Contrary to what the lyrics of “Sultans of Swing” say, Dire Straits is all about making the guitar cry or sing.
Just as Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone explained it, the song is “the highlight of the whole album” and it’s got an “inescapable hook” to it.
A Brazilian duo decided to confirm it, and they got us hooked from the first note.
“Sultans of Swing” is on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.
Dire Straits released the hit song on their 1978 debut album of the same name.
Many musicians, experts, and critics agree that it certainly made the history. To nail it, you have to play it fingerstyle—the way that the band’s frontman, Mark Knopfler, did.
Knopfler said that the inspiration for a song came after he ducked into a deserted pub one night, and witnessed a very bad jazz band.
However, the song brought Dire Straits to superstardom, and they went on to become the MTV mega stars.
There is a certain smoldering groove about the song that makes you replay it, again and again.
Guitar World ranked the song’s guitar solo at the 22nd greatest, and Rolling Stone named it the 32nd greatest guitar song.
Overdriver Duo has reached over three billion views on social networks!
In 2014, Evandro Tiburski and Fabi Terada formed a musical duo called the Overdrive Duo.
Their story began in Brazil, but they quickly gained worldwide recognition. Today, the duo is followed by 395,000 fans on Instagram. Their YouTube account amassed almost a million subscribers who regularly enjoy interesting ukulele covers of popular songs.
Overdrive Duo has played on big stages, festivals, and events on the European Summer Tour 2017, and they won a National Art Show Award for Best Group in Brazil.
Some of the awesome covers we’ve found on their channels are: “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cindy Lauper and songs by Bob Marley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Roxette and more.
If you’re interested in how it all sounds on the ukulele, be sure to watch these two play!
They definitely made this small instrument sound grandiose.
Evandro and Fabi are at their home studio with a guitar behind them and a mic in place.
They both have a ukulele on their laps—and this is the video that taught us never to judge an instrument by its size.
Who would have thought of doing the tune on a ukulele?
Even so, it turned out perfectly! It’s an excellent cover, everything about it is well-thought-out and the acoustic rendition is incredible. Evandro’s vocals are on point. He did justice to the original, and we love the way he kept Knopfler’s vibe in the mix. They are experts in using the rhythm and percussion to their favor.
It’s the song that was played on Nelson Mandela’s 70th Birthday Tribute.
On that occasion, Eric Clapton teamed up with the band, and together they delivered a show to remember.
“Sultans of Swing” has always been a staple of Dire Strait’s live performances. In 2015, Overdrive Duo released their first studio album “Under Cover.”
Their music is available on Spotify, iTunes and Deezer.
Over seven million YouTube users have seen the video since it was uploaded in 2019. We can only add that we love the ukulele, and we wish them the best of luck in the future!
Watch the full performance in the link below:
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