I found “Are We In Trouble Now” by accident, the way you sometimes stumble into the best songs. It started when I listened to a ’90s country recommendation by Mark Chesnutt. While reading up on the track, I saw that the legendary Hargus “Pig” Robbins played piano on it. That caught my attention. I started digging into what other albums Pig had worked on later in his life. One of those albums turned out to be Golden Heart, the first solo album by Mark Knopfler (who I’m a big fan of). When I saw that Vince Gill sang backup on the closing song of the album, I knew I had to give it a listen.

The song I landed on was “Are We In Trouble Now.” It’s a quiet, thoughtful piece that sounds like a conversation between two people unsure about their future together. Knopfler’s voice is steady and calm, full of feeling. Pig Robbins brings a soft, emotional layer with his piano playing, and Vince Gill’s harmonies add a gentle lift. The whole track feels smooth and easy but carries real weight underneath.

Golden Heart came out in 1996 and marked a turning point for Knopfler as he stepped away from his work with Dire Straits. He had created one of the most successful bands of his time, with 7.1 million ticket-buying fans across 300 shows by the end of their two-year tour in 1992. He later said, “I put the thing [Dire Straits] to bed because I wanted to get back to some kind of reality. It’s self-protection, a survival thing. That kind of scale is dehumanizing.” He spent a few years recovering from the tour, which had ended both his marriage and the band.

Fun Fact: Mark said this about the recording of the album: “Golden Heart was recorded pretty much all together, so I was thinking about maybe taking my guitar off and playing it again properly, but I had a feeling from the session, so I just left it. It’s always a very exciting thing when you can keep as much from the original session as possible on the record, and that’s really what happened”

Fun Fact II: The same year, this song was recorded by country music star Randy Travis for his album Full Circle.

This song shows a different side of Mark Knopfler, leaning into country and folk sounds with a lot of heart. It’s not flashy, just honest and beautifully made. I wouldn’t have found it without that Mark Chesnutt rabbit trail, and now I’m glad I followed it all the way here.

It wasn’t just the music
It wasn’t just the wine
Some other kind of magic
Was sending up my spine
Then I was falling
And I fell for you, and how
Darling, are we in trouble now

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They say we’re grown up
But we’ve been searching all this time
I wouldn’t own up
Never would admit to flying blind
But in the Darkness
We found each other anyhow
Darling, are we in trouble now

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When we’d talk it over
Love was a cry from a distant shore
Then we found each other
And all that we’d been searching for

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And I’m done denying
I guess by now you know
I’m through with trying
Can’t bring myself to let you go
And of all these feelings
We said we never would allow
Darling, are we in trouble now

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My name is Michael Sanchez and I’m an avid record collector and obscure song searcher. My goal is to post (hopefully) one song a day that’s been on my stereo/turntable frequently. If you don’t like the song… too bad 🙂 You can just wait for the next one. I do use A.I. here and there to help with writing and grammar. All the info I find is from wikipedia/youtube/interviews/news articles/personal stories I’ve heard/random googling. If you notice any mistakes, let me know or just keep it inside and be mad. Thanks!

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