Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- Vlad tells me that the album ”Brothers in Arms” topped the charts for weeks on end and, although he says the album contained several iconic songs, he chose for me this title piece. Since I have never listened to Dire Straits, I have no idea about the other songs on the album but, listening to this one, I can understand why the album stayed at the top for such a long time.
Here’s the link to the original song:
• Dire Straits - Brother...
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by Dire Straits
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Hi everyone! Please drop under this comment your questions ONLY! I will do my best to answer them all!
Now that you’ve reviewed eight songs that are included under the umbrella of the “Rock” genre, do you have a better idea of how huge and varied that genre really is? What you have to look forward to? Are you surprised by how good allot of these songs are? 😏😁
THANKYOU for all your time…and Vlad’s time!
Are there any songs you have reacted to that you now listen to just for enjoyment? Have any of these made your playlists?
Copying?
Have you done a comparison between Sir Andrew Loyd Webbers - Phantom of the Opera (main riff)
Vs the older
Echoes by Pink Floyd
(see Echoes Part 1- Live at Pompeii NOT the album track simply because the album track is the entire Side 2 of the album Meddle with an extended "sound scape" section whereas Live at Pompeii actually has No Audience, it's split into two parts, with part 1 containing the main riff and most of the lyrics etc)
Or any other famous apparent rip off such as :-
Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused
Vs the older
Jake Holmes - Dazed and Confused
What do you think about apparent "borrowing" of musical themes is it plagiarism or is it just inevitable that musicians will write identical pieces?
Does it happen in classical music or is this a "pop" or "rock" issue where there are many more artists writing many more short pieces?
Mark Knopfler probably one of the best examples of how to play a dead clean Strat is Dire Straights Alchemy Tour - "Sultans of Swing"..... No massive distortion or stacked peddle effects means there's simply no where to hide,...... the boy can play! 😂
Do you only listen to the "safe" stuff or are you more adventurous into songs that are more controversial?
Mark's voice tells the story. The guitar expresses the pain.
Interesting insight.
I couldn’t of said that better my self , this piece brings tears to my eyes makes remember all the guys who died giving us freedom 🇬🇧
@@user-vv9zo4sc4k I see it being wider than that.
Could be any soldier, in any conflict, on any side.
Not explicitly anti-war - but this is the voice of one person, on one side, in one conflict.
Stepping back you can feel that everything you see on the news, is actually thousands upon thousands of people singing this in chorus.
Reminds me on my grandfather who could not talk about the war often and if he did, he was calm and he became very describing but not emotional. The guitar sounds like pure emotions. Like it's expressing something what he could not say.
I think Mark is just a better guitarist than a singer.
The brilliance in this song is the lack of unnecessary notes. Every guitar note has meaning and empowers this song.
Couldn't agree more.
A good - or in this case, exceptional- guitarist makes every note count
Knofler is a master of that.
Very well said.
@@CharlieMcowan yup, he learnt that from, among others, the example of the late great Les Paul virtuoso Peter Green (whose Les Paul was bought by Gary Moore and is now owned by Kirk Hammett).
Les Paul...played many notes could be considered our first shredder...not a good comparison @@ruddle17
Mark Knopfler is one of the greatest guitar players ever. He can create so much emotion with his guitar is it almost unbelievable.
Agreed, and he never had a guitar lesson, he just learn by listening to music and trying to try to play it himself.
@Boxing4K Yes and Chris Rea was exactly the same . Both have the same finger picking style too ! Both very expressive guitarists, only Chris is a slide Man .
I saw a program where he discussed his music and guitars. Watch if you get chance.
He has a great way of blending one note into another I love. Making it sing is a great expression.
Is amazing.
It's one of the best songs ever written and sang by a genius
Good job he picked up the guitar else hed av had to carry on fitting microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries🤪
Agree! Absolutely. ❤❤❤
SUPERB.
Sung
@@fidge54
Sing, sang, sung
Mark Knopfler is rock royalty, not the flamboyant, hyperkinetic, overreaching sort, rather the thoughtful, controlled, wonderfully talented musician kind. His canon is worth a deeper dive.
Couldn't agree more. Songs like Tunnel of Love or Telegraph Road (in concert) are full of nuance and layers -something a classically trained musician would appreciate.
That's a great description spot on. Truly one of the greatest musicians and song writers In the rock era.
@@purpurina5663 telegraph road lyrics contain some heavy messaging that all will become VERY aware of soon.
He is a god. Period.
When I hear someone talking about who the guitar greats are, if Knopfler isn't mentioned in at least the top 3 or 4, I know that the person has no idea what they are talking about.
@@magnusstahlberg4757 growing up listening to Telegraph Road I marvelled at the idea of "six lanes of traffic, three lanes moving slow". I'd never seen such a thing.
Now I marvel at four lanes or more each way... We are absolutely living in that world.
Absolutely,one of the greatest songs ever written. Utterly genius.
I whole-heartedly agree with this statement. It is at the top.
i recall first hearing it, who played it to me and how i felt, a masterpiece
Thank you from Ukraine.
Can't listen to this song without tears now. It excavates so much inside pain however I try to block or hide it.
I was thinking about the terrible situation you guys in Ukraine have while listening. Europe is with you. The respect we feel is enormous. 🇬🇧🇺🇦
😪
Sorry about the spelling, Slava UKRAINE.
One of the most beautiful songs ever written. Period.
same
indeed
Fascinating to see how talented some people are...
And a perfect production/recording...
I cry every time I hear it. Since I was a teenager. I am 57 now.
