Southbound Again

Album: Dire Straits (1978)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • According to Michael Oldfield's 1984 biography of the band, "Southbound Again" was inspired by songwriter Mark Knopfler's "memories of trips to the capital." The lyrics give the impression that he left his Newcastle home after a love affair that had gone bad to seek fame and fortune in the capital, and that he had no money and no place to go. Things didn't happen quite like that. Knopfler worked as a reporter on the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper in Leeds, and studied for a degree at the city university then moved to the capital where he played in a band called Brewer's Droop, but he also underwent a teacher training course and landed a post as a lecturer at a college in Loughton, Essex, where he played in a band called Café Racers which had a floating line up. Dire Straits actually made their debut as Café Racers, in July 1977. Although money was tight at one point, this is true for most bands when they start out.
  • "Southbound Again" appears to have been first recorded for a demo in October 1977, for BBC Radio London. The album versions runs to 2 minutes 58 seconds. The song was also released as the B Side of the band's monster debut single "Sultans Of Swing" on the Warner Bros label; in the UK "Eastbound Train" was the B Side. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."