40 Dire Straits “Walk of Life”

I love this song. I didn’t know what it was about for a long time, as I didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics. But that organ intro, and then an organ hook on top of the organ intro, and then the rockabilly guitar kicks in with the drums. Whoo-hoo indeed. 

There are several common themes to early rock and roll:

1. Love

2. Dancing

3. Cars

4. Mythic guitar players

Rock and Roll starts with Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard and one of the earliest rock and roll songs is Chuck Berry’s Johnny B Goode with one of the most famous guitar riffs of all time. The song tells the story of the eponymous Johnny’s otherworldly self taught guitar playing. Since then, there are a plethora of songs about guitar players and guitars, from David Bowies’ “Ziggy Stardust” to Amy Winehouse’s “Cherry.”

“Walk of Life” is the story of Johnny (because of course that’s his name) the busker playing his guitar in the tunnels. It name checks several songs that Johnny plays, from “My Sweet Lovin’ Woman” by Robert Nighthawk and “Mack the Knife” by Kurt Weill but popularized in the US by Louis Armstrong. There are so many songs mentioned that I was convinced for a bit that “Walk of Life” is a reference to an older song I didn’t recognize. Nope. Maybe it’s a Johnny original? Maybe this song is the “Walk of Life” he’s playing? Meta rock and roll! A rock and roll nesting doll.