Brothers in Arms (song)

This article is about the Dire Straits song. For other songs, see Brothers in Arms § Music.

"Brothers in Arms" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits, the closing track on their fifth studio album of the same name, released in May 1985. It was written in 1982, the year of Britain's involvement in the Falklands War.

"Brothers in Arms"
Single by Dire Straits
from the album Brothers in Arms
B-side	"Going Home (Live)" "Why Worry (Instrumental segment)"
Released	18 October 1985[1]
Studio	AIR (Salem, Montserrat)
Genre	Rock blues rock
Length	6:58 (full version) 6:05 (edited version) 4:55 (radio edit, included on Sultans of Swing)
Label	Vertigo
Songwriter(s)	Mark Knopfler
Producer(s)	Neil Dorfsman Mark Knopfler
Dire Straits singles chronology
"Money for Nothing" (1985) "Brothers in Arms" (1985) "Walk of Life" (1985)

In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the war, Mark 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."^[2] "Brothers in Arms" has become a favourite at military funerals.^[3]

Background

This song was written during the Falklands War and is described by some as an anti-war song.^[4]

History

"Brothers in Arms" was first released as a single on 18 October 1985. The song is reported to be the first CD single ever released;^{[5][better source needed]} 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 first broadcast in September 2012.^[6]

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."^[7]

Spin noted the, "political theme with outstanding craftsmanship in the words and music. The singing is quiet but authoritative, and Knopfler's Strat cuts a dark swath across the battle-scarred landscape conjured up by the lyrics."^[8]

Music video

The music video, directed and animated by Bill Mather, produced by Simon Fields through Limelight Films and cinematographed by Francis Kenny,^[9] 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.^[10]

"Brothers in Arms" won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards on 24 February 1987.

Soundtrack use

The song appeared in several television programmes including the second season finale of The West Wing: "Two Cathedrals" from 2001,^[11] a 1998 episode of Canadian police procedural Due South ("I Coulda Been a Defendant"), and the final episode of The Grand Tour hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, as they rounded off 22 years of presenting motoring television in 2024. It has further appeared as the end credits to Civvies (1992), a TV mini series about former forces personnel trying to navigate the civilian world, as well as in television show Miami Vice ("Out Where the Buses Don't Run" from 1985), the series finale of Cold War thriller The Americans and the 2001 action thriller Spy Game.

Track listings

7" single (DSTR 11)

1. "Brothers in Arms" – 6:04
2. "Going Home (Theme of the Local Hero)" (Live) – 4:45

12" Maxi-Single (DSTR 1112)

1. "Brothers in Arms" (Full Length Version) – 6:58
2. "Going Home (Theme of the Local Hero)" (Live) – 4:45
3. "Why Worry" (Instrumental Segment)

Charts

Chart (1985/88)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	16
Australian Singles Chart	57
Dutch Top 40[12]	59
Irish Singles Chart	10
New Zealand Singles Chart	5
Polish Singles Chart[13]	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[14]	Platinum	90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[15]	Gold	250,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[16]	Gold	35,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[17]	Gold	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[18]	Platinum	600,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of anti-war songs

References

1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 16.
2. "New version of 'Brothers in Arms' to raise funds for Falklands veterans". Fundraising.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
3. Producer: Lucy Lunt (18 September 2012). "Brothers in Arms". Soul Music: Series 14 Episode 4 of 5. BBC. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
4. Beviglia, Jim (29 June 2015). "Lyric of the Week: Dire Straits, "Brothers in Arms"". Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
5. "Keith Hirsch's CD Resource » Blog Archive » The first CD Single: Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms"". keithhirsch.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
6. Producer: Lucy Lunt (18 September 2012). "Brothers in Arms". Soul Music: Series 14 Episode 4 of 5. BBC. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
7. Rees, Paul (17 April 2015). "The Top 10 Best Dire Straits Songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
8. E. (August 1985). "Spins". Spin. No. 4. p. 30.
9. Brothers in Arms: The Videosingles (liner notes). Dire Straits. PolyGram Videdo. 1985.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. "Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits". Songfacts. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
11. "Brothers in Arms: the sound of The West Wing, Brothers in Arms, Series 14, Soul Music - BBC Radio 4". BBC. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
12. Hung, Steffen. "Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms". Hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
13. "Lista Przebojów Programu 3" (in Polish). LP3. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
14. "Danish single certifications – Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
15. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dire Straits; 'Brothers in Arms')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
16. "Italian single certifications – Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 25 October 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Brothers in Arms" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
17. "Spanish single certifications – Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
18. "British single certifications – Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 February 2023.