Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer, guita… Read Full Bio ↴Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer, guitarist, composer, songwriter, record producer, and film score composer. He was the lead guitarist, lead singer, and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded with his younger brother, David Knopfler, in 1977. He was born in Glasgow but raised near Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Since Dire Straits disbanded in 1995, Knopfler has recorded and produced nine solo albums and, as with his previous band, produced many hit songs. He has composed and produced film scores for nine films, including Local Hero (1983), Cal (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), Wag the Dog (1997) and Altamira (2016).

In addition to his work with Dire Straits, Knopfler has, as a solo artist, recorded and performed with many prominent musicians, including B.B. King, Chet Atkins, Chris Botti, John Anderson, the Chieftains, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Bryan Ferry, George Jones, Phil Lynott, Donal Lunny, Van Morrison, Steely Dan, Sting, Emmylou Harris , James Taylor and Sonny Landreth , sometimes working as a session musician. He has produced albums for Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman.

Knopfler is a fingerstyle guitarist and was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Knopfler and Dire Straits have sold in excess of 120 million records to date. A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler is the recipient of the Edison Award, the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award, as well as holding three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the United Kingdom. Knopfler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018.

El Macho
Mark Knopfler Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Your date has gone home
Now you're left on your own sweet own
Your tough-talkin' friend
Split on you in the bitter end
And you look like a fine thing Jerry
Yeh you look like a fine thing Jerry

They say you're a star

That's what the boys all say you are
I don't see much TV
So you don't mean shit to me
But you look like a fine thing Jerry
Yeh you look like a fine thing Jerry

They got a name for people like you
Yeh they do
And they got a name for people like me too
El Macho, El Macho

Now they want you to sing
Don't get shy or anything
The boys are all here
Gonna buy you another beer
'cause you look like a fine thing Jerry

Yeh you look like a fine thing Jerry
El Macho, El Macho

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mark Knopfler’s song El Macho tells the story of a man named Jerry who has just been rejected by his date and his friend who left him behind. Despite this, Jerry is described as a “fine thing” as the lyrics paint a picture of him as a “star” that the boys admire. However, the singer of the song does not seem to share this admiration as he admits not watching much TV, therefore rendering Jerry’s star status meaningless.

The song also brings attention to the way society divides people into categories with labels such as “El Macho,” a label supposedly given to the singer, and “people like Jerry.” Despite the differences in the labels, the song highlights the fact that they both face social scrutiny, and are weighed according to societal expectations.

The chorus of the song, “El Macho, El Macho,” drives home the point that not only are these labels defined by society limiting, but they are also superficial and meaningless. The song ends with a scene in which Jerry is being asked to sing and is being brought another beer to “encourage” him, leaving the song on a note of emptiness and superficiality.

Overall, Mark Knopfler’s El Macho presents a commentary on the way that people are judged and categorized by society, with the song portraying the emptiness and meaninglessness of these categories.

Line by Line Meaning

Your date has gone home
The person you were with has left

Now you're left on your own sweet own
Now you're alone

Your tough-talkin' friend
Your friend who talks tough

Split on you in the bitter end
Left you in a bad way

And you look like a fine thing Jerry
You look good

Yeh you look like a fine thing Jerry
You look good

They say you're a star
They say you're famous

That's what the boys all say you are
That's what people say about you

I don't see much TV
I don't watch much TV

So you don't mean shit to me
You don't matter to me

But you look like a fine thing Jerry
You look good