Tunnel of Love

Dire Straits, 1980, from Making Movies. Solo by Mark Knopfler.

Knopfler's long outro solo, fingerpicked and soaring, fills the last few minutes of the eight-minute track.

Tunnel of Love is a long, cinematic song, and Mark Knopfler lets the guitar tell the final chapter. His outro solo unfolds slowly, played with his fingers rather than a pick, which gives each note a rounded snap and lets him pluck chord fragments alongside single lines. He moves from quiet, conversational phrases to soaring, sustained lines as the band builds, never rushing the climb. It is a masterclass in pacing, and in how a distinctive touch can say more than technique on display. Listen for the moments where Knopfler snaps a string against the fretboard or pairs two notes at once, small fingerstyle details that make his sound recognisable even in the song's loudest passages.

Tunnel of Love by Dire Straits is ranked #261 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Mark Knopfler and the song was released in 1980. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #15 (Magazyn Gitarzysta).

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #11
• The Best Dire Straits Guitar Solos — #4
• The Best Mark Knopfler Guitar Solos — #5

Sources

• Magazyn Gitarzysta: 100 solówek wszech czasów [100 solos of all time] — #15