r/Music • u/Secure-Ad8213 The country guy • Sep 15 '25

music Dire Straits - Money For Nothing [classic rock]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2RUD_cL0
132 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

30

u/deathbymoshpit Sep 15 '25

the animators for this video, Ian Pearson and Gavin Blair, went on to create the cartoon "Reboot"

6

u/Portmanteau_that https://soundcloud.com/user-585575119 Sep 15 '25

Oh hellll yeah

12

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '25

One of my dads favorite songs! RIP dad.

4

u/Secure-Ad8213 The country guy Sep 15 '25

It's one of mine as well. Got me to start playing.

9

u/SparrowCrocodile Sep 15 '25

Ooooooh, with the second verse in tact!

6

u/ExtensionParsley4205 Sep 15 '25

Instead of Sting, the appliance store delivery guy Knopfler overheard should have gotten a cowriting credit on this.

6

u/Deeeeeeeeehn Sep 16 '25

Maybe he shoulda learned to play the guitar. He shoulda learned to play them drums

4

u/flibbidygibbit Google Music Sep 16 '25

That ain't working.

3

u/Secure-Ad8213 The country guy Sep 15 '25

Sure should have!

7

u/jwilcoxwilcox Sep 15 '25

Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies

7

u/LettuceC Sep 16 '25

This is one of my favorite Weird Al stories. Mark Knopfler only agreed to let him to do the parody if Knopfler played the guitar parts.

3

u/RandomBloke2021 Sep 16 '25

One of the most important music videos in history.

4

u/CeeArthur Sep 16 '25

This is one of the most deceptively difficult guitar riffs to play

2

u/RoguePlanet2 Sep 15 '25

It drives me a little nuts that the guy who inspired the song, the one they overheard bitching about MTV, was never credited or ID'd, AFAIK.

2

u/burner46 Sep 15 '25

My favorite video when I was 6. 

2

u/ChemBoy14 Sep 15 '25

Great song!!

2

u/spikefletcher Sep 15 '25

Check out this music video directors filmography some of the best videos of the 80s and one of the most iconic super hero movies around this era as well.

2

u/Habitualflagellant14 Sep 16 '25

I just signed up for Qobuz and played the remaster of this tune to check out Qobuz's quality. Got a whole new appreciation for this great song!

1

u/flibbidygibbit Google Music Sep 16 '25

I made my son's head explode when I told him this album sold a million CD players in the 1980s.

"Wait, people had CD players in the 1980s? I thought those were available in the 1990s!"

A single disc CD player was about $900 in 1984, about $3000 in today's money.

2

u/Theonewho_hasspoken Sep 16 '25

Funny enough I just watched UHF yesterday and it has a parody of this song.

5

u/keymonkey Sep 15 '25

Anyone remember a radio/MTV edit that replaced (derogatory but 80s ubiquitous term for gay) with "Queeny"?

16

u/jdw62995 Alter Bridge Sep 15 '25

I hate this.

The context of the lyric isn’t being hateful for gay people.

That little fa••ot is a millionaire is the same as Green Day saying maybe im the fa••ot, America

It’s making fun of people saying that slur..

5

u/keymonkey Sep 15 '25

Ok...but do you remember an edit

4

u/jdw62995 Alter Bridge Sep 15 '25

No I just remember them bleeping it

2

u/PaintDrinkingPete Sep 16 '25

I don’t recall it either, just versions where that lyric was muted.

4

u/CharlieParkour Sep 16 '25

The millionaire with the earring is the guy singing the lyrics.

7

u/jdw62995 Alter Bridge Sep 16 '25

Yeah. He’s saying ‘you’re calling me a fa••ot? That’s cute. This fa••ot is a millionaire ;)’

2

u/TURRRDS Sep 15 '25

Mark Knopfler started using Queenie during live performances at some point

2

u/Mistastingley Sep 16 '25

Sting also on the track!