Real Gone Kid

"Real Gone Kid"
Single by Deacon Blue
from the album When the World Knows Your Name
B-side	"Little Lincoln" "Born Again" "It's Not Funny Anymore"
Released	3 October 1988 (1988-10-03)[1]
Recorded	1988
Length	4:03 7:06 (extended version)
Label	CBS
Songwriter(s)	Ricky Ross
Producer(s)	Warne Livesey
Deacon Blue singles chronology
"Chocolate Girl" (1988) "Real Gone Kid" (1988) "Wages Day" (1989)
Music video
"Real Gone Kid" on YouTube

"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.