Real Gone Kid
"Real Gone Kid" is a song by Scottish pop rock band Deacon Blue. Vocalist Ricky Ross wrote the song about a performance he saw of ex-Lone Justice singer Maria McKee during a time when Deacon Blue and Lone Justice toured together. The lyrics are a tribute to McKee, with the narrator using the term "real gone kid" as a designation for craziness, referring to McKee's "wild" onstage performance style. The song was included on Deacon Blue's second studio album, When [the World Knows Your Name].
Issued on 3 October 1988 as the first single from the album, the "Real Gone Kid" single includes three B-sides: "Little Lincoln", a cover of Sam & Dave's "Born Again", and a cover of Hüsker Dü's "It's Not Funny Anymore". "Real Gone Kid" was the band's first top-10 hit, reaching number eight on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 in Ireland, and number five in New Zealand. In Spain, the song peaked at number one for three weeks.
Music video
The music video opens with a brief shot of the Deacon Blue logo, which moves into a line of various people against a white background queuing up to use a photo booth. This then cuts to the band, also against a white background, playing the song. The video consists of alternating shots of photo booth usage and the band playing; featured therein are a gay kiss between two photo booth customers, a scuffle behind the photo booth curtain and Ricky Ross jumping off a Yamaha CP-70 piano. Shots of the photo booth being used by the band members are intertwined in the last shots as the song fades out.Track listings
All songs were written by Ricky Ross except where noted.7-inch and cassette single
- "Real Gone Kid"
- "Little Lincoln"
12-inch and mini-CD single
- A limited-edition version also exists with a fold-out picture sleeve.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
| Chart | Position |
| New Zealand | 36 |