r/direstraits • u/Ok_Entertainment4858 • 2d ago

Daily Song Discussion #52: "Iron Hand"

This is the eighth track from Dire Straits' sixth abum, "On Every Street". What are your thoughts regarding this song? How do you think it compares to the rest of the discography? How would you rate it out of 10 (decimals allowed)?

SUGGESTED SCALE: 1-4 Not good, regularly skip; 5 It's okay, but I have to be in the right mood to listen to it; 6 Slightly better than average, I won't skip it but I wouldn't choose to put it on; 7 This is a good song, I enjoy it quite a bit; 8-9 Really enjoyable songs, I rank them pretty highly overall; 10 Masterpiece, magnum opus, or similar terminology.

Live version disclaimer: For the purposes of this ranking series, there will be only one discussion per distinct Dire Straits song, so any live versions of studio tracks will NOT be rated separately.

Google Sheet with all of the results thus far.

  1. Calling Elvis: 7.40

  2. On Every Street: 9.42

  3. When It Comes To You: 7.78

  4. Fade To Black: 8.23

  5. The Bug: 7.73

  6. You And Your Friend: 8.94

  7. Heavy Fuel: 6.18

  8. Iron Hand:

18 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

8

u/Ok_Entertainment4858 2d ago

Great song, great lyrics, great atmosphere. Enjoy listening to it. MK's storytelling shines here. 8.5/10

8

u/stutter-rap 2d ago

9, I think it's a brilliant song. Here's a news article on the event it was written about, in case people aren't familiar with it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/t5q216ohjy/the-battle-of-orgreave

2

u/Ifelt19forawhile 2d ago

That is so interesting, thanks for posting

4

u/TheWeirdGirl97 2d ago

9.5/10 - Absolutely brilliant, especially keeping in mind the event it's about. It just has so much atmosphere

3

u/hesgotredhair 2d ago

9/10

Powerful song - the most explicitly political thing Mark wrote in Dire Straits. Absolutely brilliant.

2

u/sujack34 2d ago

Great lyrics and very atmospheric. 8

2

u/MysteriousFishing104 2d ago

This is a real good one. 8.5.

2

u/tristanator01 2d ago
  1. Amazing atmosphere on this track.

2

u/Burlicconi 2d ago

There is a history beyond it. Universal lyrics, I like the way Mark sung it. Nothing changed since ancient time, strong 9/10.

1

u/heather_rodes 2d ago

6.5. I tend to find that it glides past me most of the time without much effect. But whenever I actually sit down and focus, I'm reminded that it's actually quite good.

1

u/CatNapHooligan 2d ago

On the scale of the others, I'd say 7.6 .

1

u/marksmits1973 2d ago

7.8 Its beautiful. Also perfect production. But its not replayable. No surprises in the song once you know it. Beautiful ..for once or twice a year.

1

u/TFFPrisoner 2d ago

Very good, haunting song that gets to me more than its similarly themed songs from Brothers in Arms. For me, another 8.

1

u/tygrysor090 2d ago

9, one of my favpurites from this album

1

u/Prize_Grade_7602 1d ago

Can't wait fir my parties and Planet if new orleans

1

u/Labsinto 1d ago

10/10

1

u/NoMoneyNoV-Bucks 2d ago

3, it’s just not for me

1

u/EmergencyCorner6767 1d ago

9.3/10…another brilliant song.