Water of Love
Encyclopedia
"Water of Love" is a song written by Mark Knopfler
and originally released on Dire Straits
' self-titled debut album
. It was also released as a single in some countries, backed by "Down to the Waterline," as a follow-up to the band's first single from the album, "Sultans of Swing
." The single reached #28 on the Dutch
charts. It also reached #54 in Australia. The song was also included on Dire Straits live album Live at the BBC
and on the multi-artist compilation album More Than Unplugged.
Both "Water of Love" and "Down to the Waterline," as well as "Sultans of Swing," were among the five songs included on Dire Straits' demo
tape that the band sent to Charlie Gillett
, who played the tape on his radio show leading to the band's first recording contract. It is one of four songs on side 1 of the Dire Straits album which deals with unhappy relationships, and author Michael Oldfield believes that the song is basically about the break-up of Mark Knopfler's marriage. Writing in Rolling Stone Magazine, Ken Tucker
used the song as an example of Knopfler's penchant for mixing clever lines with prosaic ones. Tucker gives as an example the clever line "I need a little water of love" followed by "You know it's evil when you're living alone," which Tucker considers a silly line. Writing in Billboard Magazine, Cary Darling praised the song's lyrics but criticizes the easy listening
arrangement which "fails to grab the listener." The Rolling Stone Album Guide commented on the "stark, romantic vision" of this song and its B-side, "Down to the Waterline," and how that vision contrasted with the bitterness of Dire Straits songs such as "Sultans of Swing."
"Water of Love" is one of five songs that Knopfler's publisher made country demos of without Knopfler's approval, leading to a number of country covers of Knopfler's songs. This led to a cover version recorded by The Judds
, which appeared on their River of Time
album. Wynonna Judd
provided a "nocturnal and mysterious" lead vocal, and Knopfler himself played guitar on the Judds' version. Allmusic critic Thom Jurek described the song as "the most seductive tune" on River of Time and The Rolling Stone Album Guide praised Knopfler's "typically pungent" guitar solo. Alex Bollard and Lex Vandyke have also covered the song.
In his book My Life in Orange
, author Tim Guest
recalls listening to Dire Straits' version of the song and the line "Water of love, deep in the ground, but there ain't no water here to be found" as a child hiding behind the sofa and wishing that the water of love would come to him some day. The first person narrator of Caprice Crane
's first novel Stupid and Contagious references "Water of Love" as an example of a clever song that she would like to hear quoted instead of the sound of flushing toilet
s, along with AC/DC
's "Big Balls," ZZ Top
's "Tush
," Nirvana
's "Smells Like Teen Spirit
" or Frank Sinatra
's "My Way
."
album and was also written by Mark Knopfler and included on the demo tape that the band sent to Charlie Gillett leading to its first recording contract.
The lyrics of "Down to the Waterline" tell of a brief sexual tryst. Cary Darling of Billboard praises the song as superior to the other love songs on side 1 of Dire Straits, including "Water of Love." According to Mark Knopfler's brother and fellow Dire Straits member David
, the song's imagery is based on Mark's memories of walking along the River Tyne
at night under the lights with his girlfriend when he was a teenager. Darling praises the lyrics as "incisive" but "never cliched." Darling also praises the moody foghorn
sound that opens the song, Knopfler's "quick finger picking" guitar playing and the tightness of the band on this song. High Fidelity also commented on the song's "tender, passionate, and yet unsentimental" erotic imagery. The Rolling Stone Album Guide commented on the song's "galloping groove."
"Down to the Waterline" later appeared on Dire Straits live album Live at the BBC
and on the Dire Straits "Best of" compilation album Money for Nothing
.
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...
and originally released on 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...
' self-titled debut album
Dire Straits (album)
Dire Straits is the self-titled debut album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in October 1978 by Phonogram Records.-History:...
. It was also released as a single in some countries, backed by "Down to the Waterline," as a follow-up to the band's first single from the album, "Sultans of Swing
Sultans of Swing
"Sultans of Swing" was the first single release of the British rock band Dire Straits. First released in 1978, its 1979 re-release caused it to become a hit in both the UK and USA....
." The single reached #28 on the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
charts. It also reached #54 in Australia. The song was also included on Dire Straits live album Live at the BBC
Live at the BBC (Dire Straits album)
Live at the BBC is a live album by Dire Straits, recorded in-between Dire Straits, Communiqué and Making Movies. The studio version of first six songs were released on Dire Straits.-History:...
and on the multi-artist compilation album More Than Unplugged.
Both "Water of Love" and "Down to the Waterline," as well as "Sultans of Swing," were among the five songs included on Dire Straits' demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tape that the band sent to Charlie Gillett
Charlie Gillett
Charlie Gillett , was a British radio presenter, musicologist and writer, mainly on rock and roll and other forms of popular music...
