“Real Gone Kid” by Deacon Blue

From the onset, we know “Real Gone Kid” is about an American musician named Maria McKee. She was formerly the lead singer of a country rock outfit called Lone Justice. And Deacon Blue toured alongside Lone Justice for a spell, meaning that Ricky Ross was familiar with her performance style.  And said style was marked by what SongFacts describes as “wild behavior”.  Indeed, within the context of this song “real gone” is actually an adjective (i.e. real-gone). And gone, as a colloquial phrase, basically means that someone is out of his or her mind. So the real-gone kid which the singer is referring to, i.e. Maria McKee, would be someone who is like really crazy.

Narrator adores Maria McKee

The above being said, the song’s verses are focused on the narrator’s admiration of the songstress. For instance, we already know this song was inspired by her live performance. And with that premise in mind, what the singer seems to be saying in the first verse is that in appreciation of such he has regained interest in some of her old music. 

The second verse (as well as bridge) features a similar theme, of him digging through the crates for Maria McKee memorabilia which he didn’t fully appreciate the first time around. And we also know that Deacon Blue was actually the opening act for Lone Justice. And again keeping that fact in mind, what he seems to be saying at the beginning of the passage is that serving as her musical subordinate, if you will, also inspired and helped him grow as an artist.

Chorus

Meanwhile it is in the chorus where the band asserts that McKee (who is never actually mentioned by the way) is a “real gone kid”, i.e. crazy. But again, within the overall mood of the song this designation reads more like a compliment than anything else.

“Real Gone Kid” is a Tribute to Maria McKee!

So conclusively, “Real Gone Kid” is a tribute song. More specifically, it serves as a shoutout to an acclaimed musical artist by the name of Maria McKee.  And apparently what the singer admires the most about her is her completely uncuffed stage mannerisms.

Facts about “Real Gone Kid”

This is the lead single form Deacon Blue’s sophomore album, “When the World Knows Your Name”. And Columbia Records released the track during October of 1988.

“Real Gone Kid” was written by Ricky Ross, one of the lead vocalists of Deacon Blue, a Scottish rock band. And the producer of the track is Warne Livesey.

“Real Gone Kid” topped the AFYVE music chart in Spain. It also peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. This marked the first time Deacon Blue broke the top 10 of that list.

The song went on to be certified Silver in the UK, in addition to being nominated for a Brit Award in 1989. Moreover it charted in a handful of other countries.

This track is also recognized as being the primary impetus behind “When the World Knows Your Name” actually scoring a number one on the UK Albums Chart.

“Real Gone Kid” will also go down in history as being the first Deacon Blue single to feature co-lead vocalist Lorraine McIntosh.