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bitwize 11 hours ago

The Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing" is one of my all-time favorite 80s hits. Mark Knopfler pretty much composed the lyrics simply by transcribing some remarks he overheard from blue-collar servicemen working at an appliance store, and adjusting them a bit to make them scan and rhyme.

The deliberate irony is that contrary to the servicemen's belief that rock stars live a life of ease, the life of a musician can be grueling. You have to spend years mastering your instrument(s) and then win the record-deal lottery; after which your time is pretty much divided between being in the studio recording, on tour performing and promoting the album on a round-the-clock schedule, and with the rise of MTV shooting music videos. It's no wonder rock stars are prone to hedonism; they probably think they have to drink deeply of relaxation and pleasure while they have the opportunity, in order to reset and be ready for the next album, the next concert tour, the next press event...

pan69 10 hours ago | parent [-]

In similar vein, the U2 song Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me has similar self-deprecating lyrics on what it is to be a pop star.

  They want you to be Jesus
  They'll go down on one knee
  But they'll want their money back
  If you're alive at thirty-three
https://genius.com/U2-hold-me-thrill-me-kiss-me-kill-me-lyri...