RIFFOLOGY
Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits, album cover
Album

Brothers in Arms

by Dire Straits
Released17 May 1985
LabelVertigo
Popularity93.5
Also cited15 May 1985
rockclassic rockpop rockblues rockheartland rock
Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗Deezer ↗Podcast cover

Brothers in Arms is the fifth studio album by Dire Straits, following Love Over Gold in 1982, and it came out in May 1985 on Vertigo. Mark Knopfler produced it with Neil Dorfsman, who had already engineered Love Over Gold and Knopfler's Local Hero soundtrack. Its sound runs from blues-tinged rock to a softer, pop-leaning style, with a polish that suited the new digital format.

That format is part of its story: it was the first album to sell over a million copies on CD. It went on to top charts in the UK, the US and Australia, where it spent 34 weeks at number one, and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. It won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, and the Brit Award for Best British Album. A 2025 anniversary box set adds a previously unreleased live show from San Antonio, recorded on the world tour.

Brothers in Arms on Riffology

riffology.co →
Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits: The Complete Story
Album deep dive
Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits: The Complete Story
14 August 2024

Brothers in Arms: tracklist, credits and charts

9 tracks · 55:12

Tracklist

  1. 1So Far AwayMark Knopfler5:14
  2. 2Money for NothingMark Knopfler and Sting8:25
  3. 3Walk of LifeMark Knopfler4:13
  4. 4Your Latest TrickMark Knopfler6:34
  5. 5Why WorryMark Knopfler8:31
  6. 6Ride Across the RiverMark Knopfler6:59
  7. 7The Man’s Too StrongMark Knopfler4:40
  8. 8One WorldMark Knopfler3:41
  9. 9Brothers in ArmsMark Knopfler6:56
Produced by
Neil Dorfsman, Mark Knopfler
Recorded at
AIR Studios Montserrat, AIR (Salem, Montserrat), Power Station (New York City)
Recorded
November 1984 – February 1985
Mixed at
Power Station at BerkleeNYC
Engineered by
Neil Dorfsman
Labels
Vertigo, Warner Bros.
Length
55:12

Line-up

  • Alan Clark · keyboard
  • Guy Fletcher · keyboard, background vocals
  • Omar Hakim · drums (drum set)
  • John Illsley · bass guitar, background vocals
  • Mark Knopfler · guitar, vocals
  • Terry Williams · drums (drum set) · guest
  • Sting · vocals · guest
  • Michael Brecker · tenor saxophone · guest

Singles

  • “So Far Away” · 12 April 1985
  • “Money for Nothing” · 28 June 1985
  • “Walk of Life” · 14 October 1985 (US)
  • “Brothers in Arms” · 18 October 1985 (UK)
  • “Your Latest Trick” · 25 April 1986

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
UK Albums Chart · 1985–20251
US Billboard 200 · 1985–20251
Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1985–20251
Austrian Albums · 1985–20251
Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1985–20251
Dutch Albums · 1985–20251
European Albums (Eurotipsheet) · 1985–20251
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) · 1985–20251
French Albums · 1985–20251
German Albums · 1985–20251
All 22 charts
New Zealand Albums · 1985–20251
Norwegian Albums · 1985–20251
Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1985–20251
Swedish Albums · 1985–20251
Swiss Albums · 1985–20251
Italian Albums · 1985–20254
Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1985–20257
Norwegian Rock Albums (IFPI Norge) · 1985–20257
Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1985–20258
Portuguese Albums · 1985–202513
Poland 2 · 1985–202514
Hungarian Albums · 1985–202525

Certifications

RegionCertification
Argentina · 1989Gold
Australia · 200917× Platinum
Austria4× Platinum
Belgium · 20224× Platinum
Brazil3× Platinum
CanadaDiamond
Denmark · 20257× Platinum
Finland2× Platinum
France · 1994Diamond
Germany · 1985Platinum
Hong Kong · 1988Platinum
Italy · 1987Platinum
Italy · 20252× Platinum
New Zealand · 200724× Platinum
Poland · 2023Platinum
Spain3× Platinum
Sweden · 2002Gold
Switzerland · 19946× Platinum
Switzerland · 1998Platinum
United Kingdom · 202515× Platinum
United States9× Platinum

