I met these guys in 1994 in Canada. They very generously invited my son (who was 5 years old at the time) to spend the afternoon with them. He was non verbal, autistic at the time,however,he adored their music. They played all his favourite songs and then dedicated the evening performance to my son. These guys are the real deal. Their heart comes through in their music. I am eternally grateful to them for the kindness and generosity they displayed. My son is 33 now, and has grown into a wonderful,articulate man. God bless them.
Nice story. A bit weird phrasing on the bit saying "non verbal, autistic at the time" At the time? Autism doesn't go away. I assume you meant the non-verbal aspect is what went away. At least... I hope so... For your son's sake.
I do too it's cheerful. Ironically for a grunge band I love un manufactured cheerfulness. I love Happy too. No Todd hell has Celene Dion My Heart Will Go On on a loop for me.
Kommissar I’m super late. but god damn, these guys had some extremely tight harmonies, and could hit some notes many many other singers cannot. “sean” really shows this off imo. I saw them live, a year and a half ago, and they absolutely held up through time too. and hearing them sing together live, there really was something special to their harmonies. maybe it’s because they have such similar voices as it is, and physical body structure being identical may have a part in it too. but in any case, i thought it was incredible, definitely exceeded my expectations. there was a lovely old man sitting in front of me that i was talking to before the show, and when it finished, i asked him how he liked the show and he thought it was complete shit. different strokes for different folks, i guess
@@seanjohnston6885 I always thought their singing voices were pretty different - one (don't ask me which one) has a deeper, huskier sound while the other is clearer..leaning towards tenor. Anyways... the sibling harmony dynamic is not uncommon.... The Carter Family, Andrew Sisters, Everly Bros, Beach Boys, The Cox Family (bluegrass), Bee Gees, Avett Bros, Haim, First Aid Kit.... you get it.
You forgot the biggest detail here: Scotland's most successful rock star Gerry Rafferty ( The guy from Steeler's wheel "Stuck in the middle" and his own enormous solo smash "Baker street") was their producer, he also was the one who convinced them to have a rock sound. Rafferty really encouraged them with their sound, saying that he understood what they were about and that he loved "Letter from America" when they brought the demo for that song, Rafferty is the guy who made the Proclaimers successful.
Richard and Linda Thompson also worked with Rafferty producing on an album that became their legendary swansong "Shoot Out The Lights," though Rafferty was let go before the mixing stage.
Gerry only produced a couple of their early singles (and did a great job imho) but the Reids didn't get on with him. He knew how to make them sound commercial, but that wasn't the road they wanted to go down. So they hired Pete Wingfield and headed 500 miles in the other direction!
My favorite version of this is the version the Doctor Who cast & crew recorded for David Tennant's farewell as the Tenth Doctor. He even got to sing it with the Proclaimers themselves! Unsurprisingly, they're his favorite band. ^_^
I watched that video like 499 times! No, that can't be right. Yes, actually, I WATCHED IT 500 TIMES AND I'D WATCH IT 500 MORE (I'm sorry I know I'm bad)
Proclaimers are ultiamtely harmless and generally likeable and don't fall into the Pop music trap of pretending to be deeper and more important that they are. Its just fun for funs sake.
I bought this album second hand years ago, on first listen I wasn't into it. One night, I got pretty drunk and re-listened and think I began to understand it a bit better. It's about life, love and the ups and downs in the town they grew up in and love. There's nothing pretentious about Sunshine on Leith, but it tells stories that most people I think could at least relate to. Check out the 20,000 odd Hibernian FC fans singing the song Sunshine on Leith, it's brilliant. I agree with the fun for fun's sake comment.
I love them but I disagree, you might not be Scottish but here they are very very political. They”re pro-immigration, pro-independence, anti-Thatcher and against getting rid of Scots, all coming across in music. I do agree with all of these, but in recent years they came out in support of a far right anti-LGBT party.
@@andrew4363 They came out in support of Alba. As crap as that party is, it isn't far right, though definitely too wishy washy on LGBT rights for my taste.
Sunshine on Leith has several overtly political songs, most obviously Cap in Hand. It's disingenuous to suggest there's no political tilt in the work of the proclaimers.
I adore Sunshine on Leith as a musical, because all the Proclaimers songs are just so specific? Like you know a character is gonna move to America before you even watch the thing, because they've gotta get Letter from America in there somewhere. It's ridiculous and I love it
I was a teenager in the 90s and have a sweet memory of this song. I remember being at the fair with a group of friends in 1998, waiting in line with the guy I was crazy about. he'd just given me his jacket since I was cold, and this song started playing and he was dancing around and singing along, jokingly serenading me. my 16 year old heart was full and I thought he was the cutest, sweetest, funniest guy ever.
@@fitzalanfoodreviews1498 And the fair the young couple attended? Scarborough Fair, later memorialized by little known folk singers Simon and Garfunkel.
It's so wild watching this series as a British person. The fact that truly iconic bands like Dexys, The Proclaimers, or even goddamn S Club are considered one hit wonders in America is absolutely insane to me. S CLUB??? S Club DOMINATED the early 00s! The sound of the early 00s to me IS the sound of S Club!
Right? When Todd labelled Don't Stop Movin' as a 'failed follow-up' I tutted in protest! Seems insane that S Club 7 only had one U.S. hit - whether you loved or hated them, back in Britain during that 'turn of the millennium' era (1999-2001) they were pop GODS.
We had backstreet disease at that time, then N-SYNC came around, there wasnt much room for teen pop bands. We had a ton of them try and fail at thw charts here that are mostly forgotten these days
I remember my dad introduced me to the Sunshine On Leif movie years ago, made me think they were way bigger worldwide because of that, the guys are honestly icons
@@GideonGleeful95 Dorks and nerds are two different things, IMO. Nerds are completely dedicated to their passions. Dorks are more bland. And geeks are fucking freaks. When I think of geeks, I think of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow.
