Love over Gold (song)

Last updated
"Love over Gold"
Song by Dire Straits
from the album Love over Gold
ReleasedSeptember 20, 1982
Recorded1982
Length6:15
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]
Released10 February 1984 [2]
Recorded1983
Length3:36
Songwriter(s) Mark Knopfler
Dire Straits singles chronology
"Twisting by the Pool"
(1983)
"Love over Gold"
(1984)
"So Far Away"
(1984)

"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]

Contents

Meaning and structure

The 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

"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

The 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]

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References

  1. "Dire Straits – Love Over Gold (Live) / Solid Rock (Live) (1984, Vinyl)" via www.discogs.com.
  2. "Going Straits" (PDF). Number One . 4 February 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  3. "Love Over Gold - Dire Straits | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  4. Giancarlo Passarella, Discografia, in Nannini e Ronconi | canzoni, p. 227
  5. 1 2 Nannini e Ronconi | canzoni, pp. 81–83
  6. 1 2 "Dire Straits Love Over Gold". Classic Rock Review.
  7. 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.
  8. "Dire Straits - Love Over Gold (Live) - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  10. "Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits - Dire Straits | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  11. "Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler - Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.