This song is a masterpiece & makes hard men cry.
I would not care to know anyone who didn't at least get a hard lump in the throat listening to this song.
It makes everybody cry. If they didn't they wouldn't be human
Written during the 1982 Falklands War, "Brothers in Arms" deals with the senselessness of war. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the war, Knopfler recorded a new version of the song at Abbey Road Studios to raise funds for British veterans who he said "are still suffering from the effects of that conflict."
The seas shown in the video are depictions of the South Atlantic and the mountains are the ones in the Falklands, which saw some of thw fiercest battles.
And the argentinian soldiers were send to a war without equipment. Just a dictator that wanted to build fame. They have a very hight rate of sui cide. 😢
@@viviancunssuarez. . . As very often , Vivian , “ History repeats itself “…
NO , it does not . The entirety of the male ego does . This , this inability to agree to live within ‘ our ‘ border’s. And just do the best for all therein without the ‘ drive ‘ or whatever ‘it‘ may be described as that is centred in ‘ theft ‘, ‘ violence ‘ and
‘ desecration ‘ on inter-national scale’s and level’s . And so much worse . All and ONLY caused by the ego’s of a certain sort of … ‘ men ‘.
Greetings from the U.K.
A l l b e w e l l .
Thank you for that revelation, wasp. I’ve been deep in love with this song from the very first hearing and welcome the backstory from the composer. I’ve cried a river listening to this masterpiece.
@@artysanmobile The lyrics are about the POV of a soldier dying and telling his fellow soldiers to leave him, but they decide to stay with him.
The song is still one of the most requested on the Falklands' local radio station, so much so that its an unofficial national anthem.
This song is a masterclass of understatement. The gaps between the guitar notes, marks trademark almost spoken voice. I can’t listen to this song without getting tears in my eyes.
Nice thought. I also consider him a master player for knowing when not to play. The pauses can be more powerful than packing the piece with technique (which he has in abundance, so it's definitely a choice)
Mark Knopfler is perhaps the most emotional guitar player I've heard. And his voice, while not a great one by conventional measures, is perfect for the music he makes
Peter Green?
Gary Moore is the most emotional for me, but the guitar in this song is superb, it's always been one of my favourite songs.
This lady is very perceptive. She picked up all the nuances almost immediately and her comments were all spot on. Kudos to her!
I agree. Very impressed with her insights!
She should let the song play through uninterrupted. Then comment. Then maybe go through it again with commentary. Very distracting when you want to hear the song.
@@richardguthrie3422
You can hear the song (uninterrupted) in the original video, we are here to watch her reaction to this song, aren't we?
@@richardguthrie3422 Why? If you want to listen to the song it is available without commentary. This is supposed to be a reaction video.
@@3wL7 plus, from a purely practical point of view, if the song played all the way through uninterrupted the UA-cam AI would probably trigger a copyright flag. By giving commentary over and in pauses in the play back it’s classified as fair use.
Your analysis Amy is spot on - impressive. Mark Knopfler and his guitar are indeed one in the same entity. Neither one sings over the other. As a retired army officer with 43 years service and a fourth generation soldier paternally, this music carries one's mind across the decades of conflict and loss. Lest We Forget, John
This turned into an anthem, Amen to the friends we loved and lost ♥️
I think Marks voice and guitar have had a deep connection. He’s such an amazing vocalist. It’s as if he voice is speaking for his brain, and his guitar is plugged directly into his heart.
Thanks for your service. Unfortunately here in Britain, you can often find ex soldiers homeless with no financial or mental support - the support that thousands needed after the war the song is about - the Falklands War.
Ron. Wow. After listening to this song for years, I only understand that line fully now because you’ve said this. “We’re fools to make war on our brothers in arms” refers to/can refer to the woefully insufficient services that are afforded to veterans. This is a shameful problem in the U.S. as well, and I imagine in many if not most countries.
Agreed. I'll never forget John either. What a guy.
I am an army vet, raised in a military family. This touches me deeply, bringing me to tears.
I appreciate this classical musician hearing so much and bringing us along.
This is Mark Knopfler, a truly amazing songwriter and guitarist. Check out "Remembrance Day", and "Dream of the Drowned Submariner".
Brothers in Arms is a modern masterpiece...Mark Knopfler at his greatest. The power of the emotion in his guitar overwhelms...
there's a good argument to be made this is the ultimate guitar song.
Very true we will never hear anything as poignant as this ever again take care my friend
A composer of modern music who is up there with any composer of classical music.
Modern......it's almost 40 years old now, but will never grow old like those we remember who've fallen to the Cabal's wars of chaos & trauma!
I’m an old guy and have heard this song many times. I’ve always had an emotional attachment to it. It is so deep and powerful that when my son was in Iraq I could not bare to listen to it until he got back from that battle zone. Even to this day, though I am not averse to hearing it played, I can’t take it in without it reducing me to tears. Like a great swell it just kind of washes over you. I know of what little my son wanted to tell me about his time there, that though these soldiers’ may not have had their flesh torn, they still come back wounded having suffered with their “ brothers in arms “. Some music is on a higher plane, an almost spiritual realm where your soul has been touched by an unseen hand. This one is one of those. T
So true
I love this song, but it hurts.
💕
Banger.....You payed attention in English class, didn't you? Good on ya!
My son was also in Iraq,as a Marine and this song means a lot to the both of us.I remember how emotional it was for my son telling about how hard it was seeing the loss of life on both sides.May God bless our sons.
From my perspective, as a Disabled Desert Storm Veteran, I relate to what you are feeling, and interpreting in the defeating the vocal, but the optimistic qualities of the guitar.