@@paulvsmith Todd generally talks about music that is popular on the US charts. While that song is good and big in the UK it didn’t do anything in the US. Kinda like Rage against the Machine: huge in the US, a one hit wonder in the UK
They are massively respected in Scotland due to just being themselves and being unpretentious about it. They are a lot of songs that everyone knows and loves.
It randomly occurs to me that these guys are just the musical equivalent of Daniel and Henrik Sedin of the NHL. European identical twins who worked hard, stayed humble, had passion in everything they do and were joined to the hip their entire careers. Makes me tear up a bit not gonna lie.
@key999 In the two years since I wrote this comment, my opinion of HIMYM has changed a lot, and I definitely wouldn't leave a comment like this nowadays. That said, what I'm hearing is that you want to catch these hands
I love Rush! But I often think of when Beavis and Butthead were watching the video for "Stick It Out" and Beavis said "That guitar's pretty cool" and Butthead said "Yeah if you're a wuss." Neither of them were wrong.
No, Hank Green looks like someone crushed a persons face in with a sledgehammer and tried to fix it with playdoh. Oh and yes, I'm one of the few people on Earth who hate the vlogbrothers. Mostly because they are retarded leftists.
I'm five minutes into this video and every one of their songs featured by Todd so far has been an absolute banger. I understand why they didn't do well here in America, but this is one of the ones where I'm really hoping it turns out they had massive success at least in their home country, if not all of Europe. I wanna go listen to their whole discography and I'm not even halfway through the video lol
I vibe with The Proclaimers. It honestly feels like their whole act started at a high school talent show (which they NAILED) and they just kept going from there.
These guys are still popular as ever in scotland, they are still huge with so many hits here, lets get married is the background to many proposal, 500 miles is a club song as is im a believer. They still would sell out stadiums
Other famous Scottish bands/songs that you might recognise also include: Pilot who did the song 'Magic' and 'Just a Smile' KT Tunstall with 'Suddenly I See' and 'Black Horse and The Cherry Tree' Big Country with 'In a Big Country' McGuinness Flint 'When I'm Dead and Gone' Annie Lenox (A.K.A one half of the Eurythmics) 'Sweet Dreams are Made of These' The Waterboys ' The Whole of the Moon' The Bay City Rollers 'Shang-a-Lang' Simple Minds 'Don't Forget About Me' Just a few to name the least. And apparently the 3 original frontmen of ACDC were Scots!
And Franz Ferdinand, Calvin Harris, David Byrne of Talking Heads, Amy McDonald, Garbage, Sheena Easton, Del Amitri, Barbara Dickson, Edwyn Collins, The Fratellis, Ultravox, Lulu, etc., etc.
Deacon Blue, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Tear Gas, GUN, Eric Woolfson (half of The Alan Parsons Project), Runrig, Stiltskin (and Ray Wilson, once frontman of Genesis), The View...
Thanks Man. I'm from Scotland and this song just gets used at end of nights at bars when everyone is too hammered to know any better. I associate this with getting together with other drunken ass holes putting arms around each others shoulders and jumping up and down like a moron spilling beer on each other.
You should have done this as a hybrid of One-Hit Wonderland and Song vs Song...the other one-hit wonder being "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. I refuse to believe that this hasn't occurred to anyone else.
I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, just to be the man who walks a thousand miles to see that WMG has blocked this video in your country on copyright grounds. Sorry about that.
I was doing college radio when Sunshine on Leith dropped in 1988. I loved the album and played it heavily on my show while wondering, "Why aren't these guys more popular?" I'm not gonna lie -- when "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" blew up several years later, it felt incredibly validating that I was so far ahead of that curve!
Well he says in almost every episode that it's about one hit wonders in the USA, though he did bend that definition a little in the past (for exapmle if there was a second hit in the USA but was largely forgotten).
I feel like 500 Miles fits in perfectly with some of the more eclectic (non-grunge) music of the early 90's... music like Spin Doctors (Two Princes) or Whale (Hobo Humpin Slobo Babe). And there was a big trend of music multiculturalism during the early 90's. Worldbeat was HUGE and part of that was appreciating Scottish and Irish music. 500 Miles definitely paved the way for the eclectic music of the late 90's such as Chumbawamba's Tubthumping (music that was quickly overshadowed by the TRL music of boys bands, Britney Spears clones, and Eminem).
I saw these guys last August in Bournemouth (UK). I spent five weeks in the UK on a study abroad trip and figured this would be my one chance to see them. This video was what turned me onto their music, which lead to The Proclaimers becoming one of my favorite bands and then seeing their show. Someday, I hope to see them in their native Scotland, with their home crowd.
Thanks for talking about them a little bit and giving them a listen. Sunshine On Leith and Persevere (the album with "There's A Touch") are great albums all the way through. "Throw The "R" Away" and "Letter From America" are also fantastic songs. I saw these guys twice- in 2001 they opened for Barenaked Ladies, and 2008 on a solo tour. They are awesome live.
the „Da-da, da da“ part from this song is the goal tune from my favorite football (soccer) team werder bremen and i gotta admit that it actually goes kinda hard when they score a last minute winner and the entire stadium is going absolute batshit crazy while 500 miles is playing lol
Sunshine on Leith is a great album. Admittedly, I was born 1993 and I remember my parents playing these songs over and over. Still, the band can write a great hook, don’t take themselves too seriously, and have some heartfelt lyrics as well.
