“The world’s second ugliest guitar solo,” according to Mark Knopfler
Guitar solos can make or break a song. If they’re done well, they can become iconic; take Jimmy Page’s masterful playing on ‘Stairway to Heaven’ or Slash’s memorable solo for ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, for example. However, if executed poorly, a solo can ruin an otherwise excellent song.
There is perhaps no one more qualified to comment on the transformative nature of guitar solos than Dire Straits songwriter Mark Knopfler.
That fine line between brilliance and excess is what makes guitar solos such a contentious feature in rock music. At their best, they elevate a track, adding emotion, tension, or release in ways that vocals alone cannot achieve. But when they feel misplaced or self-indulgent, they can just as quickly pull a listener out of the moment, disrupting the very atmosphere the song has worked to create.
For a player like Mark Knopfler, whose style is rooted in restraint and feel rather than flash, that balance is especially important. His solos rarely exist to show off technical ability alone; instead, they serve the song, complementing its mood and narrative. It’s this philosophy that shapes his perspective on other players, particularly when a solo feels disconnected from the piece it’s meant to enhance.
Knopfler carved out some of the most iconic guitar solos in music history during his time with Dire Straits, including the iconic and intricate ‘Sultans of Swing’. Understandably, the Scottish musician was less than impressed when one of his own songs was ruined by the addition of a solo that didn’t match up to his standards.
In the early 1980s, Knopfler gifted a song he had written to the queen of rock and roll, Tina Turner. The Dire Straits frontman had penned ‘Private Dancer’ but never recorded or released it with his own band, deciding that it was more suited to a female artist. Eventually, the song landed on Turner’s desk through her manager.
Turner was intrigued by the song, stating, “I took it because it was an unusual song. I’d never heard a song like it,” in an interview with Roger Scott on Radio One. She initially intended to record over Knopfler’s version, but limitations meant that her version would have to be re-recorded. In the process, a guitar solo was added by Jeff Beck, much to Knopfler’s dismay.
Between glittering instrumentals and vivid lyrics delivered by Turner’s distinctive voice, Beck’s guitar solo seems negligible. “Any old music will do,” Turner sings, but Knopfler disagrees. In an interview with Stuff, the Dire Straits guitarist dubbed it “the world’s second ugliest guitar solo”. His scathing statement is well-founded – it certainly does add little to the song.
His criticism also leaves fans with a longing to hear Knopfler’s original version of the song, which he described as “slower, moodier, more reflective” in an interview with Stuff. “A quiet portrait, but I don’t think people need to hear that now,” he concludes.
Turner was equally enthusiastic about Knopfler’s original version of the song, stating, “I wish you could hear Mark’s version of it. He’s got a very English-sounding voice… and it was really quite beautiful… A very arty song… so I put the old soulful touch on it.”
Alongside a yearning for his original take on ‘Private Dancer’, Knopfler’s statement also leaves us wondering, what does he consider to be the world’s first ugliest guitar solo?
Revisit ‘Private Dancer’ below.
