Sultans of Swing

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"Sultans of Swing"

Single by Dire Straits
from the album Dire Straits
B-side(s)	Eastbound Train (UK), Southbound Again (US)
Released	1978
Format	7"
Genre	Rock
Length	5:48
Writer(s)	Mark Knopfler
Chart positions
#4 (USA, 1979 Pop Singles) #8 (UK Singles Chart)
Dire Straits singles chronology
	"Sultans of Swing" (1978)	"Lady Writer" (1979)

"Sultans of Swing" was the first single release of the British rock band Dire Straits. It was first recorded as a demo, and quickly acquired a following after it was put in the rotation at Radio London. It did not take long for the popularity to find its way to record executives, and Dire Straits were offered a contract with Phonogram, a British record company. The song was then re-recorded and released in both the United Kingdom and the United States, though the demo version remained on the original UK Vertigo single. It entered the American music pop charts in early-1979. Unusually, the success of this single release came more than six months after the relatively unheralded release of the band's debut album in October of 1978; the song reached the top 10 in both the UK and the US, and helped drive sales of the album, which also became a hit.

Music sample:

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- 25 seconds (of 5:36)
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With its Dylanesque lyrics/singing and exquisite guitar fills, the song was a marked change from the waning disco style and the nascent punk movement. The arrangement of Sultans of Swing was straightforward: two guitars, a bass, and a straight 4/4 beat on the drums. Dire Straits' original lineup has Mark Knopfler on vocals and lead guitar, David Knopfler on rhythm guitar, John Illsley on bass, and Pick Withers on drums.

The song's story is that of the diverse members of a working-class jazz group who only want to play their distinctive sound in a small London club, and don't care how popular they are. One player mentioned by name, "Guitar George", may have been a reference to musician George Borowski.[1]

The album version of the song featured a critically acclaimed extended guitar solo, reaching #22 on Guitar World's list of the greatest guitar solos. Knopfler improvised and expanded that solo many times during live performances. There are two most noteworthy live renditions of the song: an epic 11-minute performance at the 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert in London when Eric Clapton teamed up with Dire Straits to play the song, and the version played at the Alchemy Tour of 1983.

Their 1998 Greatest Hits compilation, Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits, was named after this song.

This song is often covered live by alternative metal band System of a Down.

The lyric "We don't give a damn 'bout any trumpet playin' band" has often been referenced to the band Chicago with their heavy brass instrument influence during this time.^{[citation needed]}