1985 Rock Classic Named Among Greatest Guitar Riffs of All Time - It Still Rocks

Mark Knopfler is on the short list for greatest guitarists of all time, having produced many of the most iconic solos still played today on the air guitar while driving (safely).

Perhaps his greatest victory was a happy accident, revealed by Guitar World, which ranked the Money for Nothing No. 13 on the greatest guitar riffs of all time.

"Aiming for a Billy Gibbons tone on his MTV breakout hit, Mark Knopfler chose a Les Paul Jr into a Laney 2x12 and rocked back his Morley wah pedal in increments until he found the sweet spot," Guitar world wrote. "Producer Neil Dorfsman mic'ed it with a single SM57, but as they were about to record, he noticed the mic had fallen out of position and was pointing at the floor."

"Thus was born the inimitable Money For Nothing tone. The notes are fairly standard, fitting largely around G minor pentatonic, but the wah overtones and Knopfler's fingerstyle technique make it completely unique."

'Money for Nothing' Was a Product of New York's Finest

Knopfler told the Guardian he was in an appliance shop in New York when a "big bonehead" was in the store delivering gear.

"All the TVs were tuned to MTV and I overheard this guy sounding off about the rock stars on the screens," Knopfler said. "He had an audience of one – the junior at the store – and some of his lines were just too good to be true."

He then recited a number of the most iconic lines from the song like, "That little mother[expletive]'s got his own jet airplane!", "He's banging on the bongos like a chimpanzee!", and "That ain't working!"

All were attributed to the New York delivery driver. Knopfler quickly borrowed a pen and wrote the song in the window display area of the store.

"The guitar lick is just a stomp, a two-fingered boogie. It comes from the clawhammer style and it's got its own rhythm. It was just fun to do," he added modestly.

It was Dire Straits' most commercially successful single, peaking at number one for three weeks on both the US Billboard Hot 100.

Related: 1966 Rock Hit Named Among Greatest Drum Solos of All Time

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 3:43 AM.