Содержание

Many musicians, when writing songs inspired things that happen in everyday life, while making the characters in the lyrics want to be understood and supported. So Mark Knopfler, frontman of the British band Dire StraitsIn his main hit, he reflected the events that really happened to him.

This article will talk about how to "Sultans of Swing" became a world famous song, who and when wrote the great rock hit and why it not right away gained popularity.

Dire Straits bassist John Ilsley In one of his interviews he said that only hard work and dedication can help achieve recognition and success. The musician confirmed this by the example of his a band that at the beginning of its journey could barely afford to record in a studio, thus justifying its name, which literally means "The Desperate Situation.".

Their most exciting track, "Sultans of Swing," was written in 1977 by Mark Knopfler on acoustic guitar. According to Ilsley's recollection, the vocalist played to his colleagues original version of the song, and although it sounded good, it did not suit the author. Mark felt that the composition lacked sparksand "Sultans of Swing" became really fiery after it was performed on a Stratocaster, which Knopfler bought on the recent money.

John Ilsley said that the new version of the song made it Intriguing. After the complete rearrangement of the chords the song sounded much better, and this was confirmed by the other members of the band. The combination of the complex bluesy electric guitar playing with the uncomplicated drums and bass made the song unusual, and Mark's vocals, which showed some features of the performing style Bob Dylan., added a touch of sadness to the track, a sense of hopelessness echoing the flush the content of the song.

In the summer of 1977, the band managed to record several tracks for debut records, including "Sultans of Swing. A demo version of the song was ready, and with it the team tried to get on the radio. Charlie Gillette, who had served as a DJ for the BBC in London, was the man who launched popularity track. As John Ilsley said, Gillette was ready to spin the composition on his program for an entire eternityUntil some label pays attention to it incredible sound.

In the end, the rock composition with blues inclusions became a carte blanche for Dire Straits to get a contract with Phonogram Records. Despite the commercial support, the 1978 album did not become successful. "Sultans of Swing" was kept off the music charts for a long time, but after its reissue in 1979 took off to the top position in America following the record, which also became a success and sold out. The band came to prominence swiftlyand later became a heavy burden for the musicians.

idea of the song came to Knopfler after a late-night visit to an abandoned London bar. He saw a cover band on the pub's stage, doing poorly with music and playing for disinterested patrons. The musician was struck by the unsightly band's farewell: the frontman left the stage with words of thanks and clarified the name of the team - "Sultans of Swing". The guys didn't live up to their name at all, and no one noticed, as Mark pointed out: the audience didn't care about the young Swing Sultans' performance. Knopfler had already seen structure of the future composition, which has become by on the ungrateful attitude toward the up-and-coming bands of the '70s.

The things Knopfler saw that night, in detail are conveyed in the text: there is an authentic London dampness, alluding to the atmosphere of everything that happens, and a look at the reality that the Sultans face - the lack of interest of the listeners, the musty pub, and the mismatch with the dreams of performing on stage. Mark put into the text what he saw; all the characters are real people in the familiar scenery of life, and the most important anchor that the song clings to is the veracity musician's words. Written off from a mediocre cover band, the "Sultans of Swing" from the composition no longer seems so distant and irreal; rather, it makes more penetrate aesthetics of mild disappointment and ordinariness.

The composition clearly represented the early trends of the punk movement. The text tells the story of several guys who come to the pub and play their music not for popularity, but as dilutions of their working lives:

According to Knopfler's recollection, the night he sought inspiration in these Swing Sultans, the audience was too much drunk enough to know what music is playing and if it's good:

The story ends with a simple and succinct farewell to the lead singer of the Sultans, who has become compulsoryand, at the same time, an unnecessary part of a bad performance. In this contrast of the timid departure and the monumental name of the band lies an important meaning, laid down by Knopfler in the text: despite the impressive name of the band, its existence for all members is a formality, a way to take your breath away. The audience's ingratitude is tempered by the fact that the musicians do not give The same is also true of the fact that we are not in a position to be a leader in the world. In the same, however, one can see hopelessness positions of performers who will never become something as great as their name.

There are discrepancies with who was hereby the author of Sultans of Swing. The Indiana musician, William Wilson, often noted at his concerts that the lyrics to the composition were written in large part by him, though in co-authorship with Mark Knopfler. According to Wilson, the English musician created only some fragments of lyrics and melody, while Bill himself supplemented the work and composed full song.

Despite the American performer's detailed account of the composition, reliable sources do not mention about his contributions to Sultans of Swing. An even greater fact that makes Wilson's narrative implausibleis the date mismatch. Knopfler came to the USA only after the release of the first Dire Straits studio album. There was no way that the song could have been written by William, because Sultans of Swing had already been released by the time of Mark's session work in Memphis. There is no doubt that the only The author of the composition is Knopfler.