We’re going back to Dire Straits’ 1985’ Brothers in Arms’ tour, when the British rockers were riding high on their number one single, Money for Nothing which, as you will probably recall, was an MTV mainstay thanks to the song's innovative music video… and perhaps the chant of “I want my MTV” that closes the track.
Led by singer and guitarist Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits hailed from Newcastle, England in the late 70s. Taking a bluesy approach to the pub-rock sound of their contemporaries, the band were more or less an overnight success. Following their 1978 U.S tour, opening for New Wave icons Talking Heads, the band landed themselves a major record deal in the country. By the mid-80s, Dire Straits hit all-time heights on their own massive Brothers in Arms tour.
Watch the band deliver an infectiously jubilant live performance of Money for Nothing live at Wembley Arena in 1985 below!
Dire Straits | Money for Nothing [Wembley, 1985]
Money for Nothing features a guest appearance from Sting, who provides both the signature falsetto intro and backing chant of “I want my MTV.” The groundbreaking video, featuring innovative animation for the era, was the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network launched in August 1987.
Dire Straits | Money For Nothing
It was also Dire Straits’ most commercially successful single, peaking at number 1 for three weeks in the United States and number 4 in the band’s native UK. In 1986, the hit song scored them a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance and Video of the Year at the 3rd MTV Video Music Awards.
READ MORE: Longest-Running Number 1 Albums of the 80s & 90s
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