Their newest album Dentures Out really shows they can pack a punch. Besides the terrific instrumentation and production, they have searing lyrics about the state of Britain today. It's seriously the most punk music I've heard in a while. I'd definitely recommend checking in out.
Oh, and don't forget that this band has one of the coolest celebrity fans of any band ever: David Tennant. Yeah, the Tenth Doctor is basically the world's biggest Proclaimers fan.
Yeah I was kinda disappointed the Doctor Who video didn't get a mention in this video. It's such a HUGE part of sci-fi nerd culture. At least, among the Whovians.
It was having Gerry Rafferty (Yes, THAT one, the guy from "Baker Street" and Steeler's wheel's "Stuck in the middle") as producer for the Proclaimers' first album which gave them their big break. Because Rafferty understood that the best way for the brothers to stand out was for them to just remain who they are. But he did give them a more contemporary rock sound, which is heard most clearly in "Letter from America" a song of which Rafferty said he understood, he just KNEW what the guys were trying do and his role was to facilitate them in portraying it as good as possible. The Brothers returned the compliment when appearing on the Gerry Rafferty tribute concert performing Rafferty's songs.
People who just are who they are and take that to the fullest are the best musicians out there, because you know ultimately they have their own voice and they'll keep refining it forever. They're the real deal.
One of my oldest memories is being two years old and dancing on our coffee table to this song on New Year’s Eve. If you’re wondering where my parents were, they were there, but as most people listening to this song, they were sloshed.
@@byakuyatogami2905 Murray Head also had one other charting song, Superstar from Jesus Christ Superstar which reached number 14 in the US in 1969. I don't know how he defines One hit wonder though, Proclaimers had 3 top 10's in the UK (and god only knows how many up here in Scotland). Assuming its the USA then Oasis are a one hit wonder....
I'm a new fan of the channel and old fan of the Proclaimers. I went into this video with apprehension thinking that you were going to shred them. I came out cheering and emotional with my arms above my head 😂
They make really, really catchy music. I think that's why they got so much soundtrack work. I can still hear the song from Shrek "I'm on my way, from misery to happiness today....."
I saw them live in Columbia, Missouri, when 500 miles was a hit. Seriously one of the best shows I've ever seen, among a great many. I drove 163 miles.
people loved sao till episode 3 then like me everyone watching it on release our hype died down alittle then 4th episode came and we realised it was getting bad like really bad then each episode after was piling shit ontop of shit. It was supposed to be an mmo but it turned into generic harem slice of life with some people wearing swords
I booked a punk band from Scotland that used to hang with these guys and had a jam space next to them said they were the nicest guys ever. They would come over and hang out with them and drink just real down to earth dudes. And their other music is great.
Say what you want -- The Proclaimers might have only had one song that everyone knows, but they're still working and releasing new albums three decades after that one song came out. Their twelfth album came out in 2022 on Cooking Vinyl records, which is distributed by Sony Music. Also, for what it's worth, Johnny Depp plays neither Benny nor Joon in the movie. Benny and Joon are the brother and sister (Benny -- played by Aiden Quinn, and Joon -- played by Mary Stuart Masterson). Johnny Depp plays Joon's love interest, Sam.
This song always comes out at New Year and wedding parties, at least where I live in the north of England. You don't hear them at many other times of the year, but they are always there. They were almost considered part of the indie scene in England, when they first appeared, but now that seems to have faded. I always liked them and saw them live a few times. Great video about them, good job. 😀
It worked so well as the title track to Benny and Joon. For one, it's an offbeat and unusual love story (which one? yes). For two, it's played over shots of a diesel passenger train, and the VERY steady rhythm of the song matches that feeling of steady progress you get out of a train weaving through the Appalachians. In fact, it has an almost steam locomotive beat to it. Ironically it's exactly the wrong speed to walk to; it's uncomfortably fast for one footfall per beat, it's uncomfortably slow for one footfall every other beat. It might work for a jogging gait but not walking.
@@flametitan100 I used to cringe whenever I heard this song because my 7th grade math teacher would play it on repeat in his class to torture us. He was very large and loud and scary, and I was very sick and vulnerable at the time (I wasn’t even able to make it through the whole school year), so that whole time was very traumatizing to me, and this song is a trigger, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job of getting to a point where IDGAF and I’m now free to hear this song and hate it without being hurt by it.
I really love your reviews, because it's been giving me so much music to listen to. I've known about this song forever, but now I want to check out their other music!
Respect! Great review. I was in my teens when this song hit and i liked it alright. I appreciated how odd they were to my American sensibilities. I'm happy to learn they kept the faith and never bowed or bent to music trends.
I realized these guys were much bigger back home several years ago when I saw an episode of the Graham Norton Show with David Tennant as a guest and they brought out these guys to meet him because he'd just won some big acting award or something and he was reputedly a big fan of theirs. Well, David Tennant was clearly so happy about meeting them that you just couldn't help but realize that there had to be more to them than that "500 Miles" song, at least in Scotland.
As another non-American (not Scottish tho), I have massive respect for every musician (or other entertainer) who doesn't try to appeal to America, and just keeps on doing their thing like these guys. Salutations!
I met these guys in 1994 in Canada. They very generously invited my son (who was 5 years old at the time) to spend the afternoon with them. He was non verbal, autistic at the time,however,he adored their music. They played all his favourite songs and then dedicated the evening performance to my son. These guys are the real deal. Their heart comes through in their music. I am eternally grateful to them for the kindness and generosity they displayed. My son is 33 now, and has grown into a wonderful,articulate man. God bless them.
That's wonderful. Cheers
Nice story.
A bit weird phrasing on the bit saying "non verbal, autistic at the time"
At the time? Autism doesn't go away. I assume you meant the non-verbal aspect is what went away.
