NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Money for Nothing (song)

"Money for Nothing" is a song by British group Dire Straits, which first appeared on their 1985 album Brothers in Arms and subsequently became an international hit when released as a single. It peaked at number one for three weeks in the U.S., becoming their most successful single. In the band's native UK, the song peaked at number four. The song was notable for its controversial lyrics, groundbreaking music video and a cameo appearance by Sting singing the song's iconic falsetto introduction and backing chorus, a borrowing of the cable network's slogan "I want my MTV". The video was also the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network started on August 1, 1987.^[1] Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Money_for_Nothing_single. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... This article is about the band. ... Brothers in Arms is the fifth studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1985. ... â€œB-Sidesâ€ redirects here. ... For other uses, see June (disambiguation). ... This article is about the year. ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the year. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the genre. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the sixties for its record label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI (with Harvest Records) and Decca Records (with Deram Records). ... Warner Bros. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born August 12, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and film score composer. ... This article is about the musician. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born August 12, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and film score composer. ... This article is about the band. ... So Far Away is a 1985 rock song by Dire Straits. ... Brothers in Arms is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the last track on the album of the same name Lyrics Categories: ... This article is about the band. ... See also: other events of 1985 Musical groups established in 1985 Record labels established in 1985 list of years in music 1980s in music // January 28 - Various artists, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny... Brothers in Arms is the fifth studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1985. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... For the Wikipedia policy regarding controversial issues in articles, see Wikipedia:Guidelines for controversial articles. ... Look up lyrics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. ... Sting in Budapest, 2000 Gordon Matthew Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951), usually known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician from Newcastle upon Tyne. ... Falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, false) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range, in the treble range. ... Cable network is the most common colloquial term for a television channel available via cable television, particularly in the United States. ... This article is about the original U.S. music television channel. ... MTV Europe launched on August 1, 1987. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

"Money for Nothing" won the Grammy for the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with a Vocal in 1985 at the 28th annual Grammy Awards.^[2]

Musical and lyrical themes

The song contains a very recognizable hook, in the form of the guitar riff that begins the song proper. (The song is also notable for its extended overture, which was shortened for radio and music video.) The guitar riff continues throughout the song, played in full during each chorus, and played in muted permutation during the verse. A hook is a musical idea, a passage or phrase, that is believed to be appealing and make the song stand out; it is meant to catch the ear of the listener (Covach 2005, p. ... Permutation is the rearrangement of objects or symbols into distinguishable sequences. ...

The song's lyrics are written from the point of view of a blue-collar worker watching music videos and commenting on what he sees. To achieve the effect of such a layman making such casual everyday commentary, Dire Straits' lead singer and songwriter Mark Knopfler used a vocal style known as Sprechstimme. A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor and earns an hourly wage. ... Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born August 12, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and film score composer. ... Sprechgesang and sprechstimme (German for spoken-song and spoken-voice) are musical terms used to refer to an expressionist vocal technique that falls between singing and speaking. ...

Knopfler described the writing of the song in a 1985 interview with critic Bill Flanagan:

For other uses, see Hardware (disambiguation). ... A kitchen is a room used for food preparation and sometimes entertainment. ... Fridge redirects here. ... This article is about the type of Electromagnetic radiation. ... The word appliance has several different areas of meaning, all usually referring to a device with a narrow function: One class of objects includes items that are custom-fitted to an individual for the purpose of correction of a physical or dental problem, such as prosthetic, orthotic appliances and dental...

Writing credits

The songwriting credits are shared between Mark Knopfler and Sting. Sting was visiting Montserrat during the recording of the song, and was invited to add some background vocals. Sting has stated that his only contribution was the "I Want My MTV" line, which was sung in partial parody of his own song "Don't Stand So Close to Me", originally recorded by The Police. Sting was reportedly embarrassed when his publishing company insisted on a co-writing credit (and royalties).^[4] Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born August 12, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and film score composer. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Dont Stand So Close to Me is a famous 1980 song and hit single by the British pop group The Police. ... This article is about the rock band. ...

When Dire Straits performed "Money for Nothing" at the 1985 Live Aid Concert at Wembley Stadium, the performance featured a guest appearance by Sting. As a result of this performance, this helped launch not only the song, but Dire Straits themselves into international superstardom. Ethiopia, as its borders were in 1985. ... For the old stadium, see Wembley Stadium (1923). ...

