19 Songs From 1979 Sultans of Swing (#7)

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What a wild night. I’ll talk about that later. Meanwhile, I’m celebrating 1979, the year I went into the Navy, with 19 songs I fondly remember from that year (because that was the year I turned 19). Here’s the next song on the list....and it comes with an asterisk. #7: Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits You may be sick to death of this song. I’m not (but then, I don’t listen to classic rock radio anymore, so I only hear it once every 1,000 songs or so on my iPod). The asterisk is that this was released in 1978 initially....and bombed. So, it was re-released as a single in 1979. This time around, FM rock picked up on it. It became a hit. And, forty years later, it’s still about all you can hear from Dire Straits on FM rock radio. That’s not their fault, of course, but if you’re sick to death of this song, I understand. As for me, this tune about a jazz band getting the cold shoulder from a bunch of drunk rockers (“dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles”), some of the few occupants of a south London bar on a rainy night, has always been enjoyable. Mark Knopfler is one of my favorite rock guitarists, and this was the song that started that appreciation. Sultans of Swing Written by Mark Knopfler Recorded by Dire Straits From Dire Straits, 1978 Creole!