Private Investigations
Encyclopedia
"Private Investigations" is a popular song by Dire Straits
from their album Love Over Gold
. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it reached the number 2 position in the UK (despite its length), and is one of their biggest chart successes in the United Kingdom, on a par with "Walk of Life
". Similarly, the album it came from, Love over Gold, only sold 500,000 copies in the US, though it was well-received elsewhere. The track also appeared on the compilation albums Money for Nothing
and Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits, and is the title track to the more recent 2005 compilation, The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations
.
The song begins with a sinister, deep pitched synthesizer orchestration, leading into a slow piano progression accompanying a classical guitar. Throughout the several spoken verses, Knopfler expresses the disillusionment and bitterness of a betrayed lover, likening his position to that of a private investigator uncovering scandal: "A bottle of whiskey and a new set of lies / Blinds on the windows and a pain behind the eyes.....Scarred for life, no compensation / Private investigations."
After the verses, the song opens up into a slow, bass-driven beat, with strident electric guitar chords at the end, before the gradual diminuendo featuring extended interplay between Mark Knopfler
's acoustic guitar and marimba
played by Mike Mainieri
.
On the Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits DVD
, Mark Knopfler said this about the song: "It's just about the Private Investigations... "What have you got at the end of the day" - Nothing more than you started out with..." It is said the song was inspired by author Raymond Chandler
.
This song was also modified by Mark Knopfler into a film score for the Bill Forsyth
movie Comfort and Joy
in 1984, where you can hear the song broken up into portions and used for certain scenes.
The riff from the song was used on a BT
advert in 1994.
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...
from their album Love Over Gold
Love over Gold
Love Over Gold is the fourth album by British rock band Dire Straits.- History :Due to its lengthy atmospheric instrumental passages, the album has been cited as the band's attempt at progressive rock....
. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it reached the number 2 position in the UK (despite its length), and is one of their biggest chart successes in the United Kingdom, on a par with "Walk of Life
Walk of Life (Dire Straits song)
"Walk of Life" is a 1985 song by the British rock band Dire Straits. It appeared on their best-selling album Brothers in Arms. It subsequently appeared on their live album On the Night. It was released as a single in November 1985 but had first been available as the b-side of "So Far Away" released...
". Similarly, the album it came from, Love over Gold, only sold 500,000 copies in the US, though it was well-received elsewhere. The track also appeared on the compilation albums Money for Nothing
Money for Nothing (album)
Money for Nothing is a greatest hits album by Dire Straits released in 1988. It features highlights from the band's first five albums. The vinyl edition omits "Telegraph Road" and has a different running order, with "Tunnel of Love" placed between "Money for Nothing", the title track, and "Brothers...
and Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits, and is the title track to the more recent 2005 compilation, The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations
The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations
The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations is a 2005 best of album. Named after their 1982 hit single, it consists of material by Dire Straits, with songs selected from the majority of the group's six studio albums from 1978 up to the group's dissolution in 1995...
.
The song begins with a sinister, deep pitched synthesizer orchestration, leading into a slow piano progression accompanying a classical guitar. Throughout the several spoken verses, Knopfler expresses the disillusionment and bitterness of a betrayed lover, likening his position to that of a private investigator uncovering scandal: "A bottle of whiskey and a new set of lies / Blinds on the windows and a pain behind the eyes.....Scarred for life, no compensation / Private investigations."
After the verses, the song opens up into a slow, bass-driven beat, with strident electric guitar chords at the end, before the gradual diminuendo featuring extended interplay between Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
's acoustic guitar and marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
played by Mike Mainieri
Mike Mainieri
Michael T. Mainieri, Jr. is a vibraphonist best known for his work with the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead....
.
On the Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, Mark Knopfler said this about the song: "It's just about the Private Investigations... "What have you got at the end of the day" - Nothing more than you started out with..." It is said the song was inspired by author Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
.
This song was also modified by Mark Knopfler into a film score for the Bill Forsyth
Bill Forsyth
Bill Forsyth is a Scottish film director and writer, noted for his commitment to national film-making.Forsyth first came to attention with a low-budget film, That Sinking Feeling, made with youth theatre actors and featuring a cameo appearance by the Edinburgh gallery owner Richard Demarco...
movie Comfort and Joy
Comfort and Joy
Comfort and Joy is a 1984 film directed by Bill Forsyth. It stars Bill Paterson as a radio DJ whose life undergoes a bizarre upheaval when his girlfriend leaves him.-Plot:...
in 1984, where you can hear the song broken up into portions and used for certain scenes.
The riff from the song was used on a BT
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
advert in 1994.
Chart positions
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
| The Netherlands | #1 |
| UK | #2 |