Controversy

The observations of the character included references to a musician "banging on the bongos like a chimpanzee" and a description of a singer as "that little faggot with the earring and the makeup", and lamenting that the artists got "money for nothing and chicks for free". These lyrics were widely criticised as sexist and anti-gay statements, and in some later releases of the song the lyrics were edited for airplay; "faggot" for example is often replaced with "mother": "little mother, he's a millionaire". The entire second verse was edited out for content and length for radio and video airplay, and on the 7" single. This edited version is included in the compilation album Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits. â€œInstrumentalistâ€ redirects here. ... Bongos being played Bongos are a percussion instrument. ... Type species Simia troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 distribution of Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, often shortened to chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of apes in the genus Pan. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... Look up faggot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Gay bashing Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial... Millionairess redirects here. ...

In a late 1985 interview in Rolling Stone magazine, Knopfler expressed mixed feelings on the controversy: This article is about the magazine. ...

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, in an interview with Blender Magazine, says that the song is actually about his band's excessive lifestyle, and that he heard the clerks in the store were commenting on Mötley Crüe videos shown on the in-store television sets.^[6] GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... MÃ¶tley CrÃ¼e (pronounced Motley Crew) is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1980. ... A sunburst-colored Fender Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass[1][2]; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna, Jr. ... Blender is an American magazine that bills itself as the ultimate guide to music and more. ...

Music video

The music video for the song featured early computer animation illustrating the lyrics. While the characters seem boxy and the animation appears a little crude by modern standards, the video was one of the first uses of computer-animated human characters and was considered groundbreaking at the time of its release. It was the second computer-generated music video shown on MTV. The lead characters vaguely resemble a CGI Laurel and Hardy^{[citation needed]}. A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... See also: Computer-generated imagery Computer animation is the art of creating moving images via the use of computers. ... Groundbreaking is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. ... The seawater creature in The Abyss marked CGIs acceptance in the visual effects industry. ... This article is about the original U.S. music television channel. ... Laurel and Hardy, in a promotional still from their 1937 feature film Way Out West. ...

Originally, Mark Knopfler was not at all enthusiastic about the concept of the music video. MTV, however, was insistent on it. Director Steve Barron, of Rushes Postproduction in London, was contacted by Warner Bros. to persuade Knopfler to relent. Describing the contrasting attitudes of Knopfler and MTV, he said: Rushes is a post production and visual effects company based in London. ... â€œWBâ€ redirects here. ...

Barron then flew to Budapest to convince Knopfler of their concept. Meeting together after a gig, Knopfler was reportedly still unimpressed, but this time his girlfriend was present and took a hand. According to Barron: For other uses, see Budapest (disambiguation). ...

Ian Pearson and Gavin Blair created the animation, using a Bosch FGS-4000 CGI system. The animators went on to found computer animation studio Mainframe Entertainment, and referenced the "Money for Nothing" video in an episode of their ReBoot series. The video also included stage footage of Dire Straits performing, with partially rotoscoped-animation in bright neon colors, as seen on the record sleeve. Bosch is the colloquial short name for the German company Robert Bosch GmbH, as well as the last name of: Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) - Dutch painter Robert Bosch (1861-1942) - German industrialist Carl Bosch (1874-1940) - German chemist and engineer Juan Bosch (1909-2001) - Dominican politician and writer Orlando Bosch... Computer-generated imagery[1] (also known as CGI) is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media. ... See also: Computer-generated imagery Computer animation is the art of creating moving images via the use of computers. ... Mainframe Entertainment is a Canadian computer animation and design company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Los Angeles, California, USA. It produces childrens computer animation TV series. ... This article is about the television program ReBoot. ... Rotoscoping is a technique where animators trace live action movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films. ...

The video was awarded "Video of the Year" at the third annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1986^{[citation needed]}. The MTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year. ...

Videos within the video

Two other music videos are also featured within "Money for Nothing". A Hungarian pop band Első Emelet and their video "Állj Vagy Lövök" is displaying as "Baby, Baby" by "First Floor". (The name "első emelet" translates to "first floor".) Első Emelet was extremely popular at the time in Hungary, however their videos might not have appeared on Music Television. The other is a fictional, supposed MTV video "Sally" by the Ian Pearson Band (Pearson was one of the animators of the video). FicTioNaL is a Gaming Legend. ...

