Dr. Straitslove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Be-Bop-A-Lula

March 11, 2016 1:30 PM

The Walk of Life Project. Hypothesis: "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits is the perfect song to end any movie. (via Paleofuture)
posted by oulipian (43 comments total)

When I was young, I heard "Walk of Life" on the radio. I didn't know who performed the song, but I really liked it. Another time, I heard "Sultans of Swing," and although I didn't know who performed it, I really liked it. "Money for Nothing" was inescapable, and although at first I didn't know who performed it, I liked it also.

Eventually I figured out that I'm probably a Dire Straits fan.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:39 PM on March 11, 2016 [23 favorites]

"Sultans of Swing" is my jam, even though I bear no ill will to trumpet playing bands.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 1:40 PM on March 11, 2016 [13 favorites]

oh my god the Mad Max Fury Road one

i'm crying laughing
posted by burgerrr at 1:41 PM on March 11, 2016 [5 favorites]

Yeah, the Mad Max one is awesome. Thanks for this. Laughing out loud.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 1:53 PM on March 11, 2016

Woohoo!
posted by Lyn Never at 1:55 PM on March 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

I had forgotten how incredibly good they are.
posted by jamjam at 1:58 PM on March 11, 2016

Ctrl-F "Lord of the Rings" -- nothing

They have some work to do
posted by feckless at 1:59 PM on March 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

This is fantastic, right up there with the "Solsbury Hill" Feel-Good Trailer Project!

I am so not clicking the Blair Witch link, though. I already have that fucking closing image burned onto the inside of my skull forever; "Walk of Life" could only make it even more terrifying!
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:00 PM on March 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

2001: a space odyssey totally works!!
posted by Pendragon at 2:07 PM on March 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

More abstract, or at least more applicable: Guile's theme.
posted by hleehowon at 2:19 PM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Mom! Da! It's evil! Dant touch it!
posted by evilDoug at 2:23 PM on March 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

I'm dying of laughter and they are looking at me funny in the cafeteria. Must have come down with a sudden bout of industrial disease.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 2:25 PM on March 11, 2016 [8 favorites]

Christ, what an asshole.
posted by boo_radley at 2:35 PM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Thinking of pairing up The Notebook with "Too Drunk To Fuck" by the Dead Kennedys.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:46 PM on March 11, 2016 [8 favorites]

The Matrix one is just perfect.
posted by Petersondub at 2:47 PM on March 11, 2016

Ok, easily the best one of these is The Matrix. The timing is ALMOST perfect on it, if only the signing had come in a few second earlier.
posted by Canageek at 2:52 PM on March 11, 2016

Thanks for the earworm, guys...
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:57 PM on March 11, 2016

Star Wars = win. Chewie is pitch-perfect (almost) with R2 killing it on the dancefloor.
posted by freya_lamb at 2:59 PM on March 11, 2016

Counterpoint: The ending of Buckaroo Banzai cannot be improved.
posted by ckape at 3:01 PM on March 11, 2016 [8 favorites]

Ctrl-F "Lord of the Rings" -- nothing

They have some work to do

No The Navigators or Melancholia either…
posted by Pinback at 3:11 PM on March 11, 2016

Brothers in Arms was the first compact disc to sell one million copies is a thing that I know.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 3:15 PM on March 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

Oooh! Needs The Revenant!
posted by orrnyereg at 3:23 PM on March 11, 2016

Halloween is made even more sick and dark. Genius!
posted by figment of my conation at 3:42 PM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Brothers in Arms was the first compact disc to sell one million copies is a thing that I know.

I think sales were boosted by a popular idea at the time that Mark Knopfler's guitar and production work were so technically perfect that they could only be appreciated via the precision of digital sound, and conversely that Brothers in Arms needed to be among your library (of like, 8 discs) if you wanted to truly appreciate the capabilities of your new compact disc console.
posted by Flashman at 3:48 PM on March 11, 2016 [5 favorites]

The Avatar 3D Blu-Ray of its day.
posted by dng at 3:55 PM on March 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

The Mad Max one makes Immortan Joe's Citadel look like Coachella.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:22 PM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Flashman: "Brothers in Arms was the first compact disc to sell one million copies is a thing that I know.

