Walk of Life

"Walk of Life"
Single by Dire Straits
from the album Brothers in Arms
B-side
  • "One World"
  • "Two Young Lovers" (live)
  • "Sultans of Swing" (live)
Released14 October 1985 (US)
3 January 1986 (UK)
StudioAIR (Salem, Montserrat)
Genre
Length4:12
LabelVertigo
SongwriterMark Knopfler
Producers
Dire Straits singles chronology
"Brothers in Arms"
(1985)		 "Walk of Life"
(1985)		 "Your Latest Trick"
(1986)

"Walk of Life" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits, the third track on their fifth studio album, Brothers in Arms (1985). It was released as a single in the US in October 1985 and in the UK in January 1986.

The track peaked at number seven in the US charts, becoming their third and last top ten hit. It was their biggest commercial hit in the UK (along with "Private Investigations"), peaking at number two. The track also appeared on three compilation albums: 1988's Money for Nothing, 1998's Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits, and 2005's The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations. It also appeared on the band's live album On the Night (1993).

History

Mark Knopfler told Classic Rock in 2015 how the song came about: "I saw a photograph of a kid playing a guitar in a subway, turning his face to the wall to get a good reverb. When I started playing the guitar, because I didn't have an amplifier, I'd put the head of the guitar on the arm of a chair and put my head on the guitar to try and get into a loud noise. It kind of reminded me of that, I suppose."

Knopfler had not originally intended "Walk of Life" for the album, but rather as a B-side to one of the singles. Dire Straits manager Ed Bicknell heard it when it was being mixed and convinced Knopfler to include it on the album at the last minute.

A simple rock and roll rhythm is used, with chord changes limited to I, IV and V chords. The introduction features a synthesizer-driven keyboard riff with hints of the blues. The singer mentioned in the lyrics, "Johnny", 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", "My Sweet Lovin' Woman", and "Mack the Knife". He also plays talking blues.

Music videos

Two music videos were produced for "Walk of Life". One shows the band playing the song in concert while the character Johnny is playing 1950s songs in the Tyne cyclist and pedestrian tunnel; the other features the band playing interspersed with clips of sports bloopers.

Reception

Cash Box said the song recalls "the band's '50s rock infatuation first heard on 'Twisting by the Pool'", but that it "is a more profound but equally energetic effort". Cash Box later said that "a light sound is balanced by a meaningful lyric and wrapped in trademark Knopfler guitar accents". Billboard said that "Knopfler and friends bob out to a cajun/zydeco track that might have sounded weird if Rockin' Sidney hadn't broken the ice."

Use in media

"Walk of Life" has been used in the first scene of the first season and the final scene of the series finale of Young Sheldon. An instrumental version was featured in a British Gas advert in 2025.

Chart performance

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) Platinum 90,000‡
Italy (FIMI) Platinum 70,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) 6× Platinum 180,000‡
Spain (Promusicae) 2× Platinum 120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) 3× Platinum 1,800,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 38.
  2. ↑ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 18.
  3. ↑ Rose, James (15 September 2015). "30 Years Since: Dire Straits' 'Brothers in Arms' Album". Daily Review. Retrieved 8 May 2023. The opening tracks are pretty conventional pop-rock chart shooters
  4. ↑ Bull, Debby (4 July 1985). "Brothers in Arms". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Osmon, Erin (28 April 2026). "1985: The Year of Aid". Won't Back Down: Heartland Rock and the Fight for America. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-324-05137-4. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Mirkin, Steven (22 May 2001). "Mark Knopfler". Variety. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  7. ↑ Beviglia, Jim (15 April 2024). "The Meaning Behind "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits and How It Was Inspired by a Photo". American Songwriter.
  8. ↑ Rees, Paul (17 April 2015). "Sultans of Swing: The Untold Story of Dire Straits". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 25 May 1985. p. 11. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 2 November 1985. p. 15. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  11. ↑ "Reviews". Billboard. 2 November 1985. p. 73. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  12. ↑ British Gas (9 May 2025). British Gas - Taking care of things. Retrieved 31 May 2025 – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "Dire Straits – Walk of Life" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  15. ↑ "Dire Straits – Walk of Life" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  16. ↑ "Top Singles. Volume 42, Issue 22 (1985-08-10)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  17. ↑ "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 3, no. 5. 8 February 1986. p. 12. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "Walk of Life | IRMA". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  19. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 2, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  20. ↑ "Dire Straits – Walk of Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  21. ↑ "Dire Straits – Walk of Life". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  22. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  23. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (D)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  24. ↑ "Dire Straits – Walk of Life – hitparade.ch". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  25. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 25/1/1986 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  26. ↑ "Dire Straits Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  27. ↑ "Dire Straits Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  28. ↑ "Dire Straits Chart History (Mainstream Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  29. ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending FEBRUARY 1, 1986". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012.
  30. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  31. ↑ "Radio 2026 uke 41" [Radio 2026, Week 41] (in Norwegian). IFPI Norge. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  32. ↑ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 1" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  33. ↑ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 16 December 1985. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  34. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. No. 650. December 1986. Retrieved 24 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  35. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  36. ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1986". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  37. ↑ "Top 100 Singles". Music Week. 24 January 1987. p. 24.
  38. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1986". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  39. ↑ "Year-End Charts – Adult Contemporary Songs: 1986". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  40. ↑ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1986". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012.
  41. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Dire Straits – Walk of life". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  42. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Dire Straits – Walk of Life" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  43. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Dire Straits – Walk of life". Radioscope. Retrieved 12 June 2026. Type Walk of life in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  44. ↑ "Spanish single certifications – Dire Straits – Walk of life". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  45. ↑ "British single certifications – Dire Straits – Walk of Life". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 April 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Walk of Life Dire Straits in the "Search:" field.