Liner Notes · No. 020
"Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits: the B-side
Quick hall pass: the song that roasted MTV ended up in a Weird Al movie, at Live Aid and in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here's the B-side.
📰 FAST FACTS
- Knopfler, Sting, Yankovic and Beverly Hillbillies creator Paul Henning all share the writing credit on Weird Al's version. (Wikipedia)
- September 15, 1997: Music for Montserrat at the Royal Albert Hall, organised by George Martin for the island where the song was recorded, after the Soufriere Hills volcano. "Money for Nothing" is on the concert's DVD, and the show raised about £1.5 million. (Live for Live Music, Wikipedia)
- Knopfler turned 77 on August 12, 2026, and still shows no interest in a Dire Straits reunion. (Guitar Player)
On this record
TRACK 1 · The cameo
UHF, an asterisk and the blocky guys' next job
Weird Al parodied the song and the video in UHF, asterisk courtesy of the lawyers. The video's animators went on to make their own CGI cartoon.
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The movie: 1989, UHF, "Weird Al" Yankovic's movie. Al turned the song into "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*", singing the Beverly Hillbillies theme over the Dire Straits music. His video is a parody of the original CGI video, so the video that roasted rock stars got roasted right back. Fair is fair.
The asterisk: That little star at the end of the title is there for legal reasons. Not for style. For lawyers. The most 1989 piece of punctuation ever printed.
The next job: Ian Pearson and Gavin Blair, the two animators who made the video, went on to found their own studio and make an all-CGI TV cartoon. The blocky movers grew up and got a series. Which show? Your call ↓
The two animators behind this video went on to make which all-CGI TV cartoon?
If you watched the pop-ups, this one's a freebie.
That's Side A. Flip the tape.
Side B is where it gets weird:
- Weird Al's Beverly Hillbillies version, and the one condition Mark Knopfler set before he'd allow it.
- Live Aid two weeks after release with Sting, then Mandela's 70th birthday with Eric Clapton, then Knebworth.
- The Rock Hall night Knopfler skipped, a charity remake with dozens of guitar heroes, and a 40th-anniversary box with a lost 1985 concert.
Free, every Tuesday. One song, the story you never heard, and a 10-minute hall pass from the doomscroll. Already subscribed? Enter your email to unlock.
▶ SIDE B
TRACK 2 · The live one
Live Aid, Mandela and Knebworth
Live Aid with Sting, then Mandela's 70th and Knebworth with Eric Clapton on guitar.
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Live Aid: July 13, 1985, Wembley Stadium, two weeks after the single came out. Dire Straits played a set of about 19 minutes, and Sting came out to sing his part. The band was in the middle of a run at Wembley Arena, across the car park, and walked over to their own gig afterwards.
Mandela's 70th: June 11, 1988, the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute at Wembley, broadcast to 67 countries. Dire Straits played with Eric Clapton on second guitar for the whole set, "Money for Nothing" included. Imagine being the other guitarist in that band. Imagine your second guitarist being Eric Clapton.
Knebworth: June 30, 1990, the Silver Clef winners show. Knopfler and Dire Straits joined Clapton's set and played it, and it came out on the Live at Knebworth video. Clapton and Knopfler, again. At this point they should have shared a tour bus and a headband budget.
TRACK 3 · Cover watch
Weird Al, a club sample and a swing band
Weird Al got Knopfler on guitar, by mail. Deep Dish got the band's first sample yes. Plus a swing version and a garage one.
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- 1989 · "Weird Al" Yankovic. "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*". Knopfler's one condition for allowing it: he had to play guitar on it. Guy Fletcher played synth. Knopfler didn't even come to the studio; he recorded his part in London on the multitrack master they shipped over. The only parody in history where the parodied guy showed up to help. By mail.
- 2005 · Deep Dish. The DJ duo sampled it for "Flashing for Money," built on their own club hit "Flashdance." Songfacts says it was the first time Dire Straits allowed a song to be sampled. Their first yes, and it went straight to the dance floor.
- Big Daddy. The novelty band that redoes modern hits in old-timey styles turned it into a swing number. Zoot suits, no CGI required.
- Dinosaur Pile-Up. A stripped-down power-trio garage version, the opposite of the original's huge sound. No mic slipping to the floor this time. Probably.
▶ WATCH THE CONTENDERS
Battle of the versions: which "Money for Nothing" wins?
Cast your vote. Results in the next issue. Choose carefully: we're judging you.
TRACK 4 · Where are they now
Where Dire Straits is now
Dire Straits entered the Rock Hall in 2018 without Knopfler. Since then: a charity all-star "Going Home," a tenth solo album and a 40th-anniversary box.
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The Rock Hall: April 14, 2018, Dire Straits went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mark Knopfler didn't attend. Bassist John Illsley inducted the band himself, with Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher, and said Knopfler's absence was for personal reasons.
Going Home: On March 15, 2024, "Mark Knopfler's Guitar Heroes" released a nine-minute charity remake of "Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)" for Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Slash, Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend and dozens more played on it, with Sting on bass and Ringo on drums. It opens with Jeff Beck's final recorded guitar part.
The solo years: On April 12, 2024, Knopfler released One Deep River, his tenth solo album, on his British Grove label via Blue Note/EMI. He said there would be no tour. Then on May 16, 2025, Brothers in Arms got a 40th-anniversary edition with a previously unreleased 1985 concert from San Antonio, Texas. The album your dad bought a CD player for is now old enough to get its own box set.
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