At least... I hope so... For your son's sake.
I didn’t cry. At least, not that much
@@MCMIVC Well, the message ends with telling us he is 'articulate' now, so he was 'non verbal' at the time.
That’s beautiful thanks for sharing
I like this song unironically.
It's the song of my childhood!! My family loves Scottish and Nova Scotian groups
@@morley364 Nova Scotia is the scotland of atlantic canada lol
@@spectratio I guess it ain't called New Scotland for nothing
Why unironically. It's unmitigatedly awesome.
I do too it's cheerful. Ironically for a grunge band I love un manufactured cheerfulness. I love Happy too. No Todd hell has Celene Dion My Heart Will Go On on a loop for me.
"Too unique to ignore but too weird to keep around" is my favourite Panic at the Disco album.
idontevenknow I forgot that quote from the video and thought you were talking an actual album for a second
idontevenknow HAH!
😂👌
LMFAO
Haha sounds like every PATD song title as well. They picked such long-winded "clever" titles.
They had super tight harmonies, which is one of the most underrated keys to massive success.
Kommissar I’m super late. but god damn, these guys had some extremely tight harmonies, and could hit some notes many many other singers cannot. “sean” really shows this off imo. I saw them live, a year and a half ago, and they absolutely held up through time too. and hearing them sing together live, there really was something special to their harmonies. maybe it’s because they have such similar voices as it is, and physical body structure being identical may have a part in it too. but in any case, i thought it was incredible, definitely exceeded my expectations. there was a lovely old man sitting in front of me that i was talking to before the show, and when it finished, i asked him how he liked the show and he thought it was complete shit. different strokes for different folks, i guess
@@seanjohnston6885 harmonies tighter than dick skin
Have. They're still a band and going strong.
@@seanjohnston6885 the end of your comment surprised me and made me laugh
@@seanjohnston6885 I always thought their singing voices were pretty different - one (don't ask me which one) has a deeper, huskier sound while the other is clearer..leaning towards tenor. Anyways... the sibling harmony dynamic is not uncommon.... The Carter Family, Andrew Sisters, Everly Bros, Beach Boys, The Cox Family (bluegrass), Bee Gees, Avett Bros, Haim, First Aid Kit.... you get it.
So they're the ones who sing the "I'm On My Way" song that's on the Shrek soundtrack
Good song
that song was a big hit in australia, it still gets a little bit of airplay in 2021!!
They also covered “Get Ready” for the movie “Dumb and Dumber”
@@theheraldrycrest8907 I can't unhear Lloyd Christmas' running at an incredible rate when the chorus ends.
I'm on my wee
Your attempt at a Scottish accent eventually descends into Count Chocula.
I was thinking Russian.
Certainly Eastern European
"You filthy Saxon" **shows a picture of Romans**
I know, right...
Bewilderbeastie Well, when you're north of Hadrian's Wall, you don't rightly care who's south of it that century, right?
*talking about Scottish joke names* “O’Shanty”
The exact people that would say "filthy saxon", although perhaps not in english
Intense cringe
You forgot the biggest detail here: Scotland's most successful rock star Gerry Rafferty ( The guy from Steeler's wheel "Stuck in the middle" and his own enormous solo smash "Baker street") was their producer, he also was the one who convinced them to have a rock sound.
Rafferty really encouraged them with their sound, saying that he understood what they were about and that he loved "Letter from America" when they brought the demo for that song, Rafferty is the guy who made the Proclaimers successful.
Also his big hit “Right Down The Line“
Richard and Linda Thompson also worked with Rafferty producing on an album that became their legendary swansong "Shoot Out The Lights," though Rafferty was let go before the mixing stage.
Gerry only produced a couple of their early singles (and did a great job imho) but the Reids didn't get on with him. He knew how to make them sound commercial, but that wasn't the road they wanted to go down. So they hired Pete Wingfield and headed 500 miles in the other direction!
My favorite version of this is the version the Doctor Who cast & crew recorded for David Tennant's farewell as the Tenth Doctor. He even got to sing it with the Proclaimers themselves! Unsurprisingly, they're his favorite band. ^_^
I went to see that video and my god it's so delightful, like it's the most delightful video I've ever seen.
I watched that video like 499 times! No, that can't be right. Yes, actually, I WATCHED IT 500 TIMES AND I'D WATCH IT 500 MORE (I'm sorry I know I'm bad)
Thank you a lot for bringing that video up. I had not watched that one. Could not help but smile watching it :)
The end of good doctor who
Did he sing it as uncle scrooge
Proclaimers are ultiamtely harmless and generally likeable and don't fall into the Pop music trap of pretending to be deeper and more important that they are. Its just fun for funs sake.
I bought this album second hand years ago, on first listen I wasn't into it. One night, I got pretty drunk and re-listened and think I began to understand it a bit better. It's about life, love and the ups and downs in the town they grew up in and love. There's nothing pretentious about Sunshine on Leith, but it tells stories that most people I think could at least relate to. Check out the 20,000 odd Hibernian FC fans singing the song Sunshine on Leith, it's brilliant. I agree with the fun for fun's sake comment.
I love them but I disagree, you might not be Scottish but here they are very very political. They”re pro-immigration, pro-independence, anti-Thatcher and against getting rid of Scots, all coming across in music. I do agree with all of these, but in recent years they came out in support of a far right anti-LGBT party.
@@andrew4363 Oof on that ladt one 😔
@@andrew4363 They came out in support of Alba. As crap as that party is, it isn't far right, though definitely too wishy washy on LGBT rights for my taste.
Sunshine on Leith has several overtly political songs, most obviously Cap in Hand. It's disingenuous to suggest there's no political tilt in the work of the proclaimers.