, who played the tape on his radio show leading to the band's first recording contract. It is one of four songs on side 1 of the Dire Straits album which deals with unhappy relationships, and author Michael Oldfield believes that the song is basically about the break-up of Mark Knopfler's marriage. Writing in Rolling Stone Magazine, Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker was an English footballer who played as a left winger....
used the song as an example of Knopfler's penchant for mixing clever lines with prosaic ones. Tucker gives as an example the clever line "I need a little water of love" followed by "You know it's evil when you're living alone," which Tucker considers a silly line. Writing in Billboard Magazine, Cary Darling praised the song's lyrics but criticizes the easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
arrangement which "fails to grab the listener." The Rolling Stone Album Guide commented on the "stark, romantic vision" of this song and its B-side, "Down to the Waterline," and how that vision contrasted with the bitterness of Dire Straits songs such as "Sultans of Swing."
"Water of Love" is one of five songs that Knopfler's publisher made country demos of without Knopfler's approval, leading to a number of country covers of Knopfler's songs. This led to a cover version recorded by The Judds
The Judds
The Judds were an American country music duo composed of Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynonna Judd. Signed to RCA Records in 1983, the duo released six studio albums between then and 1991. One of the most successful acts in country music history, The Judds won five Grammy Awards for Best Country...
, which appeared on their River of Time
River of Time
River of Time is the title of a studio album released by RCA Records in 1989 by the American country music duo The Judds. It features the singles "Young Love ," "Let Me Tell You About Love," "One Man Woman" and "Guardian Angel." While the first two singles reached #1 on the country charts, the...
album. Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Ellen Judd is an American country music singer. Her solo albums and singles are all credited to the singular name Wynonna. Wynonna first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother, Naomi, in the country music duo The Judds...
provided a "nocturnal and mysterious" lead vocal, and Knopfler himself played guitar on the Judds' version. Allmusic critic Thom Jurek described the song as "the most seductive tune" on River of Time and The Rolling Stone Album Guide praised Knopfler's "typically pungent" guitar solo. Alex Bollard and Lex Vandyke have also covered the song.
In his book My Life in Orange
My Life in Orange
My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru is an account of a child growing up in the Rajneesh movement led by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The book is a firsthand account, written by Tim Guest years after his experiences, at the age of 27. The book was published in 2004 by Granta Books...
, author Tim Guest
Tim Guest
Tim Guest was an English author and journalist.-Early childhood:...
recalls listening to Dire Straits' version of the song and the line "Water of love, deep in the ground, but there ain't no water here to be found" as a child hiding behind the sofa and wishing that the water of love would come to him some day. The first person narrator of Caprice Crane
Caprice Crane
Caprice Crane is an American novelist, screenwriter and television writer/producer.Crane was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of radio announcer/TV interviewer Les Crane and actress Tina Louise...
's first novel Stupid and Contagious references "Water of Love" as an example of a clever song that she would like to hear quoted instead of the sound of flushing toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
s, along with AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
's "Big Balls," ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
's "Tush
Tush (song)
"Tush" was the only single from ZZ Top's fourth album Fandango!. It reached number 20 on the pop chart.The song is a twelve-bar blues in the key of G. The recording was produced by Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning...
," Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
's "Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...
" or Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's "My Way
My Way (song)
"My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibault. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the...
."
Down to the Waterline
The B-side of the "Water of Love" single, "Down to the Waterline," was the first song on the Dire StraitsDire Straits (album)
Dire Straits is the self-titled debut album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in October 1978 by Phonogram Records.-History:...
album and was also written by Mark Knopfler and included on the demo tape that the band sent to Charlie Gillett leading to its first recording contract.
The lyrics of "Down to the Waterline" tell of a brief sexual tryst. Cary Darling of Billboard praises the song as superior to the other love songs on side 1 of Dire Straits, including "Water of Love." According to Mark Knopfler's brother and fellow Dire Straits member David
David Knopfler
David Knopfler is a British singer-songwriter, rhythm guitarist, pianist and cofounder of the critically acclaimed rock band Dire Straits....
, the song's imagery is based on Mark's memories of walking along the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
at night under the lights with his girlfriend when he was a teenager. Darling praises the lyrics as "incisive" but "never cliched." Darling also praises the moody foghorn
Foghorn
A foghorn or fog signal or fog bell is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards or boats of the presence of other vehicles in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport...
sound that opens the song, Knopfler's "quick finger picking" guitar playing and the tightness of the band on this song. High Fidelity also commented on the song's "tender, passionate, and yet unsentimental" erotic imagery. The Rolling Stone Album Guide commented on the song's "galloping groove."
"Down to the Waterline" later appeared on Dire Straits live album Live at the BBC
Live at the BBC (Dire Straits album)
Live at the BBC is a live album by Dire Straits, recorded in-between Dire Straits, Communiqué and Making Movies. The studio version of first six songs were released on Dire Straits.-History:...
and on the Dire Straits "Best of" compilation album 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...
.