"Love over Gold" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits. It is the fourth track and title track from the band's 1982 album.[3] A shorter live version of the song, taken from the album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live, was released as a single.[4]
| "Love over Gold" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Dire Straits | |
| from the album Love over Gold | |
| Released | September 20, 1982 |
| Recorded | 1982 |
| Length | 6:15 |
| Label | Vertigo |
| Songwriter(s) | Mark Knopfler |
| Producer(s) | Mark Knopfler |
| "Love over Gold" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Dire Straits | ||||
| from the album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live | ||||
| B-side | "Solid Rock"[1] | |||
| Released | 10 February 1984[2] | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Length | 3:36 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mark Knopfler | |||
| Dire Straits singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Meaning and structure
editThe protagonist of the text is a fragile, inconsistent and standoffish female figure.[5] Musically, the song has an elegant jazz-influenced arrangement, built around the dialogue between Knopfler's guitar and the Mike Mainieri's vibraphone.[5][6] Rolling Stone describes "Love over Gold" as "a whispery ballad that plays the jazzy tingle of vibes against an almost classical piano air and the violinlike pluck of a synthesizer to heighten its images of a casual, even cavalier, sex life."[7]
Chart performance
edit"Love over Gold" reached its highest position in France (No. 15),[6] while peaking at No. 29 in New Zealand, No. 43 in the Netherlands[8] and No. 50 in the band's native United Kingdom.[9]
Other releases
editThe live version of the song was included on the 1998 compilation Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits,[10] while the original album version was included on the 2005 compilation Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Dire Straits – Love Over Gold (Live) / Solid Rock (Live) (1984, Vinyl)" – via www.discogs.com.
- ^ "Going Straits" (PDF). Number One. 4 February 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ "Love Over Gold - Dire Straits | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Giancarlo Passarella, Discografia, in Nannini e Ronconi | canzoni, p. 227
- ^ a b Nannini e Ronconi | canzoni, pp. 81–83
- ^ a b "Dire Straits Love Over Gold". Classic Rock Review.
- ^ Fricke, David (November 11, 1982). "Love Over Gold". Rolling Stone. The song shares a similar chorus to Private Dancer also written by Mark Knopfler and recorded by Tina Turner in 1984.
- ^ "Dire Straits - Love Over Gold (Live) - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ "Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits - Dire Straits | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ "Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler - Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.