song "Sultans of Swing" (with Dire Straits)
E655377
"Sultans of Swing" is a 1978 rock song by Dire Straits, written and sung by Mark Knopfler, renowned for its clean guitar tone, intricate solos, and storytelling lyrics that helped launch the band to international fame.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Sultans of Swing | 0 |
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
single
ⓘ
song ⓘ |
| artist | Dire Straits NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| bSide | Eastbound Train NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| chartPositionAustraliaKentMusicReport | 10 ⓘ |
| chartPositionCanadaRPMTopSingles | 1 ⓘ |
| chartPositionNetherlandsTop40 | 2 ⓘ |
| chartPositionNewZealandSinglesChart | 1 ⓘ |
| chartPositionUKSingles | 8 ⓘ |
| chartPositionUSBillboardHot100 | 4 ⓘ |
| composer | Mark Knopfler NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| firstRadioSupportFrom | BBC Radio London NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| followedBySingle | Water of Love NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| followsSingle | none (debut single) ⓘ |
| genre |
pub rock
ⓘ
rock ⓘ roots rock ⓘ |
| guitarStyle | fingerpicking ⓘ |
| hasCompilationTitle | Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasGuitarRecognition | frequently listed among greatest guitar songs ⓘ |
| hasLiveVersion |
Sultans of Swing (Alchemy: Dire Straits Live)
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Sultans of Swing (On the Night) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasMusicVideo | no original 1978 promo video ⓘ |
| includedInAlbum | Dire Straits NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| inspiredBy | a jazz band playing in a South London pub ⓘ |
| isBreakthroughWorkFor | Dire Straits NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| key | D minor ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| length | 5:47 ⓘ |
| lyricalTheme | struggling jazz band playing in a nearly empty pub ⓘ |
| lyricist | Mark Knopfler NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFeature |
clean Fender Stratocaster guitar tone
ⓘ
intricate fingerstyle guitar solos ⓘ storytelling lyrics about a pub band ⓘ |
| originalDemoRecordedAt | Pathway Studios, London NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| performer | Dire Straits NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| producer | Muff Winwood NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| rankedOnList |
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| recordingYear | 1977 ⓘ |
| recordLabel |
Vertigo Records
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Warner Bros. Records ⓘ |
| releaseYear | 1978 ⓘ |
| singleVersionLength | 5:10 ⓘ |
| tempo | moderate ⓘ |
| timeSignature | 4/4 ⓘ |
| trackNumber | 6 ⓘ |
| vocalist | Mark Knopfler NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| writer | Mark Knopfler NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.