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Dire Straits performing 'Sultans Of Swing' in their first ever TV performance live on BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test in May, 1978. This performance took place three days before the UK release of their debut single of the same name. Why is Sultans of Swing so famous? The first time that a worldwide audience heard the British rockers was a timeless classic with one of the most iconic guitar solos ever. Not a bad start. That solo was a big reason “Sultans of Swing” earned its well-deserved iconic status. Sultans Of Swing You get a shiver in the dark It's raining in the park, but meantime South of the river, you stop and you hold everything A band is playing Dixie Double four times You feel alright when you hear that music ring Well, now you step inside, but you don't see too many faces Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down Competition in other places Ah, but the horns, they're blowing that sound Way on down south, way on down south London town You check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords Mind, he's strictly rhythm, he doesn't want to make it cry or sing Yes, and an old guitar is all he can afford When he gets up under the lights to play his thing And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright He can play the honky tonk like anything Saving it up for Friday night With the Sultans, with the Sultans of Swing And a crowd of young boys, they're fooling around in the corner Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles They don't give a damn about any trumpet-playing band It ain't what they call rock and roll Then the Sultans, yeah, the Sultans, they play Creole Creole And then the man steps right up to the microphone And says at last, just as the time bell rings “Goodnight, now it's time to go home.“ Then he makes it fast with one more thing “We are the Sultans, we are the Sultans of Swing Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing lyrics 1 the band played the South American Civil War song “Dixie“ I was in Dixie or Dixie's Land is an American song, very popular in the 19th century through the mid-20th century; it usually represents the American South or the Confederates of America or the flag of the South, as it was an unofficial national anthem of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. 2 double the normal 4/4 time …very fast. 3 A music ring, rose gold ring, minimalist silver ring, gift for her, gift for him. 4 In music theory, a chord is a set of at least three sounds that sound simultaneously. In the tonal musical system, the chord is formed by superimposed sounds spaced apart by a third interval, i.e., with the addition of Tuesday, Thursday, the seventh, etc., above a basic note. 5A honky-tonk is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. 6 The Sultans Of Swing- Sultans Of Swing is a metaphorical concept meaning dervishes who twirl around themselves until they fall into a trance. But in this case, Mark Knopfler, composer and lyricist in the early years of his career, whose Sultans of Swing is his first hit on his first LP, preferred the grandiose and pompous title of Sultans rather than mere dervishes. 7the first piece- Sultans Of Swing. It is said that Mark Knopfler walked into an empty bar in London one night. At that moment, a jazz band playing music was completing its program, and its lead singer told the five customers of the store: “Goodnight and thank you... We are the Sultans Of Swing“ (“Good night and thank you... We are the Sultans Of Swing“). Knopfler then inspired Dire Straits ' first track and hit, Sultans of Swing. 8Baggies (clothing), a type of pants worn (mostly popular in Southern California beach/surf culture) in the late 1950s and 1960s and popularized anew in the 1980s. 9 platform shoes are shoes, boots, or sandals with a prominent thick sole, usually in the range of 3 - 10 cm... Platform shoes can also have high heels, in which case the heel is raised significantly higher. 10 Apparently, the young, underage audience of Dire Straits at the beginning of their career did not recognize them as a rock and roll band (Dire Straits means in Greek: I am in a difficult situation) and went to their concerts for fun and to meet couples: “And a crowd of young boys is fooling around in the corner.“ 11 of the choices result from audience expectation: the Sultans ' Creole sound is more like the Jazz their fans expected, especially because of the band's cold and ugly nights.
