Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits
Artist: Dire Straits
Release: 1978
Album: Dire Straits
Sultans of Swing was Dire Straits’ first hit – but only when they made their third recording of.
The live version is of course the one to learn if you really want to learn a lot of useful licks and it shows how a guitar solo can have some basic elements that define the whole experience but can be played with a lot by a good soloist to give excitement even when he’s played it a thousand times.
Structure
Strum Pattern
There are 4 beats to the bar in this piece.
We’ll upload a video of how to do the strum pattern soon, promise!
MAIN PATTERN
This strum pattern is in quavers and starts on beat 1.
Stroke: D (U) D U (D) U D (U)
Count: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Chords
Lyrics
==INTRO==
Dm 2 3 4 | x8 bars
== VERSE 1 ==
|Dm 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |A 2 3 4 |A 2 3 4
You get a shiver in the dark it's raining in the park but mean time
south of the river you stop and you hold every thing
|F 2 3 4 |F 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
a band is blowing dixie double four time
|Bb 2 3 4 |Bb 2 3 4 |Dm 2 3 4 |Dm 2 Bb 4
you feel alright when ya hear the music ring
|C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
== VERSE 1a ==
|Dm 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |A 2 3 4 |A 2 3 4
Now you step in----side but yo don't see too many fa-----------ces
coming in out of the rain you hear the jazz go down
|F 2 3 4 |F 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
too much compe--------tition in other pla--------ces
|Bb 2 3 4 |Bb 2 3 4 |Dm 2 3 4 |Dm 2 Bb 4
but not too many horns can make that sound
|Bb-C 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |Bb-C 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4
way on down south way on dooo -w - n south
==INSTRUMENTAL==
|Dm 2 3 C 4 Bb |1 2 3 4 |Bb C 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 :||
London town
== VERSE 2 ==
|Dm 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |A 2 3 4 |A 2 3 4
you check out guitar george he knows all the chords
|Dm 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |A 2 3 4 |A 2 3 4
but hes strictly rhythm he doesnt want to make it cry or sing
|F 2 3 4 |F 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
and an old guitar is all he can afford
|Bb 2 3 4 |Bb 2 3 4 |Dm 2 3 4 |Dm 2 Bb 4
when he gets under the lights to play his thing
|C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
== VERSE 2a ==
|Dm 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |A 2 3 4 |A 2 3 4
And harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
hes got a day time job he's doing al-right
|F 2 3 4 |F 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
he can play the hon---ky tonk like anything
|Bb 2 3 4 |Bb 2 3 4 |Dm 2 3 4 |Dm 2 Bb 4
saving it up for friday night
|Bb-C 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |Bb-C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
with the Sul - tans with the sul----tans of
==INSTRUMENTAL==
|Dm 2 3 C 4 Bb |1 2 3 4 |Bb C 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 :||
swing
== VERSE 3 ==
|Dm 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |A 2 3 4 |A 2 3 4
you check out guitar george he knows all the chords
|Dm 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |A 2 3 4 |A 2 3 4
but hes strictly rhythm he doesnt want to make it cry or sing
|F 2 3 4 |F 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
and an old guitar is all he can afford
|Bb 2 3 4 |Bb 2 3 4 |Dm 2 3 4 |Dm 2 Bb 4
when he gets under the lights to play his thing
|C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
== VERSE 2a ==
|Dm 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |A 2 3 4 |A 2 3 4
Then a crowd of young boys starts foolin around in the corner
drunk in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
|F 2 3 4 |F 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
they don't give a damn a-bout no trumpet playin band
|Bb 2 3 4 |Bb 2 3 4 |Dm 2 3 4 |Dm 2 Bb 4
it aint what they call rock and roll
|Bb-C 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |Bb-C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
then the Sul - tans then the sul----tans play
==INSTRUMENTAL==
|Dm 2 3 C 4 Bb |1 2 3 4 |Bb C 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 :||
creole
== GUITAR SOLO 1 OVER THE CHORD PROGRESSION OF THE VERSE *a SECTION ==
== VERSE 4 ==
|Dm 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4 |A 2 3 4 |A 2 3 4
and then the man he steps right up to the mi cro phone
and says at last just as the time bell rings
|F 2 3 4 |F 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4 |C 2 3 4
goodnight now its time to go home
|Bb 2 3 4 |Bb 2 3 4 |D 2 3 4 |D 2 Bb 4
then he makes it fast with one more thing
|Bb-C 2 3 4 |C 2 Bb 4
we are the sultans
we are the sul----------tans of
== GUITAR SOLO OVER THE REPEATING INSTRUMENTAL BREAK CHORD PROGRESSION ==
|Dm 2 3 C 4 Bb |1 2 3 4 |Bb C 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 :||
swing