Dire Straits can pull a lot of moods. They can do slow, epic contemplation very well. Hard rock? They smash it.
That leaves their bluesy ballads, and the swinging soft rock exemplified by “Tunnel Of Love”. There are other songs I could choose for this, as it’s one of the band’s more distinctive, and popular, styles of music.
The track is from Making Movies (1980), and saw a release the year after as a single.
As with many Dire Straits’ songs, Mark Knopfler’s guitar work is a sonic spectacle. The long solo in the final couple of minutes, kicking off at 6 minutes, is a true masterclass in the soft rock guitar solo. Sublime, truly.
I personally prefer the verses to the chorus, but the chorus does kick in magnificently, with a hard edged guitar riff. There are plenty of worse ways to spend 8 minutes than soaking up this gem!