In October 1985, Vertigo released the title track, "Brothers in Arms," ​​in the UK as a single, catalog number DSTR 11, on seven-inch vinyl with several label variants.

Side A contained a six-minute edit of the title track, while Side B contained the instrumental "Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)" from the live album Alchemy (1984, Vertigo VERY 11).

The single was released simultaneously in a few versions: a standard 7" (DSTR 11), a 7" picture disc (DSPIC 11), a 10" (DSTR 1110), a 12" maxi single (DSTR 1112) with three tracks ("Brothers in Arms" in its full version, "Going Home" live, and "Why Worry" instrumental 3:55), and the first in the world CD single (884 285-2).

Releasing so many versions of a single wasn't industry standard in 1985, but this mechanism proved remarkably effective: the market was saturated with every possible format and price point to appeal to every audience segment.