Though I am here, I lost my life.
(The life I would have lived.)
My body is defeated.
My psychology struggles.
But… my SPIRIT is STRONG to still have HOPE AND FAITH!
The guitar is SPIRIT, carrying my body and psyche forward!
I am a Vet this is why I have been learning guitar, I am not good but every time I pick it up it calms me
I always loved Mark's quote that "once you have nothing left to say (with the vocal) you let the guitar do the talking."
A calm voice is the voice of a fallen soldier who has finally found peace, freed from fear, pain and suffering, and also anger. He simply found peace. And the sound of the guitar is his crying ...
So well said.
Poetically, spot on.
Actually, I don't see it as one point of view but several.
Never fails to draw a tear from my eye………..
I am 70 years of age, and I have been listening to Mark Knopfler for most of my life. His playing and his emotional composition always touch me deeply. He plays in his own unique style, when you hear it then you know its Mark Playing, with his twisting the strings and pushing up on them to get that sound. His music means so very much to me, in many ways I would not have survived without it as I used it in times past to give me strength and inspiration when I felt low, although his music makes me cry in tears, in some strange way it made me climb up with encouragement and yearning. Yes his music somehow yearns with beauty. Mark Knopfler saved my life in many ways. I find I love the man, for sharing his soul with me. I wish I could say thank you to him. I am grateful that you are listening to this great track and sharing it with us all that are fans of Mark's. God Bless xx
Me too. Plus he’s from my area of the North East England. We have our own struggles, always have.
This song never fails to bring tears to my eyes.
I almost never cry but it totally surpricingly just came over me now when i heard the song in this reaction. I remember the song from first hearing it when it came out in the 80´s and it was of course always beautiful and touching but i think now it reminded me of the struggles of the Ukranian people who i feel strongly for and that was probably the main reason it brought me to tears.
Me too.
And goose bumps to my skin
You should know that in the Ukraine they’ve published a death list to target opponents which includes Tulsi Gabbard and Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) in addition to local journos and dissidents along with gruesome photo’s of murdered enemies. Do some research. This is not the simple narrative you’re being fed.
There is some excellent footage of Mark Knopfler playing it. He always cries. Beautiful and heartbreaking at once
That solo always brings a lump in the throat, there is so much going on in the song, but the solo is just pure soul.
Soulo
Marks playing is so pure, his guitar sings.
"That guitar is really quite something." Hearing a person like you with such a refined aesthetic say those words makes my heart leap.
Indeed, it is quite something.
Its only the (IMHO) best guitar player ever.
@@234i9 I lean towards Peter Green but Knopfler is right up there
Played this song on Remembrance Day while making dinner for my three year old daughter. She stopped playing with her toys looked very solemn and said daddy this is a very sad song. The voice is hope, the guitar is sorrow.
I think the guitar voice is letting the soldier ride out on a wave of empathy for all soldiers. I hope they all get to hear/feel something of that kind while going. And your little daughter is clearly an empath, a very special child.... Mine was the same....
In January 1991 I was a commissioned officer who wasn't activated yet. As 15 January approached, watching TV was driving me crazy and I went for a drive. As the deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait arrived, a local radio station played an hour of music devoted to the moment. I listened to this song in my car, in the rain, at a train crossing. It's one of the most memorable moments of my life. Thank you for bringing it back.
I can imagen. 💖
Heared this Song 1987 in Front of a picture in the Muse D'orsay ...
de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_d%E2%80%99Orsay
[30.3., 17:45] Frank Bartel: ua-cam.com/video/jhdFe3evXpk/v-deo.htmlsi=tGQrSqlhhCw9CbrX
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enigma_(Dor%C3%A9)
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_in_Arms_(song)
What a delightful lady!
Wow - I've listened to this song a thousand times but you picked up on something that really struck me. There are 2 voices - Mark and his guitar and I can now hear a call and response conversation between Mark and his guitar representing his brothers in arms. The idea that these are his dying thoughts somehow becomes much more comforting when you listen to the guitar part in that context. It's like it's welcoming him to join his fallen comrades..
Mark really developed his guitar playing into being a second singer he does duets with.
Mark's voice is that of the dead/dying, and the guitar is the voice of the living continuing to fight on in memory of their fallen brothers.
The soldier is not wounded, he's dead. "These mist-covered mountains are home to me now." I think that explains the quiet, even tone of the voice. It's coming from beyond the grave. BTW, you mention the "Scottish snap"; the Scots Guards was one of the regiments that fought on the mountains during the Falklands War.
I agree with your analysis that the song is from beyond the grave, as implied by the quiet yet haunting tones.
I'm not sure I agree, the despair pails into the backdrop when he discovers that a brother "did not desert me"... Now he knows what love is, now he is no longer blind and sees we are fools until we do see.
But round and round the world goes, fumbling around in the dark and hurting each other until we get our own "baptism of fire".
The soldier "may" return to his valley and know better but can he ever trust that the soldier's orders are clean, noble and necessary?
Mark himself said the soldier is dying in the mountains, looking down on the town in the valley he will never see again..
❤
I would more say he's interpersonnizing (i'm inventing or misspelling here? :p) a soldier who's dying and agonizing on a mountainous landscape perhaps. He says it's a home, which means he's here for quite a time, but that he comes from the lowlands. He had seen quite a lot of atrocities (validate the fact that hes here for quite some time).
In the end he tells it clearly "Every man has do die" "let me bid you farewell".
