Water of Love

"Water of Love"
Single by Dire Straits
from the album Dire Straits
B-side	"Down to the Waterline"
Released	1978
Format	7"
Recorded	1978
Genre	Rock
Length	5:23
Label	Vertigo (UK) Warner Bros. (U.S.)
Writer(s)	Mark Knopfler
Producer	Muff Winwood
Dire Straits singles chronology
"Sultans of Swing" (1978) "Water of Love" (1978) "Lady Writer" (1979)

"Water of Love" is a song written by Mark Knopfler and originally released on Dire Straits' self-titled debut album. It was also released as a single in some countries, backed by "Down to the Waterline," as a follow-up to the band's first single from the album, "Sultans of Swing."^[1] The single reached #28 on the Dutch charts.^[1] It also reached #54 in Australia. The song was also included on Dire Straits live album Live at the BBC and on the multi-artist compilation album More Than Unplugged.^[2]

Both "Water of Love" and "Down to the Waterline," as well as "Sultans of Swing," were among the five songs included on Dire Straits' demo tape that the band sent to Charlie Gillett, who played the tape on his radio show leading to the band's first recording contract.^[3] It is one of four songs on side 1 of the Dire Straits album which deals with unhappy relationships, and author Michael Oldfield believes that the song is basically about the break-up of Mark Knopfler's marriage.^[3] Writing in Rolling Stone Magazine, Ken Tucker used the song as an example of Knopfler's penchant for mixing clever lines with prosaic ones.^[4] Tucker gives as an example the clever line "I need a little water of love" followed by "You know it's evil when you're living alone," which Tucker considers a silly line.^[4] Writing in Billboard Magazine, Cary Darling praised the song's lyrics but criticizes the easy listening arrangement which "fails to grab the listener."^[5] The Rolling Stone Album Guide commented on the "stark, romantic vision" of this song and its B-side, "Down to the Waterline," and how that vision contrasted with the bitterness of Dire Straits' songs such as "Sultans of Swing."^[6]

"Water of Love" is one of five songs that Knopfler's publisher made country demos of without Knopfler's approval, leading to a number of country covers of Knopfler's songs.^[7] This led to a cover version recorded by The Judds, which appeared on their River of Time album.^[7][8][9] Wynonna Judd provided a "nocturnal and mysterious" lead vocal, and Knopfler himself played guitar on the Judds' version.^[8][10] Allmusic critic Thom Jurek described the song as "the most seductive tune" on River of Time and The Rolling Stone Album Guide praised Knopfler's "typically pungent" guitar solo.^[8][11] Alex Bollard and Lex Vandyke have also covered the song.^[2]

In his book My Life in Orange, author Tim Guest recalls listening to Dire Straits' version of the song and the line "Water of love, deep in the ground, but there ain't no water here to be found" as a child hiding behind the sofa and wishing that the water of love would come to him some day.^[12] The first person narrator of Caprice Crane's first novel Stupid and Contagious references "Water of Love" as an example of a clever song that she would like to hear quoted instead of the sound of flushing toilets, along with AC/DC's "Big Balls," ZZ Top's "Tush," Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or Frank Sinatra's "My Way."^[13]

Down to the Waterline

The B-side of the "Water of Love" single, "Down to the Waterline," was the first song on the Dire Straits album and was also written by Mark Knopfler and included on the demo tape that the band sent to Charlie Gillett leading to its first recording contract.^[14][3]

The lyrics of "Down to the Waterline" tell of a brief sexual tryst.^[5] Cary Darling of Billboard praises the song as superior to the other love songs on side 1 of Dire Straits, including "Water of Love."^[5] According to Mark Knopfler's brother and fellow Dire Straits member David, the song's imagery is based on Mark's memories of walking along the River Tyne at night under the lights with his girlfriend when he was a teenager.^[3] Darling praises the lyrics as "incisive" but "never cliched."^[5] Darling also praises the moody foghorn sound that opens the song, Knopfler's "quick finger picking" guitar playing and the tightness of the band on this song.^[5] High Fidelity also commented on the song's "tender, passionate, and yet unsentimental" erotic imagery.^[15] The Rolling Stone Album Guide commented on the song's "galloping groove."^[16]

"Down to the Waterline" later appeared on Dire Straits live album Live at the BBC and on the Dire Straits "Best of" compilation album Money for Nothing.^[17]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Dutch charts". http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Dire+Straits&titel=Water+Of+Love+%2F+Down+To+The+Waterline&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-08-17. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Water of Love". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/search/track/Water+of+Love/order:default-asc. Retrieved 2011-08-17. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Oldfield, M. (1984). Dire Straits. Sidgwick and Jackson. pp. 33, 42–49. ISBN 068825145. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Tucker, K. (January 25, 1979). "Dire Straits". rollingstone.com. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/dire-straits-19790125. Retrieved 2011-08-17. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} Darling, C. (January 27, 1979). "Closeup". Billboard Magazine. http://books.google.com/books?id=JSUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT135&dq=%22down+to+the+waterline%22+%22dire+straits%22&hl=en&ei=4x9MTq-ZA5G_gQfB7Ixz&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBzgU#v=onepage&q=%22down%20to%20the%20waterline%22%20%22dire%20straits%22&f=false. 
6. ^ Marsh, D. & Swenson, J., ed (1983). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. University of California. p. 144. ISBN 9780394721071. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Brown, A. & Mansfield, B. (2008). Make Me a Star: Industry Insiders Reveal How to Make It in Music. Thomas Nelson, Inc.. p. 161. ISBN 9781401604042. 
8. ^ ^{a b c} Jurek, T.. "River of Time". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/river-of-time-r92882/review. Retrieved 2011-08-17. 
9. ^ Judd, N. & Schaetzle, B. (1994). Love Can Build a Bridge. Random House. p. 375. ISBN 9780449222744. 
10. ^ Larkin, C. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music. Indiana University. p. 222. ISBN 9780753502365. 
11. ^ DeCurtis, A., Henke, J. & George-Warren, H., ed (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 385. ISBN 9780679737292. 
12. ^ Guest, T. (2005). My Life in Orange. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 157–158. ISBN 9780156031066. 
13. ^ Crane, C. (2006). Stupid and Contagious. Hachette Digital. ISBN 9780446695725. 
14. ^ Erlewine, S.T.. "Dire Straits". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/dire-straits-r5886. Retrieved 2011-08-17. 
15. ^ High Fidelity 29 (1-6). 1979. 
16. ^ DeCurtis, A., Henke, J. & George-Warren, H., ed (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 200. ISBN 9780679737292. 
17. ^ "Down to the Waterline". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/search/track/Down+to+the+Waterline/order:default-asc. Retrieved 2011-08-17.