Lady Writer
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Lady Writer
| cover = Ladywriter uksingle.jpg
| alt =
| caption = UK release picture sleeve
| type = single
| artist = Dire Straits
| album = Communiqué
| B-side = Where Do You Think You're Going?
| released = 20 July 1979{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1979/Music-Week-1979-07-28.pdf|title=Music Week|page=38}}
| format =
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = Rock
| length = 3:45
| label = Vertigo
| writer = Mark Knopfler
| producer = {{hlist|Barry Beckett|Jerry Wexler}}
| prev_title = Sultans of Swing
| prev_year = 1978
| next_title = Tunnel of Love
| next_year = 1980
| misc =
}}
"Lady Writer" is a 1979 song by Dire Straits, which appears on the band's second album Communiqué. It was written by the band's lead singer, Mark Knopfler.
When asked what the song was about, Knopfler said that he was watching TV one day, and there was a lady writer on the TV.{{cn|date=May 2024}} Because the song says the writer is "talking about the Virgin Mary", some have speculated that the writer in question is Marina Warner, a view shared by Warner herself.{{cite magazine|first= Elizabeth |last= Gleick |title= Books: Boo! (Scared Yet?) |magazine= Time |date= 24 May 1999 |access-date= 25 July 2014 |url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,991046,00.html}}
Reception
Billboard described the song as a "hypnotic rocker" with "sizzling instrumentation" and "distinctive vocals."{{cite magazine|title= Billboard's Top Single Picks |magazine= Billboard |page= 59 |date= 28 July 1979 |access-date= 8 July 2020 |issn= 0006-2510 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-07-28.pdf}} Cash Box described it as being "very similar musically to 'Sultans of Swing', with guitarist/singer Knopfler's invigoratingly unique picking and vocal style."{{cite magazine|title= Singles Reviews > Feature Picks |magazine= Cash Box |volume= XLI |issue= 11 |page= 13 |date= 28 July 1979 |accessdate= 1 January 2022 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1979/CB-1979-07-28.pdf}} Record World said that "Knopfler's transcendent writing & guitar skills work well with the magic of Muscle Shoals."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=July 28, 1979|accessdate=2023-02-11|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/79/RW-1979-07-28.pdf}} Smash Hits said, "This is SO like 'Sultans of Swing' it's not true. Look, the only way you'll want this is if you've got (a) more money than sense, and (b) a memory like a sieve."{{cite magazine|first= Red |last= Starr |title= Singles |magazine= Smash Hits |issue= 17 |date= 26 July 1979}} Hubert Bauch of the Montreal Gazette agreed it was "a fast and nimble piece that matches 'Sultans of Swing'."{{cite web|first= Ted |last= Asregadoo |title= When Dire Straits Stuck to the Formula with 'Communique' |website= Ultimate Classic Rock |date= 15 June 2015 |access-date= 2 November 2020 |url= https://ultimateclassicrock.com/dire-straits-communique/}}
Charts
Certifications
{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Lady Writer"}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=New Zealand|title=Lady Writer|artist=Dire Straits|relyear=1979|certyear=2023|award=Gold|source=radioscope|access-date=20 April 2025}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|nosales=true|streaming=true}}