So for me it's a soldier who's agonizing on a battlefield, that's why hes tone is low and monolithic. He's now deprived of all his energy and will. Just has some thoughts on atrocities he witnessed, and now his fate, thinking how foolish this all his, and quite an inevitability at same time. This is all this ambivalence and the agonizing that makes it very fatalist, low tone, with the guitar that expresses the pain and the melancholy.
Great topic BTW !
(Edit : the girl of the video intuitivly nailed it, she said it's a dying soldiers thoughts and says)
I am a veteran and I can't listen to this without being in tears, it speaks to me, it's one song that if played in a bar all the veterans stop talking and go quiet, and they cry openly. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. Its played at the National Memorial Aboretum in the UK when over a thousand veterans on bikes arrive, and the place just goes quiet. Thank you for being kind and considerate listening to this, I appreciate it,
Me too, this and When September Ends by Green Day. Luckily no-one's played these two on the parades I've been on. I'd be a blubbering idiot!!
im holding back tears noo, this was the first ever album i bought with my pocket money. i must have been about seven years old and my older brother had just joined the royal navy, not long after the falklands war. also my primary school was closed the same year and my class done a rendition of this song . much respect from scotland
Thank you for your service sir.
It really is a very powerful and moving song. It gets played on my local radio station here in east coast Canada every Remembrance Day (Nov 11).
It holds a very special place in my heart as, 1) Dire Straits has been my all-time favourite band since I was a pre-teen and this album has been one of my most cherished Christmas gifts. And 2), the lyrics and message of the song have always been special to me as I’ve had many members of my extended family, past and present, who have served and fought in the military. But it really hits home after completing 21 years of service myself in the Royal Canadian Navy. To me, a song that continues to hold such meaning and relevance, (maybe even more so today), makes it a true masterpiece.
Thank you for your service 🫡
from a retired RCN sailor 🇨🇦
It's heart rending. It is a great composition and the playing was world class. If one can't feel the sadness, one must be dead inside.
I also find meaning in 'If I Don't Make It Back' by Tracy Lawrence. It isn't as deep in terms of the power of the instrumental parts, but there's a point there where the singer tries to introduce a good guy to the widow and it's been two years... and she's not ready. It speaks to the depth and longevity of grieving and how hard it can be to move on (a stuck state perhaps, happens not uncommonly in trauma).
The way you defined Mark's voice and his guitar playing, that was a huge insight into what he does. He and his guitar tells the story better than any other singer I know.
Yep.
I always imagine this as a soldier on the battle field, wounded and about to die. And the voice is his rational mind, thinking about his home, where they are, what is happening, the brothers in arms. With few emotions exept a state of sadness, just calm and rational, thinking about the whole situation. And the guitar is his heart, filled with emotions, weeping, crying, pain, anger. Such a beautiful sad combination.
I think the same.
I fought in the Falklands war and this work of art is more emotional to me as each year goes by.
I see the soldier at home after the war, wounded and left alone in his world of thoughts from the battlefield where the war at end did not make any sense… all around him was death and pain… and well back home no-one seem understand him so he goes out to the mountain alone and just sit there where the guitar is his feelings
@@Divedown_25 The Op is correct, it was meant to be from the POV of a soldier dying on the battlefield as his comrades comfort him.
You're a poet.
Yes I have read a lot about this song and yes it was written from the point of view of a dying soldier being reflective in his final moments. With his "brothers in arms" around him giving him comfort.
This song came out after my first tour in Northern Ireland. Everyone I have lost, this song brings them back.
I think Mark is one of the most expressive guitar players of all time. He never plays with a pick, all his fingers for his tone. He can take you on a journey with just his playing. His voice matched his guitar playing. That song always brings me to tears. It's that good, your analysis is dead on. I like how you break down the music and meaning.
I can’t listen to this song without crying. As an Army brat and a history enthusiast, it reminds me of so much. The singing reminds me of the reluctance of veterans to talk of what the experienced in war. I have ancestors who fought in most of the American wars. Also my step-grandfather fought in WWI, uncle in WWII, father-in-law Korea, my father in Vietnam. This is a very powerful song and so well done.
There are a few songs I have to ration out because I am afraid I would get sick of them if played too much. This is one of them. Suzanne is quite correct. I feel that to interrupt Brothers in Arms with comments is bordering on disrespect.
💙
I have no familial connection to the military, and I tear up every time hearing this. Futile and naïve as my sentiments no doubt are, it makes me dream of a time when there are no more wars
@@torgnyaanderaa2334 Unfortunately, as long as there are humans there will be war. All one can do is be examples of loving, peaceful people in our own corners of the world.
@@secolerice As however much I wish you were wrong, there's little evidence to support my dream - and a LOT more evidence to back up your prediction. So, like you say, all we can do is our little part. Here's hoping your corners stays peaceful, Suzanne.
I've listened to this song probably a thousand times ,and marks guitar still gives me goose bumps and brings a lump in my throat . This song is absolutely beautiful
I’m a pianist and I have listened this piece over a couple of thousand times and am still memorize by it’s brilliance. Mark is a musical genius
I think you mean 'mesmerized', as I myself am. I have been a fan of Dire Straits from the very beginning. Sheer class!
Truth
@@josephbloggss7286 I hate spellcheque 🥶😂😂😂😂😂😂
My Dad had already been in the Army for some 13 years by the time I was born. As a teenager and young adult, this song was one of my favourites and I often listened to it. I then became an Officer in the Army and went to war. Now, this song is incredibly poignant and has a very different meaning and impact when I hear it. It literally stops me in my tracks and I often have to keep my emotions in check.
I was just 10 years old when the Falklands war took place. This year was the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War, and this song, if you didn't already know, is about that war.
'These mist covered mountains...Are a home now for me...' are the words of a soldier dying on the battlefield lamenting about how he won't 'return to their valleys and their farms'.
An incredibly powerful song. I remember, some years ago now, sitting with another veteran as this song played. We looked at each other,, gently chinked glasses, and 'toasted' to fallen brothers in arms, without saying anything. No words needed.
Thank you, I remember the Falklands war, so sad but I guess that is true for all wars.
Sean I don't think that most people realise that the song is about the Falklands conflict, they just think its a generic anti-war song, God rest the souls that passed in the South Atlantic.
@@davidmorgan5312 right, i just learned it today. I always thought it is about Vietnam.
I was 5 when my father went to the Falklands and all the framing of his life that that engendered.
I’ve loved this song since the first time I heard it as a child and always pictured it as the Falklands.
It opened up a different perspective, which never hurts.
Thank you sir, and to your father, for your sacrifices. It is comforting to know that there are people like you in the world. - a grateful old yank
A great song and so is Telegraph Road, another Straits brilliant offering which you must listen to. Full of music with piano, guitar and drums each having their own solo then crashing into one powerful performance. 😎
Agree, Telegraph Road is another masterpiece. It's like a movie indeed, all its parts, the story it tells, the incredible ending like a full speed train. Magic.
Me absolute genius of a song
telegraph road live is one of the best live concert songs I have ever heard..... just an amazing musical story.
I've watched Mark Knofler in tears at the end of a live performance. Complete legend.
The way he played Brothers in arms at the Mandela concert was something out of this World
I first heard this song after coming back from a war in Angola. I came back after waking up in a field of corpses, one other living person was there, a mercenary sergeant from England. He was dying and quoted the song. I am moved to tears every time I hear it....
Your comment got me. The words of the dying to the living, I am so glad there was someone there to hear him speak those words. He didn't die alone.
Love you Brother.
Wow, that's powerful. Knopfler's message is indeed timeless and universal.
Ons vir jou Suid Afrika. What did those poor guys die for on the Border. We were told at High School in South Africa that we were fighting to keep the Commies out. In the end de Klerk handed the country over to the Commies.Veraaiers in the National Party Cabinet. Thank you for your service my broer. I salute you .
He should have stayed at home... killing people for money is the surest way to go to hell... 😒
The very first time I heard this was at dusk, live at an outdoor venue, and it's one of my most treasured concert memories. This uses Mark Knopflers ability to express emotion thru his instrument so exquisitely well, as well as his "everyman voice" This is a hymn against ALL wars.
This is not a reaction channel, this is a music analysis channel. I know these songs, but still you every time notice something I never noticed and describe it more precisely than I would ever be able to, even in my native language. Basically, you describe the pieces in a way that makes me feel like I'm reacting to them for the first time, even when I have been listening to them for 25 years.
Exactly my feeling! My favorite one until now is the one about Hey You. Her analysis is a gem! 👏👏 And I've been listening that song for 42 years now 🤷
Funny then that Amy herself is calling it a reaction .... right there in the title. She does, of course, give a interesting analysis .... as she reacts.
Its because she's a musician, and technically trained one. This is what I would expect from all proper music reaction videos actually, because its what I would do, and she's just doing it to a higher degree of musical talent/expertise/knowledge/professionalism etc.
Exactly!! I’ve learned new appreciation of much loved songs from her analysis
@@JoshPhoenix11 Exactly, this is why I also enjoy watching Doug Helvering.
Almost 2.2K comments now but I still wanna write that I absolutely loved this reaction by you. Mark for me is like someone very very close to me (through his songs of course). So your appreciation of his masterpiece felt like you appreciating someone I dearly love. A sense of pride sort of. That, along with all the emotions the song triggers, made me cry so much!
Mark is singing; his guitar is crying.
The song is, in effect, a declaration from a soldier with profound PTSD or from the grave of a fallen soldier. The voice evokes the image of a man whose spirit is calm, but whose soul is in terrible turmoil. As an old soldier myself, I find this song powerfully moving and emotionally painful. But for all that, it speaks truth regarding the hearts of those who have fallen or suffered great loss in war. It is one of my favourites. Thank you for reviewing it.
This is one of the best songs of the rock era. Mark’s brilliance is showcased in this album. Please keep expanding your knowledge.
I understand that the song was penned after the Falkland war and as he never served he has captured the essence of serving and commitment.
I am 70+ Aussie Vietnam veteran and I will have this at my farewell.
Please add to your music understanding.
I had forgotten how brilliant this piece was ,it’s like re-visiting my youth .Love seeing how you react to this as a first time listener.
Me too. I haven't heard it in probably 30 years.
One of the very few songs that , genuinely, brings a tear.
For me, the guitar is his inner feelings. He is calm, need to be calm, in the war, but inside its lots going on, and the guitar reflects that feeling.
Fantastic..ive played this song forever since it came out..shivers down my spine still now! Falklands .. Ukraine the
madness of war
.😢 thankyou for this video and commentary
Mark Knopfler is my favorite guitarist of all time. His playing is so emotive. So, human. This song is one that showcases that perfectly.
Yes.
exactly
She is now under Mark's spell like me and countless millions. I've had the pleasure of attending a couple of his concerts and very much look forward to more from him and his band. Brothers In Arms had me the first time I heard it decades ago and it's still at, or near, the top of my list. Mark is a treasure.
