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 | |
Genre | Rock | |
Length | 04:12 | |
Label | Vertigo | |
Writer(s) | Mark Knopfler | |
Chart positions | ||
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Dire Straits singles chronology | ||
"Brothers in Arms" (1985) |
"Walk of Life" (1986) |
"Your Latest Trick" (1986) |
"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.
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 the famous I, IV and V chords. The lyrics reference oldies, including "Be Bop A Lula" and "What'd I Say".
The music video for the song shown in the U.S. features sports bloopers intercut with footage of the band performing the song on a stage, while the UK video features a street musician wearing the same shirt as Mark Knopfler intercut with the band performing 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.
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.
[edit] Charts
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 |
Dire Straits |
Mark Knopfler | John Illsley | Alan Clark | Guy Fletcher | David Knopfler | Pick Withers | Hal Lindes | Terry Williams | Jack Sonni |
Discography |
Albums and extended plays: Dire Straits | Communiqué | Making Movies | Love over Gold | ExtendedancEPlay | Alchemy | Brothers in Arms | On Every Street | On the Night | Live at the BBC | Money for Nothing | Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits | The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations |
Hit Singles: Sultans of Swing | Lady Writer | Romeo and Juliet | Skateaway | Private Investigations | Twisting by the Pool | So Far Away | Money for Nothing | Brothers in Arms | Walk of Life | Your Latest Trick | Calling Elvis | Heavy Fuel | |