Influences

Knopfler modeled his guitar sound for the recorded track after ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons' trademark guitar tone, as ZZ Top's music videos were already a staple of early MTV. Gibbons later told a Musician magazine interviewer in 1986 that Knopfler had solicited Gibbons on how to replicate the tone, adding, "He didn't do a half-bad job, considering that I didn't tell him a thing!" Knopfler's "not a half-bad job" included his use of a Gibson Les Paul guitar, which he used on a couple of other Brothers in Arms tracks, rather than his usual (at the time) Fender Stratocaster, plugged into a Marshall amplifier. Another factor in trying to recreate the sound was a wah pedal that was turned on, but only rocked to a certain position. ^[8] ZZ Top (pronounced ) is an American hard rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s. ... Brothers in Arms can refer to: a 1985 album called Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits. ... Stratocaster redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

As a footnote, the video for ZZ Top's "TV Dinners" from 1983 was also groundbreaking for its combination of animation (specifically claymation) with live footage. A scene in the Dire Straits video, where one of the lead character's frozen head is defrosted in a carousel microwave oven appears to reference the earlier ZZ Top video as well. The term Claymation is a registered trademark created by Will Vinton Studios to describe their clay animated movies; the more generic term is clay animation, but the portmanteau claymation has entered the English language as a genericized trademark. ... Microwave oven A microwave oven, or microwave, is a kitchen appliance employing microwave radiation primarily to cook or heat food. ...

Mark performed "Money for Nothing" using his Pensa-Suhr signature MK-1 during the Nelson Mandela Tribute and Knebworth Charity shows in 1988 and 1990. Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the year. ...

Parodies

"Weird Al" Yankovic wrote a parody titled "Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies" for his 1989 film UHF. As the title implies, this song merges the lyrics from The Beverly Hillbillies theme song ("The Ballad of Jed Clampett") with "Money For Nothing"'s tune. Knopfler returned and recorded a guitar part for the song, replicating his parts from the original. The famous video also got the "Weird Al" treatment, with the removal men replaced by blocky, computer-generated versions of Jed Clampett and Yankovic himself. The parody video was used as a dream sequence midway through the film. This article is about the musician. ... Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies is a song by Weird Al Yankovic. ... // Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia for $20 million. ... UHF was rereleased on DVD in 2002 by MGM UHF (also known as The Vidiot from UHF) is a comedy cult film made in 1989. ... For the 1993 film, see The Beverly Hillbillies (film) The Beverly Hillbillies was an American television program about a hillbilly family transplanted in Southern California. ...

At the time, Knopfler was a "Weird Al" fan, and when Yankovic made his customary contact with Dire Straits' management to get their "blessing" for the parody, Knopfler stated Yankovic could do it, but only if he could play guitar on the parody. His part was recorded in England. He made it with a demo version of the song that had drums, bass and Al's regular guitar player, Jim West, guitar as a rough guide for him. Knopfler has never performed with Al's band.

Satirical puppet show Spitting Image also parodied this song, randomly calling it "Making Nice Curtains". It features puppets of Mark and David Knopfler singing about yuppies and that their music "can be played to your granny and aunts". Sting appears as he does in the real video to claim his "royalty", but is silenced as a guitar hits him in the head. Spitting Image was a British satirical puppet show that ran on the ITV television network from 1984 to 1996. ... David Knopfler (born December 27, 1952 in Glasgow) is a Scottish guitarist, singer and songwriter. ...

Sal and Harv, make a cameo appearance in "Talent Night" from the cartoon ReBoot. Primitive by today's standards, the "workers" could be considered celebrities of the computer-generated character set. They appear as an audition act for Enzo's birthday party, and are quickly tossed off the stage in a comical manner.

