Quote:
Originally Posted by skaltezon
Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
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That's a great song. I remember watching the video when it came out.
I love that deep, gritty note that slides from high to low, such as at 1:15 and 1:23. That note has a lot of personality and I associate it only with this song. I also love the buildup at the beginning of the song and the satisfying thudding of the drums, which are recorded very well.
Finally, I like the meaning of the song, which is sung from the perspective of blue collar electronics salesmen who have disdain for rock star "work" since the salesmen are doing *real* work (practical, physical, repetitive labor without fame or fortune), yet they also feel envious of the rock stars and express their envy and frustration (with their own lives) by putting them down.
Since rock stars are singing the song, this makes Dire Straits' actual perspective on the salesmen's view of themselves difficult to pin down, based on the song. Do Dire Straits agree somewhat that rock stars aren't doing real work? Are they sympathetic with the salesmen's viewpoint?
After reading
Song Meanings at Songfacts about what Dire Straits frontman says about the song, I think Knopfler's view is that rock stars
are doing real work and the electronics salesman is making ignorant statements.
I agree with the electronics salesman, though.
I don't view being a rock star as real work (even though it is paid), assuming the musicians like being musicians and think it is fun.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skaltezon
In this context 'faggot' doesn't mean 'homosexual'. To the sweat-laborer characters singing the song,
it means a prettyboy rock star who seems to get everything the easy way.
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I agree. The word "***got" doesn't mean the salesman thinks the rock star is gay, but rather the salesman thinks the rock star is a prettyboy who seems to get everything the easy way, just like you say.
However, the word "***got" as a slur originated because of homophobia and so can be perceived as derogatory toward gay people and as
perpetuating discrimination against gay people whenever it used as a putdown, even if the speaker doesn't intend the word to be a putdown of homosexuality.
I read that in 2010 this song became embroiled in arguments over free speech because of its use of the word "***got," according to this website:
Quote:
Money For Nothing by Dire Straits Songfacts
"Money for Nothing" Song Banned from Radio
"25 years after the song's release it was banned from public broadcast in Canada after one person complained about it being homophobic. The original version included a description of a singer as 'that little ***got with the earring and the make-up" plus two other uses of the word "***got,' although a cleaned-up edition was made available, Oz-FM in Newfoundland played the first edition in February 2010 at 9:15 at night. The result was a single complaint and the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruled that the unedited version of the song was unacceptable for air play on Canadian radio stations because it 'refers to sexual orientation in a derogatory way.'
"On August 31, 2011 ... the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council put an end to the ban and allowed individual radio stations to once again decide for themselves whether to play the classic rock tune."
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I was surprised that a Canadian organization would be so quick to limit free speech.