That version of hell where this is playing on a loop is called Scotland.
And that hell did happen in t the park 1997 when our proclaimers tape got caught in the ghetto blaster.
Nah hon we blast sweet caroline thats what
Euan Sinclair that’s called heaven
It’s not played on loop all the time (coming from someone who is actually Scottish) unless you’re at a ceilidh.
Scotland, particularly Edinburgh, is a lovely place. So I believe you mean Heaven.
I adore Sunshine on Leith as a musical, because all the Proclaimers songs are just so specific? Like you know a character is gonna move to America before you even watch the thing, because they've gotta get Letter from America in there somewhere. It's ridiculous and I love it
I was a teenager in the 90s and have a sweet memory of this song. I remember being at the fair with a group of friends in 1998, waiting in line with the guy I was crazy about. he'd just given me his jacket since I was cold, and this song started playing and he was dancing around and singing along, jokingly serenading me. my 16 year old heart was full and I thought he was the cutest, sweetest, funniest guy ever.
@Sterling Sundby absolutely. Very well said. To this day, as I'm now 39 and he will soon hit 40, he is STILL a dear friend and cherished memory.
And that mans name was kurt cobain
@@fitzalanfoodreviews1498 nope. His name is Jeremy.
@@fitzalanfoodreviews1498 And the fair the young couple attended? Scarborough Fair, later memorialized by little known folk singers Simon and Garfunkel.
Wow what a lovely memory:)
It's so wild watching this series as a British person. The fact that truly iconic bands like Dexys, The Proclaimers, or even goddamn S Club are considered one hit wonders in America is absolutely insane to me. S CLUB??? S Club DOMINATED the early 00s! The sound of the early 00s to me IS the sound of S Club!
Right? When Todd labelled Don't Stop Movin' as a 'failed follow-up' I tutted in protest! Seems insane that S Club 7 only had one U.S. hit - whether you loved or hated them, back in Britain during that 'turn of the millennium' era (1999-2001) they were pop GODS.
We had backstreet disease at that time, then N-SYNC came around, there wasnt much room for teen pop bands. We had a ton of them try and fail at thw charts here that are mostly forgotten these days
I remember my dad introduced me to the Sunshine On Leif movie years ago, made me think they were way bigger worldwide because of that, the guys are honestly icons
If it makes you feel any better the Spice Girls did catch on over here, at least for a little bit.
America? lol no one knows any other Proclaimers song anywhere outside Europe, i don't know who the hell is "S Club" and no, i'm not american.
Todd's got the nerve to call THEM dorks
david stanley They are dorks
They are dorks, they amazing dorks
Tbf, Todd is probably the sort of person who would freely admit that he is also a massive dork, and that is a big part of both his and their appeal.
@@GideonGleeful95 Dorks and nerds are two different things, IMO. Nerds are completely dedicated to their passions. Dorks are more bland. And geeks are fucking freaks. When I think of geeks, I think of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow.
Honestly, they look like a older version of the nerd in "Polar Express".
"Letter From America" is a flat-out gorgeous song. This one's pretty good, too.
And then there was this:
th-cam.com/video/Z3c57Ac_xrc/w-d-xo.html
That was a massive hit, and is the elephant in the room oversight here.
@@paulvsmith Todd generally talks about music that is popular on the US charts. While that song is good and big in the UK it didn’t do anything in the US. Kinda like Rage against the Machine: huge in the US, a one hit wonder in the UK
@@dizent2885 Rage have 6 top 40 hits in the UK, well 7, but one was twice obviously, 0 in the states 2 number 1 albums though
@@paulvsmith Todd explicitly calls it "their first major hit."
Well I'll re-upload 500 times, and I'll re-upload 500 more. Just to be the man who posts a thousand times to spite those copyright buttholes.
LOLOLOLOL
(LOLOLOLOL)
Gormdor Wolfcum ((( LOLOLOLOLOL )))
When they say the “dadl a da” part in 500 miles, I always say “pterodactyl”
Shane Ellis I say “shotta vodka.”
It's Australian culture to yell "GET IT UP YA" over that part if you at a pub or party and this song comes on.
Hope you don't have to reupload this 500 times and 500 more!
Chezen bless this comment
I want this to be top comment so badly
Brilliant comment.
Just to be the man who would re upload this 1000 times!
Chris Hansen Song actually says to walk 5000 miles cause Proclaimers can do math
They are massively respected in Scotland due to just being themselves and being unpretentious about it. They are a lot of songs that everyone knows and loves.
The twins look like a Scottish iDubbbz
Televised Republican omg they do
Oh god they do
I was thinking Hank Green
I was looking for this comment, thank you good sir
Better yet: Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle (sans beard)
Sunshine on Leith is an absolutely fantastic song though
My parents had their first dance at their wedding to Sunshine on Leith. I love that song so much
@@mothman2666 Absolutely! Thank youu
Every song on that album is incredible, it’s a masterpiece
It randomly occurs to me that these guys are just the musical equivalent of Daniel and Henrik Sedin of the NHL. European identical twins who worked hard, stayed humble, had passion in everything they do and were joined to the hip their entire careers. Makes me tear up a bit not gonna lie.
As a Scottish woman, the Proclaimers are ingrained into my very soul. The doodle song actually reminds me of one of Franz Ferdinand's songs.
How I Met Your Mother made a pretty awesome in joke out of just having characters stuck in a car where this song loops indefinitely.
Oh yeah. It plays constantly in Marshall's car doesn't it?
@@KBV1497 Yup... the tape with "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" got stuck in the radio ever since Marshall bought the car.
That's the only reason I know this song. I strongly suspect its most people's exposure to it.
It comes back around.
