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 |
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| Released | 1985 | ||||
| Recorded | December 1984 | ||||
| Genre | 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 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 reached 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 the famous I, IV and V chords. The long introduction has become iconic, with an instantly recognizable and tuneful keyboard line. The lyrics reference oldies, including "I Got a Woman", "Be-Bop-A-Lula", "What'd I Say" and "Mack the Knife". The song pays tribute to American singer Johnny Mathis.
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.
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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