References in pop culture

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Deep Dish is a duo of DJ and house music producers consisting of Iranian-American members Ali Dubfire Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi. ... George is On is the second artist album by dance music duo Deep Dish. ... Wynonna Ellen Judd (born May 30, 1964) is an American country music singer. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... 1200 Micrograms (sometimes credited as 1200 Mics) are a psychedelic trance act from Ibiza. ... Psychedelic trance or psytrance is a form of electronic music that evolved from Goa trance in the early 1990s when it first began hitting the mainstream. ... Heroes of the Imagination is the second full-length album by psychedelic trance artists 1200 Micrograms, which was released in 2003. ... Albert Hofmann (born January 11, 1906) is a Swiss scientist best known for synthesizing Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Ice Cream of Margie (With the Light Blue Hair) is the seventh episode of the eighteenth season of The Simpsons, which originally aired on November 26, 2006. ... Deal or No Deal Canada is the Canadian version of the show Deal or No Deal, which premiered on February 4, 2007. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band, best known for the 1997 hit Sell Out. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Monkeys for Nothin and the Chimps for Free is the sixth studio album from Reel Big Fish, and their first studio album since being released from Jive Records. ... Famous is the first single by post-grunge band, Puddle of Mudd, off of their third studio album, Living On Borrowed Time. ... Puddle of Mudd is an American post-grunge band from Kansas City, Missouri, United States. ... Categories: Canadian people stubs | Cartoonists | Web comics | Computer humor ... For the concept in software engineering, see user-friendliness. ... Chromeo is a Montreal/New York based electrofunk band, and their 2004 debut album Shes In Control received critical acclaim. ... St. ... John Parr (born November 18, 1954, in Worksop, Nottinghamshire) is a British musician. ... â€œHot 100â€ redirects here. ... This is a list of number-one hits in the United States by year from the Billboard Hot 100. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... This article is about the year. ... Oh Sheila is a 1985 single by Ready for the World. ... Ready For the World is a R&B/ funk/ dance band from Flint Michigan who scored several big pop, soul and dance hits in the mid-eighties. ...

References

For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

This article is about the band. ... Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born August 12, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and film score composer. ... John Illsley (born on 24 June 1949, in Leicester, England) was the bass player for the British rock band Dire Straits. ... Alan Clark (born May 5, 1952, Durham, England) was one of the keyboardists for the British rock band Dire Straits. ... Guy Fletcher (born May 24, 1960 in Maidstone, Kent) was the keyboardist to the popular 1978-1996 British rock band Dire Straits. ... David Knopfler (born December 27, 1952 in Glasgow) is a Scottish guitarist, singer and songwriter. ... Pick Withers (born April 4, 1948) was the original drummer for the rock band Dire Straits and played on their first four albums, which included hit singles such as Sultans of Swing, Romeo and Juliet and Skateaway. ... Hal Lindes (born June 30, 1953). ... Terry Williams (born 1948) is a Welsh rock drummer, whose resume includes Paul McCartney, BB King, and Bob Dylan. ... Jack Sonni was the rhythm guitarist for the British band Dire Straits from 1985 to 1988. ... Dire Straits is the self-titled debut album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1978 (see 1978 in music). ... CommuniquÃ© is the second album by British rock band Dire Straits. ... Making Movies is the third album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1980. ... Love over Gold is the fourth album by British rock band Dire Straits. ... ExtendedancEPlay is a four-track EP album by British rock band Dire Straits. ... Alchemy: Dire Straits Live is the first live album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... Brothers in Arms is the fifth studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1985. ... Money for Nothing is a greatest hits album by Dire Straits released in 1988. ... On Every Street is the sixth and final studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1991 (see 1991 in music). ... On the Night is the third live album by Dire Straits. ... Encores EP is a live EP by Dire Straits, released shortly after their live album On the Night. ... Live at the BBC is a live effort by Dire Straits, recorded in-between the release of their first album and Making Movies, their third effort. ... Sultans of Swing was the first single release of the British rock band Dire Straits. ... Lady Writer is a 1979 rock song by Dire Straits. ... Romeo and Juliet was a single by the the British rock band Dire Straits. ... Skateaway is a 1981 rock song by Dire Straits. ... Tunnel of Love is a 1981 rock song by Dire Straits. ... Private Investigations is a popular song by Dire Straits from their album Love Over Gold. ... Twisting by the Pool is a 1983 rock song by Dire Straits. ... So Far Away is a 1985 rock song by Dire Straits. ... Brothers in Arms is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the last track on the album of the same name Lyrics Categories: ... Walk of Life is a 1985 song by the British rock band Dire Straits. ... Your Latest Trick is a 1986 rock song by Dire Straits. ... Calling Elvis is a song written by Mark Knopfler and performed by Dire Straits. ... Heavy Fuel is a song by the rock band Dire Straits released on their album On Every Street in 1991. ... On Every Street is the third single from the album of the same name by English rock band Dire Straits. ... The Bug is the fourth and final UK single from the album On Every Street by English rock band Dire Straits. ...

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