Awards

  • SNEP diamond album

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

93.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
15k
ListenBrainz listeners
364k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
71k
Deezer fans (all editions)
← Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (1984)Money for Nothing (1988) →

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Full discography →
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1993
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1995
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1998
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2005

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Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia 1985-05-17 vs 1985-05-15 (musicbrainz), 1985-05-13 (wikidata)
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz15 May 1985
Wikipedia infobox17 May 1985
Wikidata13 May 1985
US release15 May 1985earliest US date
UK / Europe release1985earliest UK or European date
76 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
—USWarner Bros. Records075992526425other
—XEVertigo042282449924other
—XEVertigo042282449924deluxe
—XEPhonogram042282449924other
—XEPhonogram042282449924other
—XEVertigo042282449924deluxe
—XEVertigo042282449924remaster
—USWarner Bros. Recordsother
1985AUVertigo042282449924other
1985DEVertigo042282449924other
1985CAVertigoother
1985USWarner Bros. Records075992526418other
1985PTVertigoother
1985JPVertigoother
1985USWarner Bros. Recordsother
1985DEVertigo042282449917other
1985FRVertigo042282449917other
1985GBVertigo042282449917other
1985CAVertigo042282449924other
May 1985GBVertigo042282449917other
May 1985GBVertigo042282449948other
15 May 1985USWarner Bros. Records075992526425original
15 May 1985USWarner Bros. Records075992526425original
15 May 1985USWarner Bros. Records075992526425original
15 May 1985USWarner Bros. Records075992526425original
15 May 1985USWarner Bros. Records075992526425original
15 May 1985USWarner Bros. Records075992526425original
17 May 1985DEVertigo042282449924other
17 May 1985AUVertigo042282449924other
1986DEVertigo042282449924other
1987USWarner Bros. Recordsother
1990USWarner Bros. Recordsother
1991USWarner Bros. Records075992526425other
9 September 1991JPVertigo4988011327247other
1992RUЛадъother
1992XCSupraphon8596911166925other
1996BRVertigo042282449924remaster
1996—Mercury Records603497846351other
1996AUMercury Records0042282449924other
1996AUVertigo042282449924other
1996FRVertigo042282449924other
1996CAVertigo0422824499297other
1996ZAVertigo6001210861232other
3 June 1996GBVertigo042282449924remaster
25 July 1996JPVertigo4988011350559other
2000USWarner Bros. Records093624777328other
2000HKUniversal731454835725other
2001RUCD‐Maximumother
23 May 2005XEVertigo602498714973deluxe
23 May 2005XEVertigo602498714980deluxe
16 August 2005USWarner Bros. Records0093624937722deluxe
2006USWarner Bros. Records093624937715other
22 October 2008JPUniversal International4988005532428other
9 December 2008USWarner Bros. Records093624777366other
2011XEVertigo0600753354568other
12 October 2011JPVertigo4988005677570other
22 July 2013USMobile Fidelity Sound Lab821797209960deluxe
23 April 2014JPVertigo4988005811783other
23 April 2014JPVertigo4988005811608other
19 May 2014XEPhonogram602537529070other
25 February 2015USMobile Fidelity Sound Lab821797244114other
24 August 2016JPVertigo4988031161845other
2017USWarner Bros. Records093624777366remaster
20 June 2018JPUniversal International4988031277522other
2019USMobile Fidelity Sound Lab821797244114other
2019XEVertigo602537529070other
19 March 2021XEVertigo602508652998other
4 May 2021—Universal UMC0602438200955remaster
4 May 2021XWMercury Records042282449924remaster
2025—Rhino603497812400deluxe
16 May 2025GBMercury Records602475711346other
16 May 2025XEUniversal Music Recordings602475650898deluxe
16 May 2025XEUMCremaster
16 May 2025—UMC00602475993322deluxe
16 May 2025—UMC00602475993292deluxe
——Vertigo042282449924other
Cover art sources

deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)

SourceSizeVerdict
deezer ✓1200×1200upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
coverartarchive1000×1000upscaled
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled