Nothing like this song to place one right in the sweet spot of a vacation relaxation groove. The song was also covered by the British singer-songwriter Passenger in 2014 for the Sounds of the 80's covers album released in conjunction with the BBC Radio 2 programme of the same name.The first time I truly heard Wild West End was on the way out to grab a newspaper on Coast Guard Road, Emerald Isle, NC.
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Michael Stanley covered on the song on his 2012 album The Hang. Problems playing this file? See media help.Įdwin McCain covered the track on The Austin Sessions. Matt Nathanson covered the song on his Live at the Point album It was recorded live at Abbey Road Studios for the Channel 4 show Live from Abbey Road and featured as a B-side on "For Reasons Unknown" and on their compilation album Sawdust. It was also included on the 2009 Like a Version Volume 5 compilation CD and DVD.
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The song was also covered by Australian musician Lisa Mitchell for Australian radio station Triple J for the Like a Version segment on their breakfast show in 2009. Indigo Girls covered the track in a solo rendition by Amy Ray on the duo's album Rites of Passage. The song has become a classic love song with a wide range of artists covering the track. The song's line "Now you just say, oh Romeo, yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him," refers to an interview with Vincent, where she says "What happened was that I had a scene with Mark Knopfler and it got to the point where he couldn't handle it and we split up." Knopfler has both stated and implied that he believes Vincent was using him to boost her career. The song speaks of a Romeo who is still very much in love with his Juliet, but she now treats him like "just another one of deals". The song itself, written by Knopfler, was inspired by his failed romance with Holly Vincent, lead singer of the short-lived band Holly and The Italians.
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In the Sky Arts documentary Guitar Stories: Mark Knopfler, "Knopfler picks up the National and demonstrates how he hit on the famous arpeggio lines in “Romeo and Juliet,” from the Making Movies album, while experimenting with an open G tuning." The instrumentation remains simple during the verses and moves to a full-on rock arrangement in the chorus sections. The introductory arpeggios and melody are played on a National Style "O" guitar, the same guitar featured on the album artwork for Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits album) and Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits. The song opens on an arpeggiated resonator guitar part played by Knopfler, who also sings the lead vocal: The melody on that song opening is reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen's "Jungleland" (both records feature Springsteen's E Street Band pianist Roy Bittan).
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The original recording of the song has been featured in several motion pictures, including Hot Fuzz, Empire Records, and Can't Hardly Wait. In addition to the reference to William Shakespeare's play of the same title, the song makes playful allusion to other works involving young love, including the songs "Somewhere" – from West Side Story, which is itself based on the Shakespeare play – and "My Boyfriend's Back". The lyrics of the song describe the experience of the two lovers of the title, hinting at a situation that saw the "Juliet" figure abandon her "Romeo" after finding fame and moving on from the rough neighborhood, where they first encountered each other. 1 Composition and lyrical interpretationĬomposition and lyrical interpretation.