Album Lookback: Dire Straits’ Sensational ‘Brothers In Arms’ Turns 40 This Year

“Money for nothing and your chicks for free…” – Dire Straits, “Money For Nothing,” 1985

As a follow up to our post Playlist: Songs From 1975, I have been doing research, as I always do, for a 40-year lookback, to 1985. I’m still working on it, but the first album that popped into my mind was Dire Strait’s magnificent Brothers In Arms. Now I think I’m safe in saying, on this one, “Man, I can’t believe that album is 40 years old.” Dylan was right, “Time is a jet plane…”

I can still remember where I was the first time I heard “Money For Nothing.” It was such a huge song. In my research I’ve seen where “So Far Away” was released as the first single and I have to be honest, I don’t remember ever hearing that one on the radio anywhere. “So Far Away” was released in April of ’85 and I was finishing out the college semester and the college town I lived in was devoid of good radio so that may explain it. “Money For Nothing” was released as a single in late June of ’85 and that’s the first song I remember hearing from that album. I was in my car on the highway – as I was so often back in those days, headed who knows where – and “Money For Nothing” came on. Having never heard it before, I wasn’t sure what was happening or who it was… Suddenly what sounded like Sting was singing, “I want my… I want my…” and I chuckled to myself…”This sounds like the MTV jingle, (“I want my MTV”) popular at the time. And then yes, Sting sings “I want my MTV…” What is this? Then a drum roll fires off… and suddenly a nasty, fat guitar riff starts and we’re off to the races. I was jamming on that song so hard when I looked down I was going 80 mph. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time when you hear a song for the first time. That track went straight to my lower brain stem. When I got off the highway, I drove straight to a record store and bought the album.

The funny part about “Money For Nothing” is that Knopfler wrote it in an appliance store where he overheard a guy, watching the bank of televisions in the store, tuned to MTV, complaining about musicians and their “easy” life. He wrote the direct quotes of the guy down while standing in the store and put them in the song. The guy kept going on about the musicians in the videos and Knopfler was just transcribing. There’s some now politically incorrect language in the song but hey, he’s playing the part of an ignorant appliance delivery guy. I worked with guys like this in a liquor store once.

I’d had the advantage of already being a Dire Straits fan. By 1985 they’d been around over half a decade (7 years since their debut album) and while I wasn’t a huge fan, I liked their music. I remember being in junior high which is around the time I first started listening to music and their debut album came out. I’m like everybody and I dug “Sultans Of Swing” which got heavy airplay. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I picked that album up and I loved it. “Down To The Waterline” was a huge favorite as was “Wild West End,” one of the greatest songs ever written by someone about a neighborhood. “Pink toenails and hands all dirty with money…” oh, yes.

While it was a promising debut their second album, “the difficult second album” as Bono called U2’s, Communique was where I sort of lost track of them. Making Movies did grab me. My little brother had the album and I’d go in his room to hear “Skateaway.” I loved the lyric, “She tortures taxi drivers just for fun…” “Romeo and Juliet” was a great song about a break up…something I would learn about later. “Tunnel Of Love” and “Expresso Love” were great… the former stretched over 8 minutes. They did so love their long songs. I bought that album used when I was in college to replace the copy I’d made of my brother’s album on cassette tape. At that point they were a solid, good rock band but they certainly weren’t superstars… not where I lived anyway. They were kind of laid back, jammy guys. At that point they released Love Over Gold and it was a long time before I heard anything other than “Industrial Disease.” I had roommate in college who was fond of that song. He also turned me onto the great “Private Investigations.” There are great songs on that album but they tend toward very long songs so maybe that hampered the success of the record.

While they’d had success, I don’t think anybody was prepared for the juggernaut that was Brothers In Arms. And, while I rarely comment on cover art, I love the sky blue cover with the resonator guitar on the cover… beautiful stuff. “Money For Nothing” was an era defining song. I don’t think you can think about the 80s or 1985 without mentioning that song. Sting ended up on the song because he and the Police had recorded at AIR Studios in Montserrat (watch the doc Under The Volcano, all about the studio down there) and he was hanging out down there wind surfing when Dire Straits arrived to record Brothers In Arms. They invited him to come up and do the “I want my MTV” part and it clicked.

I thought when I bought it, that Brothers In Arms was going to be a guitar juggernaut. Lead singer/guitarist Mark Knopfler was going to let loose on guitar on this album. He does, but not in the way I expected. There is so much intricate, sophisticated guitar on this album – especially on side two – that I could listen to his playing for hours. Years later I finally saw Dire Straits in concert and after a long, wonderful guitar solo he actually apologized. I remember the review headline in the papers the next day read, “No Apologies Necessary Mr. Knopfler.” This was the first album without original drummer Pick Withers who’d been replaced by Terry Williams. They rounded out with founding member John Illsley (bass), Hal Lindes (second guitar), Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher (both on keyboards). With a fuller band they really fleshed out their sound.

There’s so much more to this record than just “Money For Nothing.” The opening track and first single, (so they say), was “So Far Away.” It’s a laid back guitar tune with a lilting slide all about missing your baby. “I been in the sun and you been in the rain.” I’d done the long distance thing briefly so could relate…but who amongst us couldn’t? “Walk Of Life” was a jaunty little track washed in keyboards. It features on our Playlist: Songs About Walking. It was yet another hit song on an album chock full of them. “Your Latest Trick” starts with some great sax. It’s a song about a relationship on the decline and was the last of FIVE singles released from the album. It’s got a real late night Jazz club vibe. Side one ends with “Why Worry” that almost comes across as a hymn or a prayer. Knopfler’s guitar floats around the edges. It glides by which is why I probably forgot it’s over 8 minutes long.

On side two, Knopfler and Co seem to switch from the personal to the political, albeit subtly. “Ride Across The River” has some beautiful guitar. It takes me to an exotic jungle setting where rebels are floating across a river to fight. It’s always been a fav. It’s almost 7 minutes and it’s only the third longest track on the album. “The Man’s Too Strong” starts off like a sea chanty. It recounts the memory of an old warrior turned scoundrel. While it’s acoustic they manage to ring some drama from the music with some huge chords throughout the song. “One World” is a tasty little rock song. I’ve always loved the guitar on this track. “Can’t get no sleeves for my records, can’t get no laces for my shoes, can’t get no fancy notes on my blue guitar…” He goes on to sing, “Can’t get no antidote for blues.” Amen, brother…although whiskey helps. I’ve always been surprised this track wasn’t released as a single. The album concludes on the title track, which takes us back into the realm of the political. It opens with the sound of battle with an ominous organ but quickly fades to Knopfler’s signature guitar sound. “Every man has to die, it’s written in the starlight and every line in your palm, we’re fools to make war on our brothers in arms.” The song of an exile… heavy stuff but just beautiful. And the guitar work, oh my. Such exquisite sounds.

This is one of those landmark albums that helps us remember the 80s didn’t totally suck in terms of music. At times lighthearted (“Walk Of Life” and “Money For Nothing”) and at times heavy (“Brothers In Arms,” “Why Worry”) this album checks all the boxes. Much like the aforementioned Sting after Synchronicity, Dire Straits faded away a bit under the heavy weight of expectations. It was 6 years before they put out their final record On Every Street. Bands sometimes change direction to avoid that pressure of following up big time success. Knopfler has gone on to record some remarkable solo albums but nothing quite like this one.

Everyone should own this record. Turn it up loud, late at night and party like the 80s. Cheers!