On This Day: Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” Music Video Makes History

On this day in 1987, Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” music video pulled a one-two historical punch as one of the first examples of early CGI and the first music video MTV Europe broadcasted upon its launch. While the blocky appliance movers and Mark Knopfler colorization might not seem impressive by today’s standards, back in the late 1980s, it was a sight to behold.

Long-running lyrical controversies aside, the “Money for Nothing” music video marked a turning point in music video (and, more generally, animation) production history. That’s the way you do it.

Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” Makes History

Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” music video opens with a scene that looks like something out of a 1980s fever dream. As MTV footage glitches on an animated television set, a boxy, 3-D character slowly reclines to watch footage of Dire Straits performing on stage. Then, a new character, clad in a work uniform with a cigar hanging out of his mouth, joins the narrative—equally boxy, equally unsettling.

Uncomfortable character depictions aside, the “Money for Nothing” music video was a historic occasion in the music and animation worlds. The crude CGI was one of the first examples of its kind. British filmmaker Steve Barron directed the music video, while animation directors Ian Pearson and Gavin Blair brought the novel idea to life. In a 2019 VICE interview, Barron said the video crew worked round the clock for three and a half weeks straight to meet their deadline.

The remarkable nature of the music video and the lengthy hours required to make it happen were a stark contrast to the song’s general premise that rock and rollers earned their money for nothin’ and chicks for free. But then again, the CGI crew wasn’t the voice behind Knopfler’s controversial lyrics. That honor laid squarely on an anonymous appliance store employee in New York.

The (Controversial) Lyrical Inspiration of “Money for Nothing”

“Money for Nothing” has found itself in various stages of cancellation, thanks to the second verse that originally included a homophobic slur. (Guitarist and singer Mark Knopfler has since changed the word in live performances.) Still, he previously defended his choice, saying that he was pulling direct phrases from an appliance store worker he met in New York.

“I was in New York in a kitchen appliance store, and it had a window,” Knopfler said (via CBSC). “There was a kitchen display in the window, and there’d be a row of microwaves or, you know, cupboards and things like that. At the back of the store, there was a big wall of televisions, all tuned to MTV. There was some bonehead who worked for the store, a great big macho guy with a checked shirt on and a cap and a pair of work boots, and he had been delivering stuff.”

“He was watching MTV and saying all these great lines about, you know, ‘That ain’t working,’ you know, ‘That’s the way you do it,’ stuff like that. ‘What’s that Hawaiian noises?’” Knopfler continued. “I just thought it was so classic that I went and asked for a pen and paper and started writing the lines down, you know?” Knopfler attributed his specific use of expletives to the blue-collar worker as well.

“I wanted to use a lot of the language that the real guy actually used when I heard him because it was more real,” Knopfler said in a 1985 interview (via CBSC). “It just went better with the song. It was more muscular.” And indeed, from the music video’s historical implications to its beady-eyed characters to the song’s controversial lyrics, Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” music video is nothing if not memorable.

Photo by Dire Straits/YouTube