“The bells go off”: The bizarre encounter that inspired Dire Straits’ ‘Money for Nothing’
More often than not, songwriting inspiration comes when you least expect it. Sometimes, it strikes from the subconscious – just as ‘Yesterday’ came to Paul McCartney in a dream. Other times, the origins of inspiration are slightly easier to pinpoint – a phrase lifted from a conversation with a friend, a phone call overheard on public transport, or, if you’re Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, from eavesdropping on a delivery man’s anti-MTV rant.
Alongside his brother and bandmates, Knopfler led Dire Straits into rock and roll stardom in the late 1970s. The pub rock outfit won over audiences immediately with their iconic debut single, ‘Sultans of Swing’, a song whose opening twangs still reverberate throughout practice rooms and guitar shops over four decades later. But this wasn’t the only signature hit Dire Straits would deliver.
In 1985, the rockers released ‘Money for Nothing’, a dramatic and atmospheric track with a sprawling eight-minute duration. A lengthy introduction pairs spectral synths with Sting’s high-pitched, whispered vocals as he repeats the slogan, “I want my, I want my MTV.” Rumbling drums preempt the entry of Knopfler’s now-iconic guitar line as he prepares to take on the persona of a disgruntled MTV-hater.
“You play the guitar on the MTV,” he declares, “That ain’t working, that’s the way you do it, money for nothing and your chicks for free.” Knopfler’s protagonist shares his dissatisfaction with his own life, spending his days installing microwave ovens and delivering custom kitchens while watching MTV pop stars getting paid “money for nothing”. His words are increasingly hateful, even invoking homophobic slurs.
According to Knopfler, the lyrics to the song were inspired by a real rant he overheard while in a kitchen shop in the Big Apple. While perusing the aisles of the shop, Knopfler overheard a fairly one-sided conversation a delivery man was having with two shop assistants, and suddenly, inspiration struck. Or, as the frontman termed it during a conversation with Joan Armatrading, “the bells go off.”
It was the mid-1980s, and MTV was on the rise. As such, the televisions in the shop were all tuned into the music video-showing channel, a fact that the delivery man was not particularly happy about. According to Knopfler, he was “sounding off about all of the acts that were on MTV. And he was coming out with these great lines.”
Nestled between the microwaves, Knopfler found the “black humour” within his rant, taking particular interest in the phrase, “That ain’t working.” The Dire Straits singer made sure to grasp onto this moment of inspiration, borrowing a pen and paper from the store and penning ‘Money for Nothing’ right then and there.
The line “That ain’t working” would become an essential part of the song, turning the kitchen delivery man’s anger into a number one hit. Throughout its eight-minute runtime, ‘Money for Nothing’ contains all the same ignorant ranting and raving that Knopfler eavesdropped on in that electricals shop, bolstered by a blistering riff and intermittent synths.
The origins of Dire Straits’ ‘Money for Nothing’ serve as proof that inspiration is all around us. Chart-topping turns of phrase can be found by eavesdropping in electrical shops, on public transport, or over a pint down at your local. Throw in a killer guitar line and a feature from Sting, and you just might have a number one and an enduring rock classic on your hands.
Revisit ‘Money for Nothing’ by Dire Straits below.