Despite being hugely successful, Dire Straits were never what tastemakers might describe as ‘cool’. As such, they seem like an unlikely band to be enjoying a Gen-Z revival, but one song in particular is currently experiencing a significant TikTok-powered resurgence.
We’re talking about Walk Of Life, a jaunty hit from Dire Straits’ all-conquering 1985 album, Brothers In Arms. The song hit number 2 in the UK and went Top 10 in the US and, as well as being used as the soundtrack to countless short-form dance videos, has now been streamed more than a billion times on Spotify.
In fact, only one of Mark Knopfler and co’s songs has been streamed more: Sultans of Swing, another hit that’s resonating with younger listeners.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Dire Straits’ keyboard player Guy Fletcher says that the band’s renewed popularity is “in some ways surreal, yes,” but points out that, following the huge success of Brothers In Arms, they always had a wide age range of people coming to see them play live.
“You would sometimes see three generations in the crowd,” he recalls.
Asked why he thinks the music is resonating with a new wave of listeners, Fletcher says that it could be at least partly due to people seeking out musical authenticity in the age of AI.
“With bands like Angine de Poitrine coming on to the radar – people like things that are different, things that are real,” he points out.
For new and existing fans of the band, though, the bad news is that the chances of a reunion are “unfortunately, nil,” says Fletcher.
“Believe you me, I think the offers [for a reunion] that have been turned down are literally eye-watering,” he adds, noting that Knopfler – who he still performs with – has no desire to make Dire Straits as big as they once were.
If those streaming and viral video numbers keep rising, though, it might happen whether he likes it or not.
@voronovpelypenko Walk of Life Jive choreo 🤩
♬ som original - Edu Dimetrose
