Knopfler i els sultans

Dire Straits van ser un dels meus grups de capçalera. La guitarra de Mark Knopfler no ha deixat d'acompanyar-me des d'aleshores, tot i que els diferents treballs que ha fet en solitari després no m'han arribat a emocionar mai tant com ho va fer amb algunes cançons del grup. Recorde, sobretot, un concert memorable al camp del Llevant, durant la gira -crec- de l'Alchemy, el potentíssim disc en directe que resumia la primera època -i la més suggerent, al meu parer- del grup. D'aquella època -del primer disc, de fet- és la seua peça més coneguda: Sultans of swing.

Sultans of swing

You get a shiver in the dark
It's raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing Dixie double four time
You feel alright when you hear that music ring
You step inside but you don't see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down
Too much competition too many other places
But not too many horns can make that sound
Way on downsouth way on downsouth London town
You check out Guitar George he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
And an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job he's doing alright
He can play honky tonk just like anything
Saving it up for Friday night
With the Sultans with the Sultans of Swing
And a crowd of young boys they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And the Sultans played Creole
And then the man he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
'Thank you goodnight now it's time to go home'
and he makes it fast with one more thing
'We are the Sultans of Swing'.