Tune du Jour: “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” – The Proclaimers
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Down By Law vs. MxPx vs. Toy Dolls
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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The Original
Remember hearing The Proclaimer’s The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues on the radio in 1987 and was immediately floored by its originality, spunk and engaging sound. I quickly purchased their album, This Is The Story, and saw potential. I eagerly awaited their next release, which came the following year. Sunshine On Leith did not disappoint. It was very impressive throughout. I was particularly blown away by the contagious tune, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles). It had such an accessible sound complemented by those appealing Scottish accents that I was trying to sing along upon the first time I heard it. I saw The Proclaimers that year at The Cotton Club, a legendary, sadly soon-to-be defunct iconic venue in Atlanta. The show was simply outstanding! Couldn’t have been more entertaining. The guys had so much talent and charisma. As the years went on I was surprised and disappointed that this talented duo did not make a dent in the music scene. Years later, out of nowhere, I began hearing 500 Miles repeatedly on the airwaves. Happy, yet puzzled as to why the song caught fire years after its release, I assumed it must have been resurrected for a movie or something of that ilk. Sure enough, it was included on the soundtrack of the 1993 hit film, Benny & Joon, starring hot commodity, Johnny Depp. The popularity of The Proclaimers (and particularly the song 500 Miles) immediately went through the roof. Depp, our savior, made the difference! For a short time The Proclaimers enjoyed the acclaim (and hopefully financial rewards) they so richly deserved. And so it goes in the music world. Never know who, when or if a band is going to find fame and fortune …
The Proclaimers:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Down By Law vs. MxPx vs. Toy Dolls
Down By Law:
MxPx:
Toy Dolls:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On!??!
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
It’s interesting how well this song plays to a punk performance.
All three bands execute so well in their interpretations.
It’s interesting that both Down by Law and MxPx inject the word “Surrender” into the chorus, which is not included in the original. Odd that both bands would include the same addition.
The Toy Dolls singer, Michael Algar, has such an odd voice. It never fails to make me smile.
Anyways, I listened to all three covers multiple times trying to determine a winner. In the end it came down to either Down by Law or MxPx, both of which throw down some wicked guitar licks. But MxPx was more playful in their delivery and they scored points for interjecting Cheap Tricks’ Surrender into the mash up. So they got my vote, by the skin of their pearly whites.
I don’t remember how I found out about The Proclaimers, but I bought their first two albums and considered myself a fan at a time when seemingly no one else knew them.
As Dubbs describes, this song appeared in a popular film and subsequently took off. Without looking it up, it seems like it was in more than one film, and perhaps even more than one commercial. This from a song that was already a few years old at that point.
The only one of these three contestants I know is The Toy Dolls, and though their offering wasn’t bad, they finished in third place today.
The version by Down By Law was good, even if it’s hard and heavy compared to what I normally listen to.
MxPx got my attention and had me tappin’ my toes. I can just watch my feet while a song is playing to see who will win my vote.
I’ve had a lifelong interest in Scots music, history, and culture, and I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Scotland a number of times. I’ve never come across the word “haver” anywhere else.
I didn’t even remotely like any of the covers. I had hope for The Toy Dolls but they let me down too. I thought I might vote for them because their version was a minute shorter than the others but I couldn’t do it. I picked MxPx. The inclusion of Surrender brightened things a bit. Nerdcore.
Went with MxPx because their vocals were the most tolerable.
Ugh. A great, fun song, butchered by three cover bands. I’m in agreement with Cuspid here. MxPx gets the vote for not being repellant.