@key999 In the two years since I wrote this comment, my opinion of HIMYM has changed a lot, and I definitely wouldn't leave a comment like this nowadays. That said, what I'm hearing is that you want to catch these hands
Sunshine on Leith is a stone cold classic. May be one hit wonders in the US, but they are wonderful song writers.
Every time I hear this song, I feel compelled to march in place.
I like that they were similar to Rush in the way that they were "terminally unhip" but, never changed who they were to sell out. Dorks unite!
I love Rush!
But I often think of when Beavis and Butthead were watching the video for "Stick It Out" and Beavis said "That guitar's pretty cool" and Butthead said "Yeah if you're a wuss."
Neither of them were wrong.
Is it just me or do the Proclaimer Brothers look like Hank Green?
Nope. He often covers 500 Miles live because people keep saying he looks like them.
(Hank Green + iDubbbz) x 2 = The Proclaimers
THAT'S who they reminded me of! I knew it was someone I've watched that looked like them!
th-cam.com/video/hVnQK6pkM_E/w-d-xo.html
No, Hank Green looks like someone crushed a persons face in with a sledgehammer and tried to fix it with playdoh. Oh and yes, I'm one of the few people on Earth who hate the vlogbrothers. Mostly because they are retarded leftists.
If you drink 8 pints of lager this becomes the best song ever written.
Specifically Tennant’s Lager.
I'm five minutes into this video and every one of their songs featured by Todd so far has been an absolute banger. I understand why they didn't do well here in America, but this is one of the ones where I'm really hoping it turns out they had massive success at least in their home country, if not all of Europe. I wanna go listen to their whole discography and I'm not even halfway through the video lol
A year late, but yes they were massively popular in Scotland
By all means, proceed in listening to their whole discography, you will not be disappointed.
I vibe with The Proclaimers. It honestly feels like their whole act started at a high school talent show (which they NAILED) and they just kept going from there.
This one is going to be the one that stays up I can feel it
Smoking Samoria Well it's stayed up ten hours
Maeve Doyle fur monfs
Almost a year now
One year and two days, doing pretty good so far.
A year and three weeks and two days now.
"I'm On My Way" is pretty darn great.
I love that tune!
These guys are still popular as ever in scotland, they are still huge with so many hits here, lets get married is the background to many proposal, 500 miles is a club song as is im a believer. They still would sell out stadiums
Other famous Scottish bands/songs that you might recognise also include:
Pilot who did the song 'Magic' and 'Just a Smile'
KT Tunstall with 'Suddenly I See' and 'Black Horse and The Cherry Tree'
Big Country with 'In a Big Country'
McGuinness Flint 'When I'm Dead and Gone'
Annie Lenox (A.K.A one half of the Eurythmics) 'Sweet Dreams are Made of These'
The Waterboys ' The Whole of the Moon'
The Bay City Rollers 'Shang-a-Lang'
Simple Minds 'Don't Forget About Me'
Just a few to name the least.
And apparently the 3 original frontmen of ACDC were Scots!
Omg I had forgotten about Tunstall! My mum used to sing those songs to me before bed. Fond memories :)
And Franz Ferdinand, Calvin Harris, David Byrne of Talking Heads, Amy McDonald, Garbage, Sheena Easton, Del Amitri, Barbara Dickson, Edwyn Collins, The Fratellis, Ultravox, Lulu, etc., etc.
@@Gmackematix
And Texas, Belle and Sebastian, Wet Wet Wet, Donovan, Travis, Bill Drummond (The KLF), Jimmy Somerville...
Deacon Blue, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Tear Gas, GUN, Eric Woolfson (half of The Alan Parsons Project), Runrig, Stiltskin (and Ray Wilson, once frontman of Genesis), The View...
Sunshine On Leith may not be the most groundbreaking musical but it it's heartwarming and good fun, the film is worth a watch!
Wrong, it's an absolute masterpiece
Their music is so sincere and adorable and Has some great harmonies and they're honestly soooo good.
Thanks Man. I'm from Scotland and this song just gets used at end of nights at bars when everyone is too hammered to know any better. I associate this with getting together with other drunken ass holes putting arms around each others shoulders and jumping up and down like a moron spilling beer on each other.
you're from scotland and you cannae spell arseholes right? shame! shame! shame!
Mate, you dont sound very Scottish
This is the most Scottish thing I've seen all year lmao
Bars? You mean pubs right?
You should have done this as a hybrid of One-Hit Wonderland and Song vs Song...the other one-hit wonder being "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. I refuse to believe that this hasn't occurred to anyone else.
Wasn't Big Yellow Taxi with her 'featuring' big?
Hold on. I gotta go write a hit song about 750 miles of something or other.
It occurred to me just this morning.
I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, just to be the man who walks a thousand miles to see that WMG has blocked this video in your country on copyright grounds.
Sorry about that.
@Phantom Person DADADADA
I was doing college radio when Sunshine on Leith dropped in 1988. I loved the album and played it heavily on my show while wondering, "Why aren't these guys more popular?" I'm not gonna lie -- when "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" blew up several years later, it felt incredibly validating that I was so far ahead of that curve!
I love how the first reaction to every Todd video is "QUICK, WATCH IT BEFORE IT'S TAKING IT DOWN!"
the proclaimers one hit wonders? oh dear dear dear
Well he says in almost every episode that it's about one hit wonders in the USA, though he did bend that definition a little in the past (for exapmle if there was a second hit in the USA but was largely forgotten).
It's Edin-bur-ugh not Edinburg. You got it right the first time why must you hurt me
Edin-bruh is also acceptable. We are not a fucking Burg though this isn't Germany
How about Edin-bra?
