{{Short description|1988 single by Deacon Blue}} {{For|the television episode|Real Gone Kid (Doctors){{!}}"Real Gone Kid" (''Doctors'')}} {{EngvarB|date=February 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}} {{Infobox song | name = Real Gone Kid | cover = DBRealGoneKid.jpg | alt = | border = yes | type = single | artist = Deacon Blue | album = When the World Knows Your Name | B-side = * "Little Lincoln" * "Born Again" * "It's Not Funny Anymore" | released = {{start date|1988|10|3|df=y}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1988/MW-1988-10-01-S-OCR.pdf|title=New Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=31|date=1 October 1988|access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref> | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = <!-- Do not add unsourced genres --> | length = * 4:03 * 7:06 (extended version) | label = CBS | writer = Ricky Ross | producer = Warne Livesey | prev_title = Chocolate Girl | prev_year = 1988 | next_title = Wages Day | next_year = 1989 | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|5SD4lI9GKUE|"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'' (1989).
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'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Real Gone Kid|year=1988|type=UK 7-inch single sleeve|publisher=CBS Records|id=DEAC 7}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Real Gone Kid|year=1988|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=CBS Records|id=DEAC C7}}</ref> # "Real Gone Kid" # "Little Lincoln"
'''Limited-edition 7-inch EP and CD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Real Gone Kid|year=1988|type=UK limited 7-inch EP sleeve|publisher=CBS Records|id=DEAC EP 7}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Real Gone Kid|year=1988|type=UK CD single liner notes|publisher=CBS Records|id=CD DEAC 7}}</ref> :A1. "Real Gone Kid" :A2. "Little Lincoln" :B1. "Born Again" {{small|(Isaac Hayes, David Porter)}} :B2. "It's Not Funny Anymore" {{small|(Grant Hart)}}
'''12-inch and mini-CD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Real Gone Kid|year=1988|type=UK 12-inch single sleeve|publisher=CBS Records|id=DEAC T7}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Real Gone Kid|year=1988|type=European mini-CD single liner notes|publisher=CBS Records|id=653035 3}}</ref> :A1. "Real Gone Kid" (extended version) – 7:04 :B1. "Little Lincoln" – 3:05 :B2. "Real Gone Kid" (seven inch version) – 4:03 * A limited-edition version also exists with a fold-out picture sleeve.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Real Gone Kid|year=1988|type=UK limited 12-inch single sleeve|publisher=CBS Records|id=DEAC QT 7}}</ref>
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1988–1989) !Peak<br/>position |- {{single chart|Australia|18|artist=Deacon Blue|song=Real Gone Kid|rowheader=true}} |- !scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1988/M&M-1988-12-03.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=5|issue=49|page=19|date=3 December 1988|access-date=14 September 2020}}</ref> |33 |- {{single chart|Ireland2|10|song=Real Gone Kid|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|New Zealand|5|artist=Deacon Blue|song=Real Gone Kid|rowheader=true}} |- !scope="row"|Spain (AFYVE)<ref>{{cite book|last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002|edition=1st|date=September 2005|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|location=Spain|isbn=84-8048-639-2}}</ref> |1 |- {{single chart|UK|8|date=19881126|rowheader=true}} |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1988) !Position |- !scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Top 100 Singles: Year-End Chart 1988|magazine=Music Week|page=12|date=4 March 1989}}</ref> |62 |} {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1989) !Position |- !scope="row"|New Zealand (RIANZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-singles/1989-12-31|title=End of Year Charts 1989|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|access-date=22 September 2018}}</ref> |36 |} {{col-end}}
==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Deacon Blue|title=Real Gone Kid|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2026|id=15758-582-1|access-date=18 April 2026}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
==In popular culture== Various mixes of the song appeared in adverts for the Boots pharmacy chain in the UK from 2015 to 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvadmusic.co.uk/tag/boots/|title=boots – TV Ad Music|website=Tvadmusic.co.uk|access-date=6 August 2018}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Deacon Blue Singles}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1988 singles Category:1988 songs Category:CBS Records singles Category:Deacon Blue songs Category:Number-one singles in Spain Category:Songs about musicians Category:Songs written by Ricky Ross (musician)