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Cover of Making Movies by Dire Straits
Cover: Making Movies

Song · Dire Straits

“Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits

From the album Making Movies (1980)

“Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits appears on 48 radio countdowns from 15 stations between 1991 and 2026. It was first released in 1980 on the album Making Movies. Its best result is #29 on the WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,696 alternative song of all time.

48countdowns
15stations
#29best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1991–2026years charted

Watch

Dire Straits - Romeo And Juliet (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (DireStraitsVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Romeo and Juliet" first turned up on Dire Straits' 1980 album Making Movies before going out as a single in 1981, and it's frontman Mark Knopfler at his most tender, his murmured, conversational vocal and rippling guitar carrying a melody that unspools at its own unhurried pace. Knopfler wrote it and produced it with Jimmy Iovine, John Illsley and Pick Withers keep the rhythm soft-footed and add backing vocals, and Roy Bittan's keyboards give it a glow.

It has never really gone away. The band put it on the live albums Alchemy and On the Night, it keeps landing on the greatest-hits sets, from Money for Nothing onward, and Knopfler brought it back on Real Live Roadrunning, his live album with Emmylou Harris, though she sits this one out.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1991 839 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1999 1727 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 1727 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 1727 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 66 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2001 1455 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 714 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 42 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2004 710 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2004 32 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2005 107 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2005 97 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 100 Brit Songs of All-Time (May 2005) 100
2006 33 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 95 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2009 462 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2009 41 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2012 755 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 534 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 610 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 611 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 884 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 113 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2015 615 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 793 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2016 488 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2018 430 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 67 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 67 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 696 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 63 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 199 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2021 243 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 414 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 94 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2021) 100
2022 479 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 558 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 69 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2022) 100
2023 70 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2023) 100
2023 172 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 606 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 165 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2024 70 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2024) 100
2024 335 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 29 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2025 57 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2025) 100
2025 292 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 29 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498
2026 162 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180

Also listed as: Romeo And Juliet; Romeo & Juliet.

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