Vinyl Nostalgia 
“Sultans of Swing” – a rock ballad written by Mark Knopfler for the band Dire Straits, which was released as their first single from their debut album. The album was originally released in 1978, but was reissued a year later. The song became a somewhat unexpected hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom, reaching the top ten on the charts, even though the album itself wasn’t really promoted.
Knopfler wrote it in 1977, after he stumbled into a deserted pub one rainy night and witnessed a performance by a mediocre jazz band. Undeterred by the lack of talent and audience, their singer ended the performance with a slightly enthusiastic: “Goodnight and thank you. We are the Sultans of Swing.”
Mark Knopfler at least left the pub with the seed of an idea. Returning to the flat in Deptford that he shared with his younger brother David and bassist John Illsley, he set about writing a song for the newly formed band.
“Radio stations started playing ‘Sultans of Swing’ like crazy,” Illsley said in an interview. “And because America picked it up, the song came back to the UK and was re-released, which was really strange. It started spreading like wildfire.”
