14-06-2025, 17:22
^They do seem to be CH!
Today’s choice of song is primarily because I included a question relating to it in my monthly quiz. I know it’s been played to death, but it is, quite simply, a tour de force. Mark Knopfler is a master storyteller, as well all know, and I can honestly visualize that miserable evening, the dreary pub and the lacklustre band of this particular tale.
I think that this is one of MK’s greatest skills – weaving a story that is absolutely believable, imbuing with it all the essence of the moment. And that’s the thing - there’s so much authenticity in the portrayal because it was real. He stepped into a pub, pretty much accidentally, or at least by happenstance, encountering a rather pitiful bunch of musos playing to an empty room except for the wasted lot in the corner, and proceeded to unearth a wealth of material in what for most people would be an uninspiring situation. All goes to show - sometimes it's a question of perspective.
He notices people, dynamics and atmosphere and he is a genius at translating all the nuances to a musical format. From what I have read, it took a bit of work to get the music right, but he found his mojo creating this number and it’s the track that set them all up, in no small way. Ridiculous to think it was a debut! And so …
You get a shiver in the dark
It's raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing Dixie, double four time
You feel alright when you hear the music ring
Well, now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain, they hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
Uh, but the horns they blowin' that sound
Way on down south
Way on down south, London town
You check out guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind, it's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
They said an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright
He can play the honky tonk like anything
Savin' it up for Friday night
With the Sultans
We're the Sultans of Swing
Then a crowd of young boys, they're foolin' around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best, brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playin' band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And the Sultans
Yeah, the Sultans, they play Creole, Creole
And then the man, he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
"Goodnight, now it's time to go home"
Then he makes it fast with one more thing
"We are the Sultans
We are the Sultans of Swing"
Today’s choice of song is primarily because I included a question relating to it in my monthly quiz. I know it’s been played to death, but it is, quite simply, a tour de force. Mark Knopfler is a master storyteller, as well all know, and I can honestly visualize that miserable evening, the dreary pub and the lacklustre band of this particular tale.
I think that this is one of MK’s greatest skills – weaving a story that is absolutely believable, imbuing with it all the essence of the moment. And that’s the thing - there’s so much authenticity in the portrayal because it was real. He stepped into a pub, pretty much accidentally, or at least by happenstance, encountering a rather pitiful bunch of musos playing to an empty room except for the wasted lot in the corner, and proceeded to unearth a wealth of material in what for most people would be an uninspiring situation. All goes to show - sometimes it's a question of perspective.
He notices people, dynamics and atmosphere and he is a genius at translating all the nuances to a musical format. From what I have read, it took a bit of work to get the music right, but he found his mojo creating this number and it’s the track that set them all up, in no small way. Ridiculous to think it was a debut! And so …
You get a shiver in the dark
It's raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing Dixie, double four time
You feel alright when you hear the music ring
Well, now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain, they hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
Uh, but the horns they blowin' that sound
Way on down south
Way on down south, London town
You check out guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind, it's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
They said an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright
He can play the honky tonk like anything
Savin' it up for Friday night
With the Sultans
We're the Sultans of Swing
Then a crowd of young boys, they're foolin' around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best, brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playin' band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And the Sultans
Yeah, the Sultans, they play Creole, Creole
And then the man, he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
"Goodnight, now it's time to go home"
Then he makes it fast with one more thing
"We are the Sultans
We are the Sultans of Swing"
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson