"Brothers in Arms" is a ballad by British rock band

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...

, the closing track on their fifth studio album of the same name, released on 18 October 1985. It was written in 1982, the year of Britain's involvement in the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the war,

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

recorded a new version of the song at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

to raise funds for British veterans who he said "are still suffering from the effects of that conflict." "Brothers in Arms" has become a favourite at military funerals.

Background

This song was written during the

and is described by some as an

anti-war song Some anti-war songs lament aspects of wars, while others satirize war. Most promote peace in some form, while others sing out against specific armed conflicts. Still others depict the physical and psychological destruction that warfare causes to ...

History

There are two studio recorded versions of this song: the album version which is 6:55 minutes, and the shorter version which is 6:05 minutes and features slightly different (and shorter) solos at the beginning and end of the song. The version that appears on Dire Straits' greatest hits album, ''Sultans of Swing:'' ''The Very Best of Dire Straits'', is 4:55. The version included on the live album '' On the Night'' contains an extra

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...

solo and is 8:55. The full-length, studio album version (6:55) was also included on the 2005 compilation ''

Private Investigations "Private Investigations" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits from their album ''Love over Gold''. It reached number 2 in the United Kingdom (despite its length), and is one of their biggest chart successes in the UK. The track ha ...

''.

recorded and usually played the song on a

Gibson Les Paul The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typi ...

Standard

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, rather than his usual Fender "Stratocaster", and the

sunburst A sunburst is a design or figure commonly used in architectural ornaments and design patterns and possibly pattern books. It consists of rays or "beams" radiating out from a central disk in the manner of sunbeams. Sometimes part of a sunbur ...

Les Paul appears in the distinctive promo video, which is in the style of a charcoal drawing, interspersing scenes of the band playing with scenes of war. During Dire Straits' 1992 "On Every Street" tour, Knopfler used his Pensa-Suhr MK1 for this song, like most of the others. "Brothers in Arms" was first released as a single on 14 October 1985. The song is reported to be the first CD single ever released; it was released in the United Kingdom in 1986. The song's lyrics, influence, and impact were discussed from a variety of musical and personal perspectives in the BBC radio programme and podcast ''

Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

'' first broadcast in September 2012.

Reception

''Classic Rock'' critic Paul Rees rated "Brothers in Arms" to be Dire Straits' 5th greatest song, citing its "dignified but lasting power" and a "stunning guitar solo."

Music video

The music video, directed and animated by Bill Mather, produced by

Simon Fields Simon Fields is a native of London and received his education at Stowe School. After graduation, he worked his way through the television commercial production ranks in London to become production manager for the Moving Picture Company. In 1978 ...

through Limelight Films and cinematographed by

Francis Kenny Francis Kenny A.S.C. is an American cinematographer. Background and education Kenny is a twice board member of the American Society of Cinematographers and member of the AMPAS Executive Committee for Cinematographers. Kenny was born in Ind ...

, uses rotoscoping and shows the band performing, overlaid with images of the First World War. In contrast with the at-that-time very modern clip in "Money for Nothing", the video clip has a very classic appearance in noisy black and white images. "Brothers in Arms" won

Grammy Award for Best Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. Hon ...

at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards on 24 February 1987.

Use as soundtrack for films and TV series

The song appeared in the second-season episode " Out Where the Buses Don't Run" of ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

'', the third-season episode "I Coulda Been a Defendant" of '' Due South'', and the second

season finale A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try ...

of ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'', "

Two Cathedrals "Two Cathedrals" is the 44th episode and second season finale of ''The West Wing''. It was first broadcast on May 16, 2001 on NBC. President Bartlet is beset by memories of Mrs. Landingham as her funeral approaches. Meanwhile, the staff deals w ...

". In each instance, it is used over the climactic scenes of the episode. It was also featured in the 1991 film '' McBain'', the 2001 movie ''

Spy Game ''Spy Game'' is a 2001 American action thriller film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62 million in the United States and $143 million worldwide on a $115 million budget, and received mostly ...

'' and in the series finale, "START", of ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American historical drama, period spy fiction, spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX (TV channel), FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg ...

'' as well as the episode "Say Again Your Last" in '' SEAL Team''. It was used as the title music to the 1992 BBC drama series ''

Civvies Mufti is plain or ordinary clothes, especially when worn by one who normally wears, or has long worn, a military or other uniform, such as a school uniform. It is also called civies and civvies (slang for "civilian attire"). Origins The word o ...

''. The song also appeared in the series finale of ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

''.

Track listings

7" single (DSTR 11) # "Brothers in Arms" - 6:04 # "Going Home (Theme of the Local Hero)" (Live) - 4:45 12" Maxi-Single (DSTR 1112) # "Brothers in Arms" (Full Length Version) - 6:58 # "Going Home (Theme of the Local Hero)" (Live) - 4:45 # "Why Worry" (Instrumental Segment)

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1985 singles 1985 songs 1980s ballads Animated music videos Anti-war songs Charity singles Dire Straits songs Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video Rock ballads Songs about soldiers Songs about the military Songs written by Mark Knopfler Vertigo Records singles