Though Dire Straits have remained broken up since the ’90s, they have found new admirers in the 21st century with indie artists like The War on Drugs and Mac DeMarco professing their love of the band’s uniquely modernist approach to roots rock. The band would notch one last big hit before falling silent: 1991’s “Calling Elvis,” a brilliantly atmospheric update of Memphis rockabilly.
Dire straits album money for nothing movie#
(The image is further enhanced by its music video, a neon-suffused product of early computer animation that’s regarded as one of the most iconic artifacts of early MTV.) Knopfler, low-key and more interested in developing his craft than stardom, began retreating from the spotlight, devoting more time to composing movie scores. Indeed, their biggest hit, “Money for Nothing,” from the 1985 blockbuster Brothers in Arms, sounds like cyborgs playing roadhouse blues rock on synthesizers. This knack for marrying American roots music to contemporary sounds would become Dire Straits’ defining quality as they became stadium rockers in the ’80s. Besides introducing the world to Mark Knopfler’s tangled fingerpicking, the Dylan-esque gem layered earthy blues and country (the Tulsa sound in particular) over a shuffle so lean and tight, fans of New Wave music couldn’t help but embrace it. The groundbreaking video, featuring innovative animation for the era, was the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network launched in August 1987. The songs lyrics are written from the point of view of two working-class men watching music videos and commenting on what they see. Dire Straits Money for Nothing Wembley, 1985 Money for Nothing features a guest appearance from Sting, who provides both the signature falsetto intro and backing chant of I want my MTV. When Dire Straits released “Sultans of Swing” in 1978, it sounded like little else coming across the airwaves. 'Money for Nothing' is a single by British rock band Dire Straits, taken from their 1985 studio album Brothers in Arms.