The Proclaimers: King of the Road

Roger Miller’s King of the Road was a big hit in 1964. It has the old sensibilities: Homelessness is far from a tragedy. Riding the rails–a hobo’s life–is all about freedom. It’s quite romantic.

Whatever. It’s a great song. Here is a terrific cover by The Proclaimers, twins from Scotland. They did it for the soundtrack of a 1990 movie called The Crossing. Miller is nicely acknowledged at the 2:23 mark.

Other songs from The Proclaimers include I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and I’m On My Way, which was a hit from the soundtrack of Shrek. The band’s website says that a new album, Like Comedy, will be released on May 7, though its unclear whether that’s the U.K. release date, the date for the U.S. or both.

Miller’s version of King of the Road is colorful and funOther songs include Dang Me and Chug-a-Lug. (Clearly, he was Roger Miller, not Arthur Miller.) Here he sings Old Friends with Willie Nelson at Farm Aid in 1985.


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