What Mark does with his guitar in this piece is nothing short of magic. Each note is extended and hauntingly beautiful. Brings such emotion
Beautiful song, lots of meaning to all us veterans no matter where or with whom you served
Tom Boyte,
GySgt. USMC, retired
Vietnam 1965-66/1970-71
Infantry, machine guns
Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Thank you for your service, Gunny.
Is it true the purple crayons taste like grape? ;)
SFC, US Army Infantry, Mortars and Mech Inf. 1987 - 2007 Desert Storm and OIF. Hooah Gunny.
Thank you for your service, Gunny. Blessings for you and yours.
"I especially like the expressiveness of the guitar"- There's nobody else like him, other people can play guitar extremely well, but Mark lets it speak. Feel Like Going Home (live, with tom Jones) is a prime example of it, half of the lyrics are in the music.
Mark's guitar is the greatest backing singer of all time.
Good point. For another example of someone letting the guitar speak, try John Mayer playing with Leon Russell “a song for you”. Truly beautiful “speaking” guitar.
The only thing I'd disagree with, is I'm not so sure whether the Guitar was the backing singer, or Mark was. ;)
Apart from me obviously as MK 2
Besides the obvious (David Gilmour) another guitarist that evokes his emotions through his guitar like Mark can do is Andy Latimer. Listen to Ice or The Hour Candle (about his father)
I never can listen to them without tearing up
the distinction comes partly because he does not use a flat pick, he plucks the strings with his fingers, he is in the minority that way when it comes to rock guitar where the emphasis is often on speed and loudness
As a Musician, bet you've NEVER EVER heard a Better Guitarist, Mark Knocker. Wow, Always Delightful.
I love the way you analyzed this epic song. The line that sticks with me the most is:" We have just one world, but we live in different ones", that is so true.
Understated brilliance. The music carries us towards our death. The resigned voice explains our path and the guitar cries us home. Heartfelt Perfection.
Mark's playing is pure masterclass. One of the few songs that trigger my tears.
You are spot on with the roles of the voice and the guitar. The voice tells the story, tired in a way, melancholic, and awaiting the inevitable fate, but in a very understated way. The guitar is the emotions that are really going on.
It is very nice how you pick up on all the things that make this such a much loved and timeless piece of rock music.
What do you think of the idea of his voice being that of the soldier. His thoughts as he trods towards his inevitable death in battle. The guitar is some sort of angelic being, perhaps an angel of death (maybe an even Mother Earth like entity), seeing it all unfold with utter pain. A being of innocence that, though it has seen this untold countless times before - tragically repeated over and over again, it’s as if it’s seeing it for the very first time. Shocked by the sadness and senselessness.
@@alexbaum2204 I interpret Mark's voice as that of a soldier, knowing the end is near. I interpret the guitar as both a confirming, and a comforting voice.
I was a young man when this album came out and this song got to me. It still does. It gets me every time.
Same with me. No other Dire Straits song touches me like this one.
this woman is SO perceptive. she misses nothing.
Except she doesnt know this band an many more! You believe thar?
@@sjefhendrickx2257 Absolutely true 👍
I am a classical musician and I can tell ,,you" that NOT knowing bands like Dire Straits doesn't speak too good about ,,your" musical culture at all !
Also I expected more Rick Beato-like explanations:
chord progression, harmony, composing methods and etc.
and this, I am sorry but it's a pure bla-bla talking.
Honestly, I don't like her review at all 👎
Perceptive, but SOOOO flat. She understands the words, and possibly the message, but comprehends so very little. How can anyone smile this much when listening to this horrifying masterpiece? This song is heart-rending, and she just seems happy that she 'gets it'.
@@showingYOUtheworld Pity that you're in a very small minority then, eh!
17,000 people and counting, liking this video. 107,000 subscribers at the time of writing.
@@m.cigledy6769 Really? That's what you got from her commentary.
As a veteran it’s very emotional…thanks for the stream
Mark Knopfler´s note choice in the guitar melodies is absolutely mesmerizing in this song. One of the best I´ve ever heard, any music style.
Not only one of the great guitar players of our time, one of the great composers.
That one chord is so powerful. In a universe of vulgar technical prowess, Mark Knopfler is the most eloquent guitarist. Sublime music.
I think this song was written for the Falklands War, brutally fought under the freezing rain in the hills and shallow mountains of the South Atlantic islands between Britain and Argentina in 1982. Some say it's an anti war song, but to me it is a tribute to the men who found themselves thousands of miles from home, leaning on each other as brothers, as they fight to one day return to that home.
This is exactly my own understanding. Most of the veterans I know, who served down south during the conflict, have the same understanding.
Realise: The purpose of going to war is to stop it.
It's hard not callling this masterpiece an anti-war song with the final line being "We're fools to make war on our brothers in arms"?
@@Markus73Sweden I agree, I always thought that this song is also for all the young Argentinians conscripts forced to fight in the same harsch conditions by their dictator. They were all Brothers in arms. Every man has to die, no matter which side he is on
@@articbaba as someone who has served and who has met soldiers from previously ‘opposition’ sides, what is clear is that all soldiers are brothers in arms. You have a natural affinity with those who choose (or are conscripted to) a path that may involve the ultimate selflessness. It’s just that every now and then politicians tell them to fight each other.
I'm old, I'm a veteran, I'm a big fan of Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits. This is one of my favourite pieces of music, and will be played at my funeral (Cheerful aren't I?). I have listened to many people giving their first reactions to many songs, but I have to say that your analysis of this particular number is first class. It is obvious that your musical background and understanding of musical composition has enabled a really excellent overview of this number. Well done. I will look out for more of your "First Listen Reactions'.
