"Lady Writer" is a 1979 rock song and single by Dire Straits

Dire Straits

Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...

. It appears on the band's second album Communiqué. When asked what the song was about, Knopfler said that he was watching TV one day, and there was a lady writer on the TV, and that's basically where the idea for the song came from. Because the song says the writer is "talking about the Virgin Mary", some have theorised that the writer in question is Marina Warner, a view shared by Warner herself.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,991046,00.html

In Australia the song is closely associated with TV journalist Jana Wendt

Jana Wendt

-Early life:Wendt was born to Czech parents who emigrated to Australia in 1949, and was educated at the University of Melbourne.-Career:Wendt's television career began as a news presenter for ATV-10 evening news...

, formerly a presenter on the Australian version of 60 Minutes

60 Minutes

60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....

.

In all countries Lady Writer was released in as a single, it had a different cover.http://www.mark-knopfler.info/s1979.html For convenience, the UK version is used here.