Ask anyone what type of music they were listening to back in the 70s, if they were old enough back then, and you might hear Dire Straits come up since they debuted in the late 70s and started gaining ground on their career from that point on. At least one of them was a veteran in the music industry at that point while the others learned along the way. They started out under the name Cafe Racers, but switched over eventually as Dire Straits does seem to have a bit more of an edge to it. In the current era they’re still pretty popular, but no matter what era we’re talking about there are a few songs of theirs that have managed to transcend the years and remain just as popular since one can hear them in a lot of different movies and TV shows on occasion. This kind of proves that the greats don’t just go away, they get better with age.
Here are a few of their songs that have been heard in movies and TV.
5. Despicable Me 3 – Money for Nothing
It’s interesting to think that when this whole trilogy got started that Gru was the bad guy and he was darned proud of it. But as the movies went along the character evolved and showed a different side of himself that was actually kind of nice. But when the third movie came out and it was revealed that he had a twin brother things got a little more kooky since his brother wanted to learn how to become a villain, and Gru was already well into his life as a spy and good guy. It was a farewell to a lifestyle for one of them and a welcome to the other as the minions easily switched sides, always ready to go with the next evil boss.
4. Desperado – Six Blade Knife
This movie actually made some people laugh at the ridiculous nature of the gunfights since any gun enthusiast that knows anything would probably realize that the fights are a bit over the top and not at all plausible. But looking at the movie from an entertainment standpoint is easy enough if you just shut off the logical part of your brain and have fun with while doing your best to reason that anyone could walk through a hail of gunfire and come out the other side without a single scratch. That’s how legends are made after all, from over the top stories that have little to no basis in reality.
3. An Officer and a Gentleman – Tunnel of Love
This is one of those movies you might not understand why you watch but you’ll watch it all the same since there are so many glimmers of greatness to it that you want to keep going to see the next on. By the end of the movie you realize that you’ve watched something remarkable but didn’t realize it since the moments that were great tended to come on the heels of other moments that kind of dragged along until the movie decided to pick up again. In other words it’s worth watching since it’s a very human and plausible tale, but it’s also something that deals in drama and human suffering on a level that some people might be able to relate to.
2. Lucas – Walk of Life
Lucas is a reminder that being the little guy is hardly ever a desirable position in a high school setting since you’re either ignored, targeted, or looked at with the kind of disgust that can crush an ego like an egg. Despite this however Lucas didn’t give up and he didn’t back down to high school pressures, especially when he saw what he wanted and the kind of life he thought would get him the girl. The downside is that eventually you have to face up to reality and accept that life isn’t fair and that you’ll have to find your place eventually. The one big up however is that Lucas found respect when he finally realized just who he was.
1. The Simpsons – Money for Nothing
Homer as the ice cream man seems like a very poor idea at first since given his propensity for devouring sweets the truck might be half empty by the time it reached the first group of kids. But things didn’t go that badly apparently, at least until Homer did what he normally does and kind of screwed things up. Being the ice cream man after all doesn’t usually mean dumping your load and then attempting break traffic laws while trying to get somewhere on time, but then again this is Homer Simpson we’re talking about, one thought at a time is usually the process he deals with and common sense isn’t always the rule he lives by.
The Dire Straits are still awesome.
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