Goosebumps! Right from the start. And Knopfler's touch on the guitar is unmistakeable. He makes it talk. His lyrics being the question and his guitar the answer in the classic blues Q&A framework.
This track brings me to tears. It's so beautiful.
From an ex guitarist who lost his fingers to sepsis.
Respect Les, and they say there's a god.
@@mrbluesky9891 Exactly mate! As a lifelong atheist it kinda proved my position.
Mark's guitar is his other voice. He sings along with it. It's a musical duet of sorts. He's one of those guys that can do that so well. Make a guitar sing with an almost human cadence and voice.
Mark Knopfler is the very definition of a bard.
I think so are David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac ... three of my guitar and singing heroes
It's obviously a moving song. But the scenes with all those blind "Tommies", (mustard gas, for people who do'nt know) is double moving.( mi dads dad never came back.) Not forgetting all the "EMPIRE" soldiers, as they were called. Filthy twats in Westminster , then, as now. Nothing much changes.
@@hl5597 One that people rarely talk about, but I think deserves mention, is Prince. If you ignore his pop hits and look into his deeper catalog of jazz and other musical styles, he was a pretty amazing guitarist. Among other instruments.
Garry Moore
Wow. Her insight / idea about the voice and the guitar being two sides / aspects of the emotional state... Ive never seen that before and i feel she is right. Amazing. The depth and layers to this song and music, never seem to end. Masterpiece.
For all the times I've listened to this song, I've always loved it for the epic piece of music that it is. Now, listening to the analysis and reading comments while listening to it I am genuinely in tears. I don't why that happened today
What great insight, Amy - you nailed it!
Mark Knopfler's genius lies in his ability to say so much by saying so little.
He express emotion so beautifully through his guitar, and then he uses his voice to provide a half-sung, half-spoken commentary on what his guitar is singing.
This is musicianship of the highest calibre.
As a forces veteran, I can't listen to this around people as I get reduced to a emotional mess and I feel shame looking that way. I will leave as soon as possible to finish my cry alone. I have spent time with this song, digesting the lyrics and as a guitarist just letting the tune carry my thoughts. Its an amazing piece that hits every nerve.
Love your analysis of one of the most touching songs ever written.
I never was in the military but this piece somehow always brings tears to my eyes.
Mark’s timbre and guitar weaving is masterful. You are right that both are from a same entity.
Thank you.
So glad that Vlad choose this song for your first reaction to Dire Straits! i know many would think of sultans of swing or walk of life are more representative but this is such a beautiful song. Your interpretation of the song was so inline with my own thoughts and feelings. Not gonna lie it brings a lot of sadness and memories, a was born in 1980 one of my first memories are of my country being at war and the fear my parents had of what would happen if they invaded. All for some distant islands where thousands died for nothing at all, too young they left this life without knowing what would be to have a family and a peaceful life....
I wouldnt say they died for nothing, they freed our brothers and sisters from tyrany
I think I would have been one of the fools that chose The Sultans of Swing. But now I know I would have been wrong this was a great choice.
I can't believe she made me listen to the song and hear it in a different way after all the hundreds of times I have played it. It somehow is a little different now.
I hear that as " the calm before the storm ".
Or after the storm .
You have memories from the age of 2 that recall your parents fear of war?
You have memories from age 2 of your country being at war?
Sounds like bollocks to me.
Your commentary gives words to the way this song has moved me through the years. Wow, I’m crying.
Thank you.
I was singing this to my mom as she passed at 94 years of age ,
When young I listened to the loud music , now I feel every word
Hi, such an interesting watch. I am 71 years old and bought the album (as I have all of their albums) when it first came out, and this song has always made me cry. Watching your facial joy listening to it for the first time reminded me of my first listen. I have always thought that Marks voice kinda cascades over the notes that he plays . Thank you.
Your take on this song is spot on. For me, it's the anti-war song that bleeds into my soul. That guitar has such incredible soul. It reminds me of Barber's Adagio for Strings (because of how it was used in the film, Platoon).. I end up in tears every time I listen to them. Either way, I enjoyed your very astute analysis of this song. Thanks for sharing with us!
Dire Straits are criminally underrated among critics and music snobs. I can see two reasons: 1. The enormous sales figures of the Brothers in Arms album. 2. The horrible Walk of Life video. Dig just slightly deeper and you'll find gems like "Tunnel of Love", "Private Investigations" and the 14 minute long "Telegraph Road", none of which are "mainstream music". Still, the song in this video is, arguably, their very best. Haunting, important and much overlooked.
Totally agree, absolutely beautiful song...one of my mothers favourite bands, I also love them ❤️ 😊
Dire Straits are not underrated by ANYBODY , in the music business . Knopfler is very well admired and respected .....
Making Movies was the first LP I ever bought Recommend everybody to listen. I was a fan of DireStraits since Sultans of Swing....
Your opening statements sound much more to me like ignorance on your part of the actual fact that they are beloved by so many. And I do mean LOVED. They enjoy a near unanimous admiration from both the critic community and “music snobs.” I’m not sure if you’re just choosing the wrong words or if you live in a bubble somewhere I have never visited. Dire Straits, the artist, enjoys global significance and fame that defy every inference of your opening sentence.
Telegraph road, a short history of the conquest of Americas Wild West.
You're extraordinarily perceptive for a first listen. It is my favourite song. I grew up listening to it with my father on road trips through Scotland - and when he died 20 years ago, we played it at his funeral. Thank you for appreciating it as you did..
