Dire Straits Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). The band became one of the world's best-selling music artists, with album sales of over 100 million. Their first hit single "Sultans of Swing", from their self-titled debut album, reached the top ten in the UK and US charts in 1978. They released hit singles in the 1980s, such as "Private Investigations" (1983), "Money for Nothing" (1985), and
So Far Away (Dire Straits song) the B-side was "If I Had You", from Dire Straits' 1983 EP "ExtendedancEPlay". In Canada, a Limited Edition double Vinyl featuring the full length version of "So Far Away" was released, along with live renditions of "Going Home" and "Sultans of Swing", the instrumental section of "Why Worry" and a Mark Knopfler solo effort, "Fear and Hatred". One of the songs on Mark Knopfler's 2006 album, "Real Live Roadrunning", is a duet version of "So Far Away" with American country-folk singer Emmylou Harris. So Far Away (Dire Straits song) "So Far Away" is a 1985 rock song by Dire Straits.