This song is actually about the British comedy/ drama series "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet", about a group of labourers in the early 1980s (principaly Geordies, but also a scouser, a cockney, a brummie and a bloke from the West Country). Having been hit pretty hard by Thatcherism, the group head off to find temporary employment in Germany (and subseqently all over the world).
Although the song was used for season three of the series, Knopfler wrote the song of his own volition - being himself a citizen of Newcastle, the concerns of Geordies (real or, apparently, fictitious) are of great concern to him!
The chorus is notable for two of the actors from the series (Jimmy Nail and Tim Healy) singing back up.
A fun song. Exceptional guitar work as always, with a good strong percussion line. Chorus (perhaps intentionally) is reminicent of Native American chants.
@diluna25
Being from the US I had to look up Geordies, scouser, brummie and a bloke from the West Country. I am old enough to remember and still be repelled by Thatcherism. Will probably never have option to view to view "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet", but i have all the BBC streaming stuff so i will watch for it. Thanks for taking the time to enhance my understanding of this great lyricist and musician.
I have been listening since 1978 but have missed a lot of the profound complexities. I did notice the closing drum line. I live in the South West...
@diluna25
Being from the US I had to look up Geordies, scouser, brummie and a bloke from the West Country. I am old enough to remember and still be repelled by Thatcherism. Will probably never have option to view to view "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet", but i have all the BBC streaming stuff so i will watch for it. Thanks for taking the time to enhance my understanding of this great lyricist and musician.
I have been listening since 1978 but have missed a lot of the profound complexities. I did notice the closing drum line. I live in the South West and have spent many vacations on/in various communities/reservations learning about local customs, art, history, etc. and it jumps right out at me.
This song is actually about the British comedy/ drama series "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet", about a group of labourers in the early 1980s (principaly Geordies, but also a scouser, a cockney, a brummie and a bloke from the West Country). Having been hit pretty hard by Thatcherism, the group head off to find temporary employment in Germany (and subseqently all over the world). Although the song was used for season three of the series, Knopfler wrote the song of his own volition - being himself a citizen of Newcastle, the concerns of Geordies (real or, apparently, fictitious) are of great concern to him! The chorus is notable for two of the actors from the series (Jimmy Nail and Tim Healy) singing back up. A fun song. Exceptional guitar work as always, with a good strong percussion line. Chorus (perhaps intentionally) is reminicent of Native American chants.
@diluna25 Being from the US I had to look up Geordies, scouser, brummie and a bloke from the West Country. I am old enough to remember and still be repelled by Thatcherism. Will probably never have option to view to view "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet", but i have all the BBC streaming stuff so i will watch for it. Thanks for taking the time to enhance my understanding of this great lyricist and musician. I have been listening since 1978 but have missed a lot of the profound complexities. I did notice the closing drum line. I live in the South West...
@diluna25 Being from the US I had to look up Geordies, scouser, brummie and a bloke from the West Country. I am old enough to remember and still be repelled by Thatcherism. Will probably never have option to view to view "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet", but i have all the BBC streaming stuff so i will watch for it. Thanks for taking the time to enhance my understanding of this great lyricist and musician. I have been listening since 1978 but have missed a lot of the profound complexities. I did notice the closing drum line. I live in the South West and have spent many vacations on/in various communities/reservations learning about local customs, art, history, etc. and it jumps right out at me.