Although the song “Sultans of Swing” might have introduced the world to Mark Knopfler’s band Dire Straits in the late 1970s, it was a cynical little song about music videos that took the world by storm in 1985 and filmed their album “Brothers in Arms.” in the music sales stratosphere. The song was called “Money for Nothing”.
In a 1985 interview for Musician Magazine, Knopfler explains the tune’s genesis: “The main character…is a guy who works in the hardware department at a TV/custom kitchen/refrigerator/microwave appliance store. He is singing the song.” I wrote the song when I was in the store. I borrowed a piece of paper and started writing the song at the store. I wanted to use a lot of the language that the real guy actually used when he was listening to it, because it was more real.” The “free money and your free girls” line eventually became a part of 1980s pop culture history.
Sting, who takes credit for writing the song, was only responsible for the line “I want my MTV” in the song, which was sung to the tune of “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”. Sting was in Montserrat during the recording of the song, which is why he showed up. He also joined Dire Straits on stage in London during Live Aid in July 1985, and the live performance of the song is widely recognized for the song’s worldwide smash hit several months later and the multi-platinum international sales of “Brothers in Arms”. “CD.
Another possible reason for the song’s success was the innovative video’s adoption (one of the first to use computer animation) into “big rotation” status on MTV in the US. It later became the first ever played music video on MTV Europe in 1987.
Although some found it offensive for some of the language used and later edited for airplay, Knopfler insisted that the song was written and sung with character and in no way reflected his personal feelings. In a 1985 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Knopfler said, “I got an objection from the editor of a gay newspaper in London; he actually said I was below the belt. Apart from the fact that there are stupid homosexuals and other stupid people out there.” . , suggests that maybe you can’t let it have so many meanings, you have to be direct, to take on other characters.” It was a bit of a controversy and didn’t detract from the song’s staggering popularity. It reached number one on the Billboard charts in September 1985 and won awards for Knopfler and the band at the Grammys, Brits and MTV Music Awards.
Curiosities of “Money for nothing”:
– Knopfler supposedly adapted his “with the earring and the tutu” line, when Jack Sonni, his rhythm guitarist at the time, suggested substituting the word makeup for tutu.
– Terry Williams, drummer for Dire Straits, is not the only drummer recorded on this particular track. Famed session musician Omar Hakim, who has performed with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Weather Report and many others, also provided some of the percussion work.
– In an article in Mix Magazine, engineer Neil Dorfsman recalls that Knopfler’s now-famous guitar riff was achieved using a “Les Paul Junior through a Kelly amp miked with two Shure SM57s, one nearby and the other ‘in that weird place, like seven inches back and pointing to the side.
– In 1989, “Weird Al” Yankovic recorded his own version of the song mixing Knopfler’s music with lyrics from the Beverly Hillbillies TV show theme song. Knopfler allowed parody as long as he could perform the guitar solos, which he did. The video can be viewed on the UHF feature film.