbeat grew more intense
Of his bloody heart
Of his passionate heart
Telling him to shoot
Prompting him to act
Thoughtless competition
Useless rivalry
Like a home-made prison
Like being trapped
Made him fix his vision
Encouraged him to focus
On a certain fate
On a specific destiny
What's the use in winning
What's the point of succeeding
All the worlds creation
Creating everything in the world
If you won't create
If you don't feel fulfilled by it
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES STOBO REID, CRAIG MORRIS REID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@morganglue458
Lyrics:
When the inspiration
Is above my station
Thoughts are melancholy
And I let them pass
I tend to view this nation
Through the condensation
On a dirty glass
When the singer solemn
Was a bonnie laddie
When she brushed his hair
With a watered comb
Then he could have dandered
And he could have shown ye
Seven hills like Rome
If misty eyes can witness
Love and affection
Love and affection
Why does the heart still resist
What the hell is wrong with you?
I've got eyes of misty blue
All the things I want to do
Are all I ever wanted to
As the ladie grew
And he looked around him
At the thugs and rapists
In their stolen suits
Louder beat the rhythm
Of his bloody heart
Telling him to shoot
If misty eyes can witness
Love and affection
Love and affection
Why does the heart still resist
What the hell is wrong with you?
I've got eyes of misty blue
All the things I want to do
Are all I ever wanted to
Thoughtless competition
Like a home-made prison
Made him fix his vision
On a certain fate
What's the use in winning
All the worlds creation
If you won't create.
If misty eyes can witness
Love and affection
Love and affection
Why does the heart still resist
What the hell is wrong with you?
I've got eyes of misty blue
All the things I want to do
Are all I ever wanted to
https://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/proclaimers/misty+blue_20111495.html
@michaelpickersgill5665
Not seen them for a while but every time I have , they hit the sweet spot. Can't remember the year I first saw them. Leeds Warehouse, they were the support for Voice of the Beehive. Tip fkn Top.
@TherealMKR
This has to be my favourite proclaimers song
@pianoservice6142
Their shared sense of pitch is why their harmonies are more perfect than non identical twins or siblings etc...
@TenderHooligan
underated
@pianoservice6142
There is nothing more musical than this. So much so.
@colinmurray8116
Great tune, we were practicing this at Horsecross Voices last night.
@yazz444
Beautifully done.
@ethanhoijord1452
Easily my favourite this, absolutely beautiful x
@callumlynch2798
So underrated
@morganglue458
Lyrics:
When the inspiration
Is above my station
Thoughts are melancholy
And I let them pass
I tend to view this nation
Through the condensation
On a dirty glass
When the singer solemn
Was a bonnie laddie
When she brushed his hair
With a watered comb
Then he could have dandered
And he could have shown ye
Seven hills like Rome
If misty eyes can witness
Love and affection
Love and affection
Why does the heart still resist
What the hell is wrong with you?
I've got eyes of misty blue
All the things I want to do
Are all I ever wanted to
As the ladie grew
And he looked around him
At the thugs and rapists
In their stolen suits
Louder beat the rhythm
Of his bloody heart
Telling him to shoot
If misty eyes can witness
Love and affection
Love and affection
Why does the heart still resist
What the hell is wrong with you?
I've got eyes of misty blue
All the things I want to do
Are all I ever wanted to
Thoughtless competition
Like a home-made prison
Made him fix his vision
On a certain fate
What's the use in winning
All the worlds creation
If you won't create.
If misty eyes can witness
Love and affection
Love and affection
Why does the heart still resist
What the hell is wrong with you?
I've got eyes of misty blue
All the things I want to do
Are all I ever wanted to
https://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/proclaimers/misty+blue_20111495.html