The guitar is the inner voice of the pain and the lyrical expression is the stoic outer voice of a soldier. Mark captured this in a way few ever has or could.
Imagine if you will, an old man sitting in a chair reflecting on a time when he was young and caught up in a great war. His quiet, reflective voice, in stark contrast with his memories filled with the sounds of gunfire, explosions and men screaming either in pain or anger, tells the story of the men who fought along side him. There is little emotion in his voice but all the more in the music behind his story.
Superbly put john
Good point!
The song is about a dying soldier reminiscing on war. His home was the " lowlands" but now his home is in the mist covered mountains where he will be buried.
"I especially like the expressiveness of the guitar I'm hearing."
There are some truly amazing guitarists out there, but it has always been those with a deft, expressive touch who make me sit up and take notice.
This is one of my favourite songs ever, as a guitar player I love this band. It's sooooo elegant, strong, gentle and powerfull that it gets me emotional every time I listen to it. Is simply an amazing heartfelted song written and played directly from Mark's soul. And thank you very much for your video reaction, you showed me to listen this theme in a more analytical way. Cheers!
And he has such a range of styles of song form this one, to Sultans of Swing, folk, jazz, swing, country, you name it, Mark has done it...
Oh my I've been catching up on your reactions for a few days now. I LOVE them As a musician and classical guitar builder your level of detail and insight has delighted me. Oddly enough I was just wondering if you were going to do Dire Straits soon and I logged on here to ask you to...and lo and behold your post was 4 minutes old. I am also an ex-soldier of 27 years service so this song moves me and your insight touched me deeply. A little tear here. Please look at Sultans of Swing or Romeo and Juliet or even Telegraph road ...... you will realise what you just alluded ...knopfler and his guitar and voice are ONE ENTITY in more ways than almost an other combination I can compare in any musical genre. THANK YOU
How about David Gilmour’s guitar and voice? To me, an equal comparison.
@@helenespaulding7562 Gilmour, Knopfler, and Clapton are my favorite expressive classic rock guitarists and probably of all time. More recently, Guthrie Govan (Steven Wilson/Aristocrats), Eric Johnson, Steve Rothery (Marillion) , and Piotr Grudziński (Riverside) are all in a similar category, just not as famous. Unfortunately Grudziński passed away about 6 years ago.
@@jah9253 yes…but she spoke of the match of the voice with the guitar. So I’m thinking of emotive players who I think also sing emotively to match their guitar sound. Which I think Gilmour does
Eric might work here as well. The others…. I don’t know enough about them…Steve Wilson if he is also the vocalist?
Mark Knopfler is a highly regarded guitarist but, I think, underrated when it comes to those perennial lists of the top GREAT rock guitarists. He should be there …Like David Gilmour of Pjnk Floyd…his playing can be so emotive…he’s a true artist.
Nice to see you again, Amy!👋. I look forward now so much to your reviews!
Dude, he is very highly rated... Please use the proper terminology, he is underAPPRECIATED.
@@Wolverines77 I think you think he's underappreciated because they are not as popular as they were in their heydays. Those days , he was deemed a guitar god and no one was underappreciating him.
Damn autocorrect, David Gilmour!
@@Wolverines77 no… I literally mean UNDERRATED. He is rarely RATED high on many lists of top rock guitarists
And yeah, also under appreciated…at least these days
@@barriehull7076 😁 thanks
ive never served but always cried hard when i see war graves ever since i was a kid and still now as a man. this song is incredibly emotive and a masterpiece, reminding us all of the ultimate sacrifice paid and the mental challenges they have when they come home. thank you to all servicemen and women across the world.
The idea of a “duet” had never came to me. I listen to this song regularly and where ever possible sit still with my eyes closed and let it wash over me.
I’m terrible at hearing and picking up lyrics so having them in app is bringing a lot of new meaning to many of my old favourites and this one is no different.
Sultons of swing.....mark k is a hell of a guitarist
It’s Sunday. Three days ago, I was on a lengthy trip across England and Wales and as I came down from the Cambrian mountains into Aberystwyth and turned left to head down the coast to Cardigan, I switched off Radio 4, opened Spotify and asked Siri to play Brothers in Arms. Having that aching lament accompany me as I crested each hill bringing the silvery Irish Sea into view, just for a moment, life seemed complete.
Mark’s songs all have a message, all come with a story because he’s a storyteller.
This song is ideal for your children to go to bed and sleep all night long.
His guitar sound is unique, never agressive, always answering to his voice.
You can choose each song he wrote, you’ll feel something deep inside.
Thanks to him, my life has been delightful for 50 years.
This was part of the soundtrack of my childhood years... thanks dad.
One of the most moving of musics and voices... Brilliant!
To me, the voice is the resigned aspect of a veteran, the part that does not want to speak about things anymore, because only those who were there can understand.
The guitar is the part that still wants to shout about the loss and brutality, the spark that does not want to go out without being heard.
Too deep?
Not at all too deep! Great thoughts I say. Definitely sounds like a soldier, who came back from a war and his confusing mind.
Deep as pain is concerned…… this is the story of human race that is living with war and violence with no end in sight.
Perfectly fits✌️😎👍
Too deep? Not a bit of it.
My God, if the analysis isn't enough to break you (in a very necessary way), reading all these insightful comments are. This, here is what music - and life is about... God bless.
This is one of my favorite songs of all time and this reviewer just made me love it even more. Fantastic work by this reviewer! Bravo!
Thank you, you are the first reaction that interpreted Brothers' in Arms the way I have always felt about it, since I first heard it as a child forty years ago.