Walk of Life (Dire Straits song)
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| "Walk of Life" | ||||
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| Single by Dire Straits | ||||
| from the album Brothers in Arms | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Recorded | December 1984 | |||
| Genre | Country Rock | |||
| Length | 04:12 | |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Writer(s) | Mark Knopfler | |||
| Dire Straits singles chronology | ||||
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"Walk of Life" is a 1985 song by the British rock band Dire Straits. It appeared on their best-selling album Brothers in Arms. It subsequently appeared on their live album On the Night. It was released as a single in 1986 but had first been available as the b-side of "So Far Away" released in advance of Brothers in Arms. The track peaked at number 7 in the US charts and was their biggest commercial hit in the UK, peaking at number 2.
The song was nearly excluded from the album when the co-producer Neil Dorfsman voted against its inclusion, but the rest of the band out-voted him.
A simple rock 'n' roll rhythm is used, with chord changes limited to I, IV and V chords. The long introduction has became iconic in some circles, with an instantly recognisable melody played on a synthesiser organ patch. The singer mentioned in the lyrics is said to perform "down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay," a reference to busking in the subway. The songs he plays are oldies, including "I Got a Woman", "Be-Bop-A-Lula", "What'd I Say", "Mack the Knife" and the "Talking Blues".
The music video for the song shown in the UK video features a busker or street musician wearing the same shirt as Mark Knopfler intercut with the band performing on a stage, while the U.S. features sports bloopers intercut with footage of the band performing the song on a stage.
"Walk of Life" was the song played during the Space Shuttle Discovery crew wake-up call on STS-114 Flight Day 7.
The walk of life was also the name of the charity walk from London to Khartoum 1985-1986, to raise money for famine relief led by John Abbey. The band donated Brothers in Arms Gold disc in recognition and support of the expedition.
The introduction to the song was also used for a time as the theme music for Test Match Special cricket in the United Kingdom.
When the song was originally released, the band explained that a "walk of life" in the context of this song is a traditional journey taken by a storyteller in the countryside, in which he went from town to town telling stories, in the days before radio, television, and recording.[citation needed]
[edit] Cover versions
In 2007, alternative country artist Shooter Jennings recorded a cover version, included on his album The Wolf.
[edit] Charts
[edit] Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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| 1985 | "Walk of Life" | Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| 1985 | "Walk of Life" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 6 |
| 1985 | "Walk of Life" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 7 |
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