Good to know I have been saying it right all along :P
Unless it’s Edinburg, Texas
@Chell Ray While I know that, the spelling would not suggest that. So maybe change it to something closer to the actual pronounciation. 😂
Every song included in this video absolutely slaps
Goddamn, the bots are vicious today
I feel like 500 Miles fits in perfectly with some of the more eclectic (non-grunge) music of the early 90's... music like Spin Doctors (Two Princes) or Whale (Hobo Humpin Slobo Babe). And there was a big trend of music multiculturalism during the early 90's. Worldbeat was HUGE and part of that was appreciating Scottish and Irish music. 500 Miles definitely paved the way for the eclectic music of the late 90's such as Chumbawamba's Tubthumping (music that was quickly overshadowed by the TRL music of boys bands, Britney Spears clones, and Eminem).
Is 'I'm On My Way' not big???
it wasn't a hit in america
It was in Shrek, I know that
Just Beyond The Corner Productions same
Letter from America was another hit. But america is the world for these people
Uh huh uh huh uh huh
I saw these guys last August in Bournemouth (UK). I spent five weeks in the UK on a study abroad trip and figured this would be my one chance to see them. This video was what turned me onto their music, which lead to The Proclaimers becoming one of my favorite bands and then seeing their show. Someday, I hope to see them in their native Scotland, with their home crowd.
This was “I’m On My Way” erasure. Shrek would be disappointed in you
Thanks for talking about them a little bit and giving them a listen. Sunshine On Leith and Persevere (the album with "There's A Touch") are great albums all the way through. "Throw The "R" Away" and "Letter From America" are also fantastic songs. I saw these guys twice- in 2001 they opened for Barenaked Ladies, and 2008 on a solo tour. They are awesome live.
TH-cam bots today "you might've won the battle Todd but you will NEVER win the war."
the „Da-da, da da“ part from this song is the goal tune from my favorite football (soccer) team werder bremen and i gotta admit that it actually goes kinda hard when they score a last minute winner and the entire stadium is going absolute batshit crazy while 500 miles is playing lol
I'm in! I'm watching this!!! For real! In the US! On TH-cam!
In Canada, too!
Monk Killedababy and in Iceland!!
And in wherever it is I am, I forget.
Sunshine on Leith is a great album. Admittedly, I was born 1993 and I remember my parents playing these songs over and over. Still, the band can write a great hook, don’t take themselves too seriously, and have some heartfelt lyrics as well.
Better watch this now before it's deleted
It's still here.
2 years later...
Yeah i think it got deleted pretty quick
3 years...
I also am here to type a number. 4.
Their newest album Dentures Out really shows they can pack a punch. Besides the terrific instrumentation and production, they have searing lyrics about the state of Britain today. It's seriously the most punk music I've heard in a while. I'd definitely recommend checking in out.
I heard Proclaimers from Shrek! The song on my way.
T G you think he would mention that
Edit: nevermind 😂
The Proclaimers have a certain integrity and charm to them. They also remind me of being a kid in the 80s so they have that nostalgia factor.
Oh, and don't forget that this band has one of the coolest celebrity fans of any band ever: David Tennant. Yeah, the Tenth Doctor is basically the world's biggest Proclaimers fan.
th-cam.com/video/2c6qENWh2jQ/w-d-xo.html this is the best thing ever
thank you for showing this
Yeah I was kinda disappointed the Doctor Who video didn't get a mention in this video. It's such a HUGE part of sci-fi nerd culture. At least, among the Whovians.
@@ashleypenn7845
Shouldn't everybody be a Whovian?
@@1972LittleC in a perfect world...
I had a cassette of this stuck in my car player for ten years
Another Scottish group with a one-hit - In a Big Country by Big Country, they really fly under the radar.
glows that song is so epic in a cheesy way. I love it!
They're not really a one hit wonder.... there's a whole musical using their songs....
@@dankit2548
There's a movie based on the Proclaimers music too, so they're not technically one hit wonders yet they are
*FORGIVE ME, MUSIC OVERLORDS.*
... Until I stumbled across your comment I thought that was Duran Duran.
@@artistwithouttalent The band in the clip is Simple Minds
10:33 this is the moment that I fell in love with their music. Those cords just grabbed my attention and sent chills down my spine
I unironically love these guys. They're just solid musicians 🤷 mad respect
I had "Sunshine on Leith" on tape and listened to it all the time. Great album. 👍
It was having Gerry Rafferty (Yes, THAT one, the guy from "Baker Street" and Steeler's wheel's "Stuck in the middle") as producer for the Proclaimers' first album which gave them their big break. Because Rafferty understood that the best way for the brothers to stand out was for them to just remain who they are.
But he did give them a more contemporary rock sound, which is heard most clearly in "Letter from America" a song of which Rafferty said he understood, he just KNEW what the guys were trying do and his role was to facilitate them in portraying it as good as possible.
The Brothers returned the compliment when appearing on the Gerry Rafferty tribute concert performing Rafferty's songs.
The Proclaimers bring a serious "Napoleon Dynamite" energy to their songs
I think you mean Napoleon Dynamite brought a serious Proclaimers energy to his movie.
I love these lads so much, genuinely one of my favourite music groups of all time for so many of their songs.
I think its great that don't care about success.
People who just are who they are and take that to the fullest are the best musicians out there, because you know ultimately they have their own voice and they'll keep refining it forever. They're the real deal.
Bots: 2 Todd: 0. So far.
Todd could win this one.
Can't help but to sing along as soon as the song starts! My god it's good!
The whole Sunshine on Leith album is great.
I'm Scottish and we love them
One of my oldest memories is being two years old and dancing on our coffee table to this song on New Year’s Eve. If you’re wondering where my parents were, they were there, but as most people listening to this song, they were sloshed.
