• The Proclaimers are the Scottish twins Craig and Charlie Reid. This is their only hit in America, but four of their other songs made the UK Top 40, including their first hit, "Letter From America," which went to #3 in 1987.
• This song is about being devoted to a woman and wanting to spend the rest of your life with her. And it's all sung in a Scottish accent.
• In the line "I'm gonna be the one who's havering for you," 'havering' means babbling on. However, several US radio stations initially refused to play the song, as they thought 'havering' meant something much more naughty.
• This was written in 1988 and released on The Proclaimers album Sunshine On Leith. 
• Craig Reid in the Daily Mail, March 23, 2007: "I can remember sitting at the piano and the chords just came to me. I reckon I just wrote the whole thing in 45 minutes. I knew that it was a good song, maybe even a single, but I had no idea how popular it would become."
• This was a hit in the US after being featured in the movie Benny & Joon after the director heard the song being played on his personal stereo by Mary Ann Waterston. The Proclaimers had no idea it would be featured in the film.
• It was also a #1 hit in Australia.
• By 2002, 500 miles just wasn't enough, as Vanessa Carlton used the same lyrical theme, but with twice the distance, in her song "A Thousand Miles."

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