Money for Nothing (song)
"Money for Nothing" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits, being the second track on their fifth studio album, Brothers in Arms (1985). It was released as the album's second single on 28 June 1985 through Vertigo Records. The song's lyrics are written from the point of view of two working-class men watching music videos and commenting on what they see. The song features a guest appearance by Sting who sings the signature falsetto introduction, background vocals and a backing chorus of "I want my MTV".[2] The groundbreaking video was the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network launched on 1 August 1987.[3]
This article is about the Dire Straits song. For "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody, see Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*. For the Darin song, see Money for Nothing (Darin song)."Money for Nothing"
"Love over Gold" (Live)
28 June 1985[1]
- 8:22 (album version)
- 7:04 (LP edit)
- 4:38 (single edit)
- 4:06 (radio edit)
- Neil Dorfsman
- Mark Knopfler
It was Dire Straits' most commercially successful single, peaking at number 1 for three weeks on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Top Rock Tracks chart and number 4 in the band's native UK. In July 1985, the month following its release, Dire Straits and Sting performed the song at Live Aid. At the 28th Annual Grammy Awards in 1986, "Money for Nothing" won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year as well. At the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards, the music video received 11 nominations, winning Video of the Year and Best Group Video.
Composition[edit]
Music[edit]
"Money for Nothing" is a pop rock song.[4] Knopfler modeled his guitar sound on ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons' trademark guitar tone, as ZZ Top's music videos were already a staple of early MTV. Gibbons told Timothy White of Musician in late 1985 that Knopfler had solicited Gibbons' help in replicating the tone, adding, "He didn't do a half-bad job, either, considering that I never told him a goddamned thing!"[5]
Following the initial sessions in Montserrat, at which that particular guitar part was recorded, Neil Dorfsman attempted to recreate the sound during subsequent sessions at the Power Station in New York but was unsuccessful.[6]
The recording contains a highly recognisable hook, in the form of the guitar riff that begins the song proper. The guitar riff continues throughout the song, played in permutation during the verses, and played in full after each chorus. The song's extended overture was shortened for radio and music video.
Lyrics[edit]
Mark Knopfler described the writing of the song in a 1985 interview with critic Bill Flanagan:
In 2000, Knopfler appeared on Parkinson on BBC One and explained again where the lyrics originated. According to Knopfler, he was in New York City and had visited an appliance store. At the back of the store was a wall of televisions which were all tuned to MTV. Knopfler said that standing next to him, watching the TVs, there was a male employee, dressed in a baseball cap, work boots, and a checkered shirt, who was delivering boxes. As they were watching MTV, as Knopfler recalled, the man came out with lines such as, "What are those, Hawaiian noises?... That ain't workin'," etc. Knopfler then requested a pen to write some of these lines down, and eventually put them to music.[7]
The first-person narrator in the lyrics describes a musician "banging on the bongos like a chimpanzee" and a woman "stickin' in the camera - Man, we could have some fun". In the second verse, the performer is described as "that little faggot with the earring and the make-up", and the narrator bemoans that these artists get "Money for nothing and chicks for free".[8]
The songwriting credits are shared between Mark Knopfler and Sting.[9] According to Knopfler, he used the network slogan "I want my MTV" after seeing an MTV advertisement featuring the Police and setting it to the tune of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (written by Sting), hence the cowriting credit.[10] "Sting used to come to Montserrat to go windsurfing," recalled John Illsley, "and he came up for supper at the studio. We played him 'Money for Nothing' and he turned round and said, 'You've done it this time, you bastards.' Mark said if he thought it was so good, why didn't he go and add something to it. He did his bit there and then."[11]
Sting elaborated on his co-writing credit in a 1987 interview:
However, keyboard player Alan Clark claims the "I want my MTV" intro was his idea and not Knopfler's. According to him, the song originally began with the guitar riff, and then he developed the intro on keyboards and sang "I want my MTV" on top during a break in rehearsals for the album.[13]
Notable performances[edit]
When Dire Straits performed "Money for Nothing" at the 1985 Live Aid Concert at Wembley Stadium, the performance featured a guest appearance by Sting. Knopfler performed "Money for Nothing" during the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute and the Prince's Trust concerts in 1986 with Sting,[21] as well as the Nordoff-Robbins charity show at Knebworth in 1990. These versions featured extended guitar solos by Knopfler, backed by Eric Clapton (as guest) and Phil Palmer.
The song also performed in Brothers in Arms and On Every Street tours of group, in 1985-1986, and 1991-1992.
Credits sourced from Sound On Sound[42]
Dire Straits
Additional musicians