Today’s featured song Money For Nothing is the second track track from Dire Straits 1985 album Brothers in Arms. The title track of that album featured here way back in April 2020. Money For Nothing was the megahit from that album and seen by some to do more harm than good as it was criticized of reeking of mega bucks and sell out stadium concerts. But and that’s a big but!…..
Knopfler himself concluded “the old rockschool restraints and the undeniably attractive smell of the winning formula seem to block out any such experimental work and what you end up with is something very like the same old story.”
That seems the intention of the band all along. 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.
[Verse 1]
Now look at them yo-yos, that’s the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain’t working, that’s the way you do it
Money for nothing and your chicks for free
Now that ain’t working, that’s the way you do it
Lemme tell ya, them guys ain’t dumb
Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Maybe get a blister on your thumb
[Chorus]
We got to install microwave ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators
We got to move these colour TVs
[Verse 2]
See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup?
Yeah buddy, that’s his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot, he’s a millionaire
Sometimes when I hear Dire Straits, I assume they are a US rock band since songs like today’s Money For Nothing possess a commercial American sound, context and production pomposity, but of course that appears what they were targeting all along due to the music that was being promoted.
Money for nothin’
Chicks for free
Get your money for nothin’
And your chicks for free
Dire Straits are a British rock band. I still enjoy listening to Money For Nothing from time to time. Not as much I enjoy listening to a lot of their other tracks. The song features a guest appearance by Sting singing background vocals, providing both the signature falsetto introduction and backing chorus of “I want my MTV“.
It won’t surprise many that 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.
References:
1. Money for Nothing (song) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Yea it was probably their biggest single…personally my favorite single by them was Sultans of Swing.
This one was probably played more than any of their other songs…that is for sure over here.
I prefer Sultans over this every day of the week as well. I’m not sure which I’d call my favourite. Tunnel of Love would definitely up there with Sultans. Brothers in Arms as well. I hope you had a fantastic Independence Day, celebrating your wedding anniversary. Cheers.
We sure did…a lazy one but we had a good time. It was around 95 with humidity so we didn’t get out much.
I think that’s like 32 degrees. Pretty warm hehe. But sure glad to read you had a great time together.