Hit The Highway - Proclaimers (The)

...best known for their biggest hit 'Im Gonna Be'(500 miles), but the rest of their songs are sadly overlooked by most people. This album 'Hit The Highway' is a prime example. Although many people will never have heard of any of the songs on this album, It is still worth listening to if you are a fan of The Proclaimers' unique style of melodic folk-rock. The album is of course brimming with the upbeat cheery style that made them so famous, interspersed ...
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Hit The Higway

The title track of the album, it is definitely one of the best and most unique songs on the CD. It starts with someone imitating the rhythm vocally (like a beat box type thing) which makes it stand out, and this continues throughout the song. The verses build up slowly culminating in the defiant ' Do it my way, or hit the highway'. I'm not sure what this song is about really, probably just someone being ... more

Price: About £6
Genre: Acoustic Rock/Pop
Artist: The Proclaimers
Date Released: March 22nd, 1994

Scottish duo Craig and Charlie Reid are best known for their biggest hit 'Im Gonna Be'(500 miles), but the rest of their songs are sadly overlooked by most people. This album 'Hit The Highway' is a prime example. Although many people will never have heard of any of the songs on this album, It is still worth listening to if you are a fan of The Proclaimers' unique style of melodic folk-rock. The album is of course brimming with the upbeat cheery style that made them so famous, interspersed with the infamous scot's accent. The use of their local accent really makes their songs endearing, to me anyway, and I think that it is something that no-one has really managed to follow successfully in this approach. The general feeling of the album is biased towards hope for the future, through faith and hard work, probably reflecting the brothers' experiences as they wrote this album. At this point in time their single 'I'm Gonna Be' had just received a massive reception in the U.S. charts after appearing in the soundtrack to the film 'Benny and Joon'. Uplifted by their success, they were inspired to write their new album as quickly as possible, in order to try and make the most of their popularity. They were full of hope for the future, and this definitely reflects in many of the songs on the album. Sadly, this album was not met with much success in the U.S. and The Proclaimers Faded away somewhat. I think that this was a sad and unfair thing to happen, as many of the songs on this album are due, in my opinion, more credit than they received.

The tracks of the album are as follows:

Let's Get Married

This is probably the most well-known song on the album, as it was released as a single, but did not chart very highly. This song is written to pull on the old heartstrings quite obviously, but it achieves it quite well. It has the warm voice of one of the brother's (I can't tell the difference between their voices) contemplating the experiences that him and his lover have gone through, over a major chord strum-a-long that builds up to the chorus of 'let's get married', interjected with little snippets of thing like 'I love ye, and wanna stay with ye' which make the song sound sincere and quite heartwarming. The song is a good nostalgia trip, I can imagine an old couple putting the song on at their anniversary and remembering the good old days, but this still doesn't detract from the fact that it is a good song on it's own, with and incredibly catchy chorus and great replay value.

The More I believe

A song written about self-believe and perseverance, that is not only catchy but reflects the feelings they must have been going through at the time. The fact that they are drawing from their own personal experince seems to make the singing stronger and more meaningful. The song's chorus is 'The less I believe in me, The more I believe in me' and is again, very catchy and memorable. The song itself is very uplifting, with the inspirinig lyrics infusing a desire to stay true to yourself and be honest, it could be used as a reformation track for dishonest people.

What Makes You Cry

A song written about a man who doesn't understand how his ex doesn't seem to be displaying any signs of regret about breaking up their relationship due to his selfishness. This song is quite sad in essence, but true to form it is written about hope, as the man is sure that his ex is still hurting inside and could come back to him. Probably one of those songs that you would listen to after splitting up with someone. It is written in the ballad style that is repeated throughout this album, but is distinguished because it is slightly darker, in melody and lyrics. Some parts exude denial and doubt, then transform into the optimistic chorus. There is also a good saxaphone solo in there too that sets it out a little too.

Follow The Money

I really like this song, It heals the soul just listening to it. Written about toiling hard to earn a living, it inspires the listener to make a difference in their lives. I'm sure you could file this under self-help if you wanted, it really is that inspiring. The song is written in a funkier, upbeat style in comparison to the others, and this really helps lift it from the previous more depressed song. It tells of the story of reformation the goes through, from a life of partying, to the maturity and realisation that his life has to mean something. The song also includes a nice little Spanish-esque guitar breakdown part in the middle.

These Arms Of Mine

This song starts off with an arpeggiated chord progression, reminiscent of a lullaby that gives it a sweet sound and sets the scene for the whole track. It is about being lonely while wanting someone you just can't have. The song builds up with the singing becoming more passionate the further it moves into the song. There is a piano along with the usual guitars, as well as what sounds like some kind of Hawaiian slide guitar in the background

Shout Shout

Dragging you out of the misery of the last song with a jolt, 'Shout Shout' is a fast bright song that relentlessly continues at pace. It is about being able to handle the rows and tantrums his wife has and knowing that everything will always be okay afterwards. It is a bit predictable, not one of my favourite songs on the album, but fits with the album quite nicely.

The Light

A slow ballad telling tales of the troubles a man had to face in his life, but his continuing faith has to pull him through the turbulent times. It has a guitar solo in it, but I don't really like this track either, it's too similar to the ones before it. It does portray a good message but that's not enough to make it a good song, I'm afraid.

Hit The Higway

The title track of the album, it is definitely one of the best and most unique songs on the CD. It starts with someone imitating the rhythm vocally (like a beat box type thing) which makes it stand out, and this continues throughout the song. The verses build up slowly culminating in the defiant ' Do it my way, or hit the highway'. I'm not sure what this song is about really, probably just someone being stubborn, but it is a good song. The beat is nearly march like at some points, with the snare rattling away in the background and the cowbells it has quite a complex beat to it and is quite good easy listening.

A Long Long Time Ago

A rather sad song about bad news reaching him, probably a death. The lyrics tell the tale of him coping with the bad news by drowning his sorrows and thinking back to the good times. It tells of the good and bad points of thinking back to your history. I quite like this song because, since it doesn't really have a perfectly defined subject. Due to the vagueness, it can be applied to anything in the past that the listener has endured, making it a good song for reflection.

I Want To Be A Christian

This song seems like a whole load of Christian propaganda, which it nearly is, but I think the message is probably more universal. It is basically a hymn type song, sung with a lone piano. Not my favourite song on the album but it only lasts about 2 minutes so it's not a long drawn out thing.

Your Childhood

A song about growing up too fast and not realising your childhood has gone. A song sung reflecting his own experiences of growing up too quickly and wondering if his own daughter will face the same kind of thing. A nostalgic-type song that is sung very emotionally, I wanted to hate it, but I ended up liking it. The song is just too nice to not like, and like a few of these other songs, will remind you of your own life.

Don't Turn Out Like Your Mother

The last track on the album is a welcome relief from the sentimental and depressing songs before it. The song is basically about a man pleading to his wife to not turn out like her mother. It is a great upbeat and humorous song, that I'm sure should have been a great hit, It's good fun and I'm sure would be a hit at a wedding (once you've played 'Let's Get Married' of course).

Conclusion

This album is a great one to listen to if you like the styles of The Proclaimers. At some points it gets a bit bogged down with depressing songs, but they are in an order that means the next one will be upbeat and cheery to keep you interested. The Scottish duo are really good at what they do, and it becomes apparent while listening to the album. If you are a fan of the Scottish accent while singing (I know I am) then consider this. I do warn people no used to The Proclaimer's style that it is perceived as quite 'cheesy' because of all the sentimentality, but I like It.

This is worth a look and a good addition to anyone's CD collection (especially if you're Scottish!).
 

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