Maybe it’s the curmudgeon in me, but I was never a fan of the all-star charity track. From “We Are the World” to “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” I always found most of the songs saccharine and cloying, and the constant change of superstar vocalists off-putting. Perhaps what always bothered me about these things was the uncomfortable mix of virtue-signalling (“Look at me! I’m part of this amazing group of people ending hunger and poverty!”) and fame-signalling (“Look at me! At this moment in time, I’m one of the most famous people in the world, as proven by being chosen for this project!”).
But they say there’s an exception to every rule, and today I found myself sobbing like a baby listening to the latest all-star track from Mark Knopfler and friends. With a band called “Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes” how could you go wrong? And, at least to these tired old ears, this ten-minute reworking of Knopfler’s “Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero” pulled the old heart strings with the same level of skill and emotion as the 375+ guitar strings involved.
Of course, I’ve been a huge fan of Mark Knopfler’s work forever. “Telegraph Road” is a top-5 all-time song for me. And much as I love the guitar playing, the song writing, the singing, the record making, one thing I particularly love about Knopfler is that he is fearless in making space for sorrow in his music. It may have been a hit, but “Sultans of Swing” is a pretty melancholy tune. Heck, even for all its humour, “Roller Girl” has some serious dark undercurrents of lost youth and loneliness.
Perhaps this is why Knopfler’s charity anthem hits the feels where so many others have missed. Or maybe it’s just that these things work better without singing. Even as a teenager, it bothered me seeing millionaires smiling while singing major key pop music about famine in Africa. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was cynical, but it wasn’t brave from an artistic point of view. I’m sure more tone-appropriate music would have raised less money, but I also suspect it might have inspired more lasting change.
This is a song in support of Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. Let’s face it, this is one of the most difficult subjects there is – children facing life-threatening health challenges. One has to have hope, but there’s a deep sadness in knowing that many of these young people are not going to make it. That’s a heart-breaking loss in and of itself, but it’s also a blow that will affect siblings, parents, family and friends forever.
So, I think it’s only right that Knopfler has given us a charity song that forces the listener to confront the idea of loss. The ten-minute instrumental begins with the playing of Jeff Beck – his last recorded performance. At this point, I was already destroyed. As I listened, my never-waning awe at his sound and emotional power was sharing space in my consciousness with the voice saying “this is it – there will never be another new Jeff Beck solo.”
As the song goes along, contributions from the finest artists to have emerged in the 21st C. are heard alongside contributions from giants of early Rock ‘n’ Roll, including Duane Eddy and James Burton. Then there are all the guitar legends who have together played the soundtrack to my childhood, my coming of age, and today are the backdrop of my children’s journey into life and music. And, with Beck’s opening in mind, I couldn’t escape the realisation that, in all likelihood, by the end of this decade, most of them will be gone. Many of these old people are not going to make it. And like Beethoven, Beck, Hendrix and Mahler, we shall never look upon their like again.
But don’t let that put you off – this isn’t a ten-minute mope. The song traces a quite uplifting arc, and there’s something really beautiful about seeing all these great musicians from radically different backgrounds, styles and generations coming together in a common cause. “Alle menschen werden Brüder!” We’re all one human family, and any reminder, like this one, of that fact is always welcome.
Perhaps only a guitar nerd could be quite so moved by this, but I hope you enjoy, and I hope you make a donation. Someone should give producer Guy Fletcher and whoever made the video a knighthood!
Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes Are:
- Joan Armatrading
- Jeff Beck
- Richard Bennett
- Joe Bonamassa
- Joe Brown
- James Burton
- Jonathan Cain
- Paul Carrack
- Eric Clapton
- Ry Cooder
- Jim Cox
- Steve Cropper
- Sheryl Crow
- Roger Daltrey
- Duane Eddy
- Sam Fender
- Guy Fletcher
- Peter Frampton
- Audley Freed
- Vince Gill
- David Gilmour
- Buddy Guy
- Keiji Haino
- Tony Iommi
- Joan Jett
- John Jorgenson
- Mark Knopfler
- Sonny Landreth
- Albert Lee
- Greg Leisz
- Alex Lifeson
- Steve Lukather
- Phil Manzanera
- Dave Mason
- Hank Marvin
- Brian May
- Robbie McIntosh
- John McLaughlin
- Tom Morello
- Rick Nielsen
- Orianthi
- Brad Paisley
- Nile Rodgers
- Mike Rutherford
- Joe Satriani
- John Sebastian
- Connor Selby
- Slash
- Bruce Springsteen
- Ringo Starr and
- Zak Starkey
- Sting
- Andy Taylor
- Susan Tedeschi and
- Derek Trucks
- Ian Thomas
- Pete Townshend
- Keith Urban
- Steve Vai
- Waddy Wachtel
- Joe Louis Walker
- Joe Walsh
- Ronnie Wood
- Glenn Worf
- Zucchero
Obviously a very impressive list, where is the great Nancy Wilson?