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"Love over Gold" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits. It is the fourth track and title track from the band's 1982 album. A shorter live version of the song, taken from the album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live, was released as a single.

Meaning and structure

The protagonist of the text is a fragile, inconsistent and standoffish female figure. Musically, the song has an elegant jazz-influenced arrangement, built around the dialogue between Knopfler's guitar and the Mike Mainieri's vibraphone. Rolling Stone describes "Love over Gold" as "a whispery ballad that plays the jazzy tingle of vibes against an almost classical piano air and the violinlike pluck of a synthesizer to heighten its images of a casual, even cavalier, sex life."

The tune of the first and third verses are used as the verse and chorus for Private Dancer also written by Mark Knopfler and recorded by Tina Turner in 1984.

Chart performance

"Love over Gold" reached its highest position in France (No. 15), while peaking at No. 29 in New Zealand, No. 43 in the Netherlands and No. 50 in the band's native United Kingdom.

Other releases

The live version of the song was included on the 1998 compilation Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits, while the original album version was included on the 2005 compilation Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler.

References

1. "Dire Straits – Love Over Gold (Live) / Solid Rock (Live) (1984, Vinyl)" – via www.discogs.com.
2. "Going Straits" (PDF). Number One. 4 February 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
3. "Love Over Gold - Dire Straits | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
4. Giancarlo Passarella, Discografia, in Nannini e Ronconi | canzoni, p. 227
5. ^ Nannini e Ronconi | canzoni, pp. 81–83
6. ^ "Dire Straits Love Over Gold". Classic Rock Review.
7. Fricke, David (November 11, 1982). "Love Over Gold". Rolling Stone.
8. "Dire Straits - Love Over Gold (Live) - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be.
9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
10. "Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits - Dire Straits | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
11. "Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler - Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.

• Dire Straits songs
• 1982 songs
• 1984 singles
• 1980s ballads
• Songs written by Mark Knopfler