I think sales were boosted by a popular idea at the time that Mark Knopfler's guitar and production work were so technically perfect that they could only be appreciated via the precision of digital sound"

Yeah, I think the triple D thing hooked a lot of people. I would have bought it anyway, but I know it made me even more curious to hear what it sounded like.

Thems was the days, I tell ya.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 5:31 PM on March 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

InsertNiftyNameHere: "Yeah, I think the triple D thing hooked a lot of people. "

Although, I just looked at my CD of "Brothers In Arms" and I can't find a single triple D anywhere. It simply says, "A Full Digital Recording" in a few prominent places.

The consolation prize was that I saw "Made in West Germany" printed on it. Take that, youngsters! :)
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 5:36 PM on March 11, 2016 [5 favorites]

Brothers In Arms is, I think, the only album I own on CD and Vinyl and Cassette. And it's a pretty good album that would be much better without that stupid 'I wan't my MTV' song.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 6:11 PM on March 11, 2016

On a side note, Mark Knopfler is either the best actor to ever live, or he genuinely enjoys playing music for you and you should see him in your local venue whenever he next comes by because he's not going to be around forever.
posted by ftm at 7:11 PM on March 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

I saw Mark Knopfler on that tour* when he was just the sideman to Eric Clapton. Completely stole the show and owned the stage.

*1988? 1989? I'm old.
posted by rokusan at 7:17 PM on March 11, 2016

One of my colleagues (who primarily listens to music released on the prestigious ECM label) despises Mark Knopfler; I have never been able to get to the bottom of it. I think Knopfler has impeccable musical style. Every time I listen to the sublime Private Investigations, I'm astonished that such a song was a chart hit in 1982. I can't imagine that happening today, even though it doesn't sound dated at all.
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 7:27 PM on March 11, 2016

"Mark Knopfler has an extraordinary ability to make a Schecter Custom Stratocaster hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff drink."
posted by logicpunk at 3:19 AM on March 12, 2016

I like Dire Straits - there's no arguing with 'Telegraph Road' and 'Brothers In Arms' for example. This partictular song I could take or leave were it not for the tit-end in the video with the bandana and no shoes on, which means I'll leave it.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 6:19 AM on March 12, 2016

Platoon, Deer Hunter, Battle Royale. Oh man, now I'm sad.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 6:49 AM on March 12, 2016

The experiment essentially disproves the hypothesis, though, doesn't it? Walk of Life is an excellent way to end some movies, but none of those movies.

Sorry, but we joyless bastards get to post, too.
posted by Grangousier at 7:26 AM on March 12, 2016

One or two of these (ok, it was The Truman Show) I thought "Wait, wasn't "Walk of Life" already how they ended the film?"
posted by dannyboybell at 8:31 AM on March 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

I have to post this, even though it's not the ending of a movie. Visitors to this thread might appreciate this lengthy montage from the movie Mr. Go, set to Walk of Life, of a baseball playing gorilla hitting home runs.
posted by to recite so charmingly at 10:14 AM on March 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

So, uh, I've been dealing with some pretty intense suicidal ideation for the past few days,* AND THANKS TO THIS THREAD I HAVE HAD WALK OF LIFE STUCK IN MY HEAD THE WHOLE TIME, and god damn if I didn't finally just bust out laughing at the inappropriateness of it.

Like, it turns out it is impossible to get yourself into a really serious shuffling-off-this-mortal-coil mood when the thought of stepping off a bridge just makes you picture this song starting to play while you're on the way down. Nope. Sorry. If that's how it's gonna go, I might as well live.

*I'm okay right now, called my therapist, called some friends, everything's under control.
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:07 PM on March 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

(Also: why is the hospital/driving sequence from Harold and Maude not in here?)
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:16 PM on March 12, 2016

This should be our play-out song every time we're ready to close a thread.
posted by ogooglebar at 11:50 AM on March 14, 2016

it did not do anything for me. I feel like I need to have gone through puberty in the early 90's in America to get it.
posted by numaner at 9:27 AM on March 15, 2016

I feel like The Graduate really suffers the most fromthis treatment.

I want Silence of the Lambs here. I don't know why it's not up there yet, but I blame oulipian.
posted by Navelgazer at 5:05 PM on March 18, 2016