Dire Straits were an English rock band; formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals); his brother David Knopfler (guitar); John Illsley (bass); and Pick Withers (drums); and subsequently managed by Ed Bicknell. Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock reigned; Dire Straits worked within the conventions of classic rock; albeit with a stripped-down sound that appealed to modern audiences weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s.In their early days; Mark and David requested that pub owners turn down the amps so that patrons could converse while the band played indicative of their unassuming demeanor. "Romeo and Juliet" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits, written by Dire Straits singer and lead guitarist Mark Knopfler. It first appeared on the 1980 album Making Movies and was released as a single in 1981. The song subsequently appeared on the Dire Straits live albums Alchemy and On the Night, and later on Knopfler's live duet album with Emmylou Harris, Real Live Roadrunning (though Harris does not perform on the track).
The song opens on an arpeggiated resonator guitar part played by Knopfler, who also sings.