Dire Straits – Tunnel Of Love

General CommentThe best track Mark Knopfler ever created - bar none. This is a magical story about meeting a girl, liking her, and not wanting to spoil things by getting too deep. The song begins with Knopfler telling us that he likes the dangerous side of life, using fairground metaphors "Getting crazy on the walzers, but it's the life that I choose". Amongst the riff-raff he finds a like-minded female "In a screaming ring of faces I seen her standing in the light. She had a ticket for the races, yeah, just like me she was a victim of the night" and the girl decides they should enjoy the moment but remain anonymous in order to retain feeling of mystery and danger "It's just the danger when you're riding at your own risk. She said you are the perfect stranger, she said baby let's keep it like this". Then, in a bid to retain the feeling that the nameless relationship is perfect in its current state, she walks away and Mark knows its best not to go after it, but to remember this good time for what it was "And in the roar of dust and diesel I stood and watched her walk away. I could have caught up with her easy enough but something must have made me stay". However, he has a late change of heart, and sets off to find her "now i'm searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades". Many speculate that the song is merely about having a good time at a fun park, but I think there is a deeper meaning here. For example, "the big wheel keep on turning" in my mind is a clear reference to the fact the world keeps turning regardless of how he plays this out, and he claims that he is "high on this world" thanks to the excitement of the day, then he requests that the girl "take a low ride with me...on the Tunnel of Love". This seems to suggest to me that he knows falling in love would remove the "high" and the danger, but he still wants to get to that stage anyway. Musically, this has a curious opening (namely 'The Carousel Waltz') but, once it kicks into life, you know it's Dire Straits. Knopfler's playing on this track is more influenced by the blues than you may think. He sings a line, plays a bit, sings a line, plays a bit - a blues trait if ever there was one. Speaking of the guitar work, on this track the man really excelled himself. His solos are often similar to David Gilmour's in that he doesn't just play the whole way through the instrumental sections, he leaves plenty of gaps - an often underrated idea - and every time he stops for breath it just leaves the listener begging for more. Great playing, great lyrics - one of the best songs of the 80's without any shadow of a doubt.

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  @Bazalinhio

Song MeaningMark Knopfler said this was about a girl he met at the Spanish City amusement park where he grew up. He spent an evening with her and they decided on remaining anomonyous to each other. He said he never felt stronger for someone than the girl he writes about in this song and you can tell. The guitar solo at the end of the song is just amazing. Evokes the feeling of longiness of wanting to find and be with someone you lost along the way.

Best Dire Strait song bar, from a spiritual, lyrical and composition standpoint.

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  @donjuansdaddy

General CommentThis is my fravourite song of all time...I think it's about living in the moment.

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  @ledded

General CommentAt DS\'s 1983 concert in Sydney Australia (Hordern Pavilliion) Mark Knopfler introduced this song as about his growing up in Newcastle, England. The Spanish City is a part of Newcastle.

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  @chrisb1

General CommentSpringsteen's Tunnel of Love is a truly outstanding song, and indeed album, but Knophler's Tunnel of Love is in my opinion, the downright most heartfelt song I have ever. I recently watched the film "An Officer and a Gentleman," which contains a large segment of this song. The song, as heartfelt as it already is, was so appropriate in this situation, as those who have seen this film would know. This prompted me to come on SM and comment on just how amazing this song is. None of this 3 minute crap released today can even come close to masterpieces like this, When someone can manage to make an 8 minute song remain interesting and progressive for its entirety, you can tell they have real talent.

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  @mushie01

General CommentThe guitar at the end tells a story of its own.

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  @tyrock

General CommentI've always kind of assumed this was an ode to the short-lived bliss that filling a gambling addiction (slots in particular) gives, and how that was reminiscent of the thrill of meeting a girl at a carnival when he was younger. The most obvious lyric is the one about grabbing the lever, letting it rock n roll, he had the one-armed bandit fever.

But it goes on. The big wheel turning can be both a ferris wheel and the reels of a slot. The neon lights burning are the sirens that go off when you win, which is where the "high on the world" comes in, the "low ride" is what you experience as you constantly lose quarters to the insert slot.

Finally at the end of the song he is told to go away. She left a single quarter in the prize tray (the keepsake in the pocket), which he manages to not spend despite wanting desperately to run back and do. He remembers how excited he was as a kid going to the carnival and riding the ride with a girl, but now he only finds such joy as the anonymous addicted loser planted in front of a slot machine.

Probably not what the singer intended the song to mean, but you gotta admit the similarities are uncanny.

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  @wasabi51989

General CommentI think the 'girl' in this song is just Rock and Roll in general. Knopfler might be talking about how he lost track of the real music because of the crazy, glamorous, money-soaked life he leads (and in the roar of dust and diesel I stood and watched her walk away/i could have caught up with her easy enough but something must have made me stay).

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  @majii

General Commenti've heard its about the carnival, and how you can go there and find a girl, or guy, and hang out for the evening as a couple, and then when its over, neither care that much because though they had a passion, it was just a flash in the pan. so as they part, they give each other a "remember me" gift, a kiss, and say goodbye. then he stays at the carnival for a while, and remembers the rest of the evening.

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  @Rodan2000

General CommentI like how smooth the song is. His voice just goes with the guitar like most of their songs. But in this one the drums and piano are right there too. It rocks.

I like how he uses the word rockaway. Its an awesome word. He uses it as a verb when its realy a noun meaning a carriage or a town name. Thats awesome.
So it doesn't have a definition, but I know exactly what he means, even though I couldn't tell you 'cus I don't know how to describe it.

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  @U-235