LADY
WRITER
DIRE
STRAITS
SONGWRITER:
MARK KNOPFLER
COUNTRY: U.
K.
ALBUM: COMMUNIQUÉ
LABEL: VERTIGO
GENRE: ROCK
YEAR:
1979
"Lady Writer" is
a 1979 song by Dire Straits, which appears on the band's second album Communiqué.
When asked what the song
was about, lead Singer Mark 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 speculated that the writer in question is Marina
Warner, a view shared by Warner herself.
Dire Straits were a
British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and
lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass
guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). They were active from 1977 to
1988 and again from 1991 to 1995. The band became one of the
world's best-selling music artists, with album sales of over 100 million.
Their first hit single
"Sultans of Swing", from their self-titled debut album released in
1978, reached the top ten in the US chart and became a top ten hit in the UK
the following year. The band released several hit singles in the 1980s, such as
"Romeo and Juliet" (1981), "Private Investigations" (1982),
"Twisting by the Pool" (1983), "Money for Nothing" (1985),
and "Walk of Life" (1986). Their most commercially successful album
was Brothers in Arms (1985), which has sold more than 30 million copies and was
the first album to sell a million copies on the compact disc (CD) format. Dire
Straits' sound was drawn from a wide variety of musical influences including jazz,
folk, and country, as well as the blues-rock of J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton. Their
stripped-down sound contrasted with punk rock and demonstrated a roots rock influence
that emerged from pub rock.
Lady Writer on the TV
Talk about the Virgin Mary
Reminded me of you
Expectations left to come up to yeah
Lady writer on the TV
Yeah, she had another quality
The way you used to look
And I know you never read a book
Just the way that her hair fell down around her face
Then I recall my fall from grace
Another time, another place
Lady writer on the TV
She had all the brains and the beauty
The picture does not fit
You talked to me when you felt like it
Just the way that her hair fell down around her face
Then I recall my fall from grace
Another time, another place
Yes and your rich old man
You know he'd call her a dead ringer
You got the same command
Plus you mother was a jazz singer
Just the way that her hair fell down around her face
Then I recall my fall from grace
Another time, another place
Lady writer on the TV
She knew all about a history
You couldn't hardly write your name
I think I want you just the same as the
Lady writer on the TV
Talking about the Virgin Mary
Yeah you know I'm talking about you and me
And the lady writer on the TV
Lady writer on the TV
Talking about the Virgin Mary
Yeah you know I'm talking about you and me
And the lady writer on the TV.