You should do “one night in Bangkok”
Absolutely
Does it count as a one hit wonder? It was made as part of a musical which was by Benny and Bjorn from Abba
@@byakuyatogami2905 Murray Head also had one other charting song, Superstar from Jesus Christ Superstar which reached number 14 in the US in 1969. I don't know how he defines One hit wonder though, Proclaimers had 3 top 10's in the UK (and god only knows how many up here in Scotland). Assuming its the USA then Oasis are a one hit wonder....
I'm a new fan of the channel and old fan of the Proclaimers. I went into this video with apprehension thinking that you were going to shred them. I came out cheering and emotional with my arms above my head 😂
They make really, really catchy music. I think that's why they got so much soundtrack work. I can still hear the song from Shrek "I'm on my way, from misery to happiness today....."
I saw them live in Columbia, Missouri, when 500 miles was a hit. Seriously one of the best shows I've ever seen, among a great many. I drove 163 miles.
If they get this pulled again I'll curse them to a lifetime of sword art online
mfw aside from the overacting its my favorite anime, even when i delved into the world of more unpopular ones
Mike White being in the game or watching the anime... actually they're equally bad
'member when people loved SOA? I 'member....
Before you say anything I haven't even seen it myself; I just remember the hype.
Ysera people also liked fnaf for a bit at the start
people loved sao till episode 3 then like me everyone watching it on release our hype died down alittle then 4th episode came and we realised it was getting bad like really bad then each episode after was piling shit ontop of shit. It was supposed to be an mmo but it turned into generic harem slice of life with some people wearing swords
I booked a punk band from Scotland that used to hang with these guys and had a jam space next to them said they were the nicest guys ever. They would come over and hang out with them and drink just real down to earth dudes. And their other music is great.
I'm not gonna miss it this time!
Say what you want -- The Proclaimers might have only had one song that everyone knows, but they're still working and releasing new albums three decades after that one song came out. Their twelfth album came out in 2022 on Cooking Vinyl records, which is distributed by Sony Music.
Also, for what it's worth, Johnny Depp plays neither Benny nor Joon in the movie. Benny and Joon are the brother and sister (Benny -- played by Aiden Quinn, and Joon -- played by Mary Stuart Masterson). Johnny Depp plays Joon's love interest, Sam.
Oh my laddie. I love this respectful, intellectual type of commentary. Subscribed
This song always comes out at New Year and wedding parties, at least where I live in the north of England. You don't hear them at many other times of the year, but they are always there. They were almost considered part of the indie scene in England, when they first appeared, but now that seems to have faded. I always liked them and saw them live a few times. Great video about them, good job. 😀
Hang on a second
Identical twins?
Scottish?
Super thick brogues?
THE PROCLAMERS ARE DONALD AND DOUGLAS!!
Crivvens! That is a deep cut.
10:34
I am being serious when I say this. This is hands down one of the best pop songs of all time.
Love this song man, plus their style is kinda' unique and I dig it
It worked so well as the title track to Benny and Joon. For one, it's an offbeat and unusual love story (which one? yes). For two, it's played over shots of a diesel passenger train, and the VERY steady rhythm of the song matches that feeling of steady progress you get out of a train weaving through the Appalachians. In fact, it has an almost steam locomotive beat to it. Ironically it's exactly the wrong speed to walk to; it's uncomfortably fast for one footfall per beat, it's uncomfortably slow for one footfall every other beat. It might work for a jogging gait but not walking.
When Hibernian won the Scottish cup everyone in the stadium sang sunshine on Leith , it sounded fkn brilliant
liam o'malley I’m not a Hibs supporter but that must have been a mental atmosphere
Another great one hit wonder from Scotland was del amitri. You remember that song roll to me from every rom com.
any school I went to in Canada, they used this song for the terry fox run.
Julia Paddock XD
i wish we did that too
Same! Every year we hear this song at our Terry Fox assembly
Yup, and as a child I had an irrational fear of the guy, so guess who took _forever_ to not cringe when hearing this song in any context
Greetings fellow Canadian.
@@flametitan100 I used to cringe whenever I heard this song because my 7th grade math teacher would play it on repeat in his class to torture us. He was very large and loud and scary, and I was very sick and vulnerable at the time (I wasn’t even able to make it through the whole school year), so that whole time was very traumatizing to me, and this song is a trigger, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job of getting to a point where IDGAF and I’m now free to hear this song and hate it without being hurt by it.
I F'n love this song. Full stop.
Also, the song I'm On My Way is a banger!
what about "im on my way"? i thought they were both big. then again im from australia. we're more accepting of their novelty charts than the states.
I really love your reviews, because it's been giving me so much music to listen to. I've known about this song forever, but now I want to check out their other music!
Respect! Great review. I was in my teens when this song hit and i liked it alright. I appreciated how odd they were to my American sensibilities.
I'm happy to learn they kept the faith and never bowed or bent to music trends.
This series is basically just a list of discographies I need to check out, and vinyls to add to my collection 😮
So you're telling me Tegan and Sara are essentially America's version of the Proclaimers
Tegan and Sara are CANADIAN
I realized these guys were much bigger back home several years ago when I saw an episode of the Graham Norton Show with David Tennant as a guest and they brought out these guys to meet him because he'd just won some big acting award or something and he was reputedly a big fan of theirs. Well, David Tennant was clearly so happy about meeting them that you just couldn't help but realize that there had to be more to them than that "500 Miles" song, at least in Scotland.
Don't waste time typing, just watch it before it's gone.
wait that's I'm doing right now......shit
As another non-American (not Scottish tho), I have massive respect for every musician (or other entertainer) who doesn't try to appeal to America, and just keeps on doing their thing like these guys. Salutations!