Dire Straits - Mark Knopfler - Local Hero

Other Songs

Romeo and Juliet

Sultans of Swing

Water of Love (live in Rockpalast - Cologne, Germany, February 16th 1979)

Tunnel of Love-Carousel


"Tunnel of Love" Dire Straits 1980

Throughout "Tunnel of Love", Mark Knopfler dramatizes this close encounter by using his guitar as a Greek chorus. The singer practically spits out the early verses while dodging his own instrumental licks as they ricochet against Illsley and Withers' solid wall of sound. Later, as Knopfler walks alone through the "carousel and the carnival arcades", waiting for another night and another girl, he wraps his voice like a ratty old raincoat around Bittan's gently tinkling piano and the long guitar solo that ends the track. Somehow, the evocative moan of the artist's guitar suggests a truth much deeper than the carnival-as-life metaphor has revealed.
Review by David Fricke (5 February 1981) on "Dire Straits: Making Movies" in Rolling Stone. Getting crazy on the waltzers but it's the life that I choose Sing about the six blade sing about the switchback and a torture tattoo And I been riding on a ghost train where the cars they scream and slam And I don't know where I'll be tonight but I'd always tell you where I am In a screaming ring of faces I seen her standing in the light She had a ticket for the races just like me she was a victim of the night I put my hand upon the lever said let it rock and let it roll I had the one arm bandit fever there was an arrow through my heart and my soul And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above And I'm just high on the world Come on and take a low ride with me girl On the tunnel of love 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 It's just a cakewalk twisting baby step right up and say Hey mister give me two give me two 'cause any two can play And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above And I'm just high on the world Come on and take a low ride with me girl On the tunnel of love Well it's been money for muscle another whirligig Money for muscle another girl I dig Another hustle just to make it big And rock away rock away And girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did Like the Spanish city to me when we were kids Oh girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did Like the Spanish city to me when we were kids She took off a silver locket she said remember me by this She put her hand in my pocket I got a keepsake and a kiss 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 And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above And I'm just high on the world Come on and take a low ride with me girl On the tunnel of love And now I'm searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades Searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades In any shooting gallery where promises are made To rock away rock away from Cullercoats and Whitley bay out to rock away And girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did Like the Spanish city to me when we were kids Girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did Like the Spanish city to me when we were kids Guitar solo