Todays Tune: Dire Straits - Walk Of Life

"Walk of Life" is a 1985 song by the British rock band Dire Straits. It appeared on their best-selling album Brothers in Arms. It subsequently appeared on their live album On the Night. It was released as a single in 1986 but had first been available as the b-side of "So Far Away" released in advance of Brothers in Arms. The track peaked at number 7 in the US charts & was their biggest commercial hit in the UK, peaking at number 2.

The music video for the song shown in the UK video features a busker or street musician wearing the same shirt as Mark Knopfler intercut with the band performing on a stage, while the U.S. features sports bloopers intercut with footage of the band performing the song on a stage.

A simple rock 'n' roll rhythm is used, with chord changes limited to I, IV & V chords. The long introduction has became iconic in some circles, with an instantly recognisable melody played on a synthesiser organ patch. The singer mentioned in the lyrics is said to perform "down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay," a reference to busking in the subway. The songs he plays are oldies, including "I Got a Woman", "Be-Bop-A-Lula", "What'd I Say", "Mack the Knife" & the "Talking Blues".

Live performances of the song have often been concluded with an elaborate pedal steel solo by guest performer Paul Franklin.[1]

"Walk of Life" was the song played during the Space Shuttle Discovery crew wake-up call on STS-114 Flight Day 7.

The walk of life was also the name of the charity walk from London to Khartoum 1985-1986, to raise funds for famine relief led by John Abbey. The band donated Brothers in Arms Gold disc in recognition & support of the expedition.

The introduction to the song was also used for a time as the theme music for Check Match Special cricket in the United Kingdom.

When the song was originally released, the band explained that a "walk of life" in the context of this song is a traditional journey taken by a storyteller in the countryside, in which he went from town to town telling stories, in the days before radio, tv, & recording.