The 1985 lyric Mark Knopfler wished he could delete: “What was I doing”
Mark Knopfler later regretted the run of “woo-hoos” at the start of Dire Straits’ 1985 hit ‘Walk of Life’, saying they sounded excessive when he heard the song on the radio. The track was inspired by London street buskers and became one of the band’s biggest commercial successes.
Knopfler said a photograph of a subway performer turning away from passers-by to improve the sound’s natural reverb prompted the song. ‘Walk of Life’ reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two in the UK, while its opening vocal calls helped give the upbeat track its memorable sound.
- Knopfler said he wished ‘Walk of Life’ had fewer opening “woo-hoos”.
- A photograph of a London subway busker inspired the song.
- The hit reached number two in the UK and number seven in the US.