Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits song) Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits song) "Romeo and Juliet" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits, written by frontman Mark Knopfler. It first appeared on the 1980 album "Making Movies" and was released as a single in 1981. Reviewer Dan Bolles has called the song a "classic". The song subsequently appeared on the Dire Straits live albums "" and "On the Night", and later on Knopfler's live duet album with Emmylou Harris, "Real Live Roadrunning" (though Harris does not perform on the track). The track was also featured on the greatest hits albums "Money for Nothing", "",
Dire Straits of Love" and "Down to the Waterline". After a performance at The Rock Garden in 1977, they took a demo tape to MCA in Soho but were turned down. Then they went to DJ Charlie Gillett, who had a radio show called "Honky Tonk" on BBC Radio London. The band simply wanted advice, but Gillett liked the music so much that he played "Sultans of Swing" on his show. Two months later, Dire Straits signed a recording contract with the Vertigo division of Phonogram Inc. In October 1977, the band recorded demo tapes of "Southbound Again", "In the Gallery" and