Their first single, "Sultans of Swing", from their 1978 self-titled debut album, reached the top ten in the UK and US charts. It was followed by a series of hit singles including "Romeo and Juliet" (1981), "Private Investigations" (1982), "Twisting by the Pool" (1983), "Money for Nothing" (1985), and "Walk of Life" (1985). Their most commercially successful album, "Brothers in Arms" (1985), has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide; it was the first album to sell a million copies on compact disc (CD) and is the eighth-best-selling album in UK history. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, Dire Straits have spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, the fifth most of all time.
Dire Straits' sound drew from various influences, including country, folk, the blues rock of J. J. Cale, and jazz. Their stripped-down sound contrasted with punk rock and demonstrated a roots rock influence that emerged from pub rock. There were several changes in personnel, with Mark Knopfler and Illsley being the only members who remained with the band for its whole history. After their first breakup in 1988, Mark Knopfler told Rolling Stone: "A lot of press reports were saying we were the biggest band in the world. There's not an accent then on the music, there's an accent on popularity. I needed a rest." They disbanded for good in 1995, after which Knopfler launched a solo career full-time. He has since declined numerous reunion offers.
Dire Straits were called "the biggest British rock band of the 80s" by Classic Rock magazine; their 1985–1986 world tour, which included a performance at Live Aid in July 1985, set a record in Australasia. Their final world tour from 1991 to 1992 sold 7.1 million tickets. Dire Straits won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards (Best British Group twice), two MTV Video Music Awards, and various other awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Dire Straits have sold between 100 and 120 million units worldwide, including 51.4 million certified units, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire_Straits
Discography
Dire Straits (1978)
Communiqué (1979)
Making Movies (1980)
Love over Gold (1982)
Brothers in Arms (1985)
On Every Street (1991)
When It Comes to You
Dire Straits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm wondering where'd you get that cold, cold heart
Set me free, sign my release
I'm tired of being the villain of the piece
You been givin' me a bad time
Tell me what'd I do
How come I always get a hard time
Sayin' things that you didn't have to
How come I always get a hard time
Honey when it comes to you
You only get one life, this I know
I wanna get my licks in now before I go
The fire of love is dead and cold
I gotta satisfy the hunger in my soul
And you been givin' me a bad time
Tell me what'd I do
How come I always get a hard time
Honey when it comes to you
Sayin' things that you didn't have to
How come I always get a hard time
Honey when it comes to you
The lyrics of Dire Straits' song When It Comes To You revolves around a failing relationship that has been plagued by bitterness and resentment. The lines "If we can't get along we oughtta be apart" and "Set me free, sign my release" suggest that the relationship has reached a breaking point and the singer is ready to move on. Furthermore, the line "And I'm wondering where'd you get that cold, cold heart" highlights the hurt and confusion he feels from his partner's actions.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses his frustration with his partner's behavior towards him, saying she always gives him a "bad time." He's also perplexed as to why she treats him this way, asking "How come I always get a hard time?" The singer then goes on to suggest that he wants to enjoy what little time he has left in life, implying that his partner's negativity and harsh treatment have weighed him down and stifled his ability to find joy.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of disillusionment and disappointment in a relationship that seems beyond repair, with the singer looking to move on and free himself from the burden of constant conflict and mistreatment.
Line by Line Meaning
If we can't get along we oughtta be apart
If we can't have a harmonious relationship, we should break up
And I'm wondering where'd you get that cold, cold heart
I'm curious about the origins of your icy heart
Set me free, sign my release
Let me go and end this relationship
I'm tired of being the villain of the piece
I'm tired of being portrayed as the bad guy in this relationship
You been givin' me a bad time
You have been treating me poorly
Tell me what'd I do
Please tell me what I did wrong
How come I always get a hard time
Why am I always the one who gets treated badly
Honey when it comes to you
This only seems to happen when it comes to you
Sayin' things that you didn't have to
Saying hurtful things that were unnecessary
You only get one life, this I know
We only have one life to live, that's for sure
I wanna get my licks in now before I go
I want to enjoy life while I still can
The fire of love is dead and cold
Our love has died and lost its passion
I gotta satisfy the hunger in my soul
I need to fulfill the emptiness I feel inside
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Mark Knopfler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brian J. Carnevale
""how come I always get a hard time
honey when it comes to you
sayin' things that you didn't have to
how come I always get a hard time
honey when it comes to you!"
""you only get one life - this I know
I wanna get my licks in now before I go
the fire of love is dead and cold"
Bogdan Lipoan
The sounds that come out of his guitar just seem impossible to think of, nevermind play. It's just like the guitar has a mind of it's own, brilliant
Martin Spencer
Just brilliant. One of the all time greatest guitarists and no one in the history of popular music has superseded him as a songwriter.
Puneet Kapoor
This is by far my favourite song of Dire Straits. Been hearing it almost everyday for the past 25 years or so
J
Wow
Brian J. Carnevale
"set me free - sign my release!" ;p
Let it go, Joe!
Andrew Pongor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4qbgKJujOs
Puneet Kapoor
In my opinion, it is perhaps the most underrated song of Dire Straits
Rohin Anand
yeap they played it in a 94 concert back over glad to be a part of it ... Mark was damn good
jason cooper
Wow, words cannot explain, how blown away I am that Mark Knopfler wrote this song oh, and I'm a big Dire Straits fan, I'm 43 years old, born in 1978 and I love a lot of rock and roll and Old School country music. This is my favorite John Anderson song, to find out that it was actually written and performed by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. Mark Knopfler as always, and always will be, in my opinion the best guitar player ever, and extremely underrated.
jason cooper
@gocatsgo08 I just listen to sturgill simpsons cover. And you are correct, very good cover. I generally don't like covers. But I have to admit that John Anderson and Simpson blow this song away. And I've been told, which I have not fact checked it yet but possibly mark knopfler didn't even write this song.