In 2006, Mojo included it in a list of the 50 best British songs. The song is on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list, Dire Straits' only appearance. In 1993, Paul Williams included it in his book Rock and Roll: The 100 Best Singles. In 1992, Life named it one of the top five songs of 1979.

Record Mirror named 'Sultans of Swing' the tenth-best song of 1978. If you aren't familiar with 'Sultans of Swing' or haven't listened to it in a while, you should definitely check it out.

'Sultans of Swing' was a lesson in prosody and tasty guitar playing that has seldom been equaled since. Like his contemporary and future duet partner Sting, Knopfler's ideas were intellectually and musically stimulating, but were also accessible to the average listener. But Knopfler, he could do both things as well or better than anybody out there in his own way, and didn't seem to have any obvious rock influences unless you try to include Dylan. Sure, Donald Fagen and Tom Waits were writing great lyrics about characters you'd love to meet and Jeff Beck and Eddie Van Halen were great guitar players. With 'Sultans of Swing' a breath of fresh air was exhaled into the airwaves in the late '70s. Writing in 2013 on the impact of the song, Rick Moore of American Songwriter reflected: Jon Marlowe of The Palm Beach Post called it 'an infectious, sounds-damn-good-on-the-car-radio ode to every bar band who has ever done four sets a night, seven nights a week'. The Spokane Chronicle's Jim Kershner wrote that 'Sultans of Swing' is 'remarkable, both for its lyrics that made fun of hip young Londoners and the phenomenal guitar sound of Knopfler', which 'sounded like no other guitar on radio'. Cash Box said that 'the phrasing of the vocals is reminiscent of Lou Reed' and that 'the arrangement of moderate beat and excellent guitar work are exceptionally fluid and engaging.' The New Rolling Stone Album Guide called the song 'an insinuating bit of bar-band mythmaking' whose lyrics 'paint a vivid picture of an overlooked and underappreciated pub combo'. Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone singled out 'Sultans of Swing' as a highlight of the album for its 'inescapable hook' and compared Knopfler's vocal stylings to those of Bob Dylan. Knopfler used the guitar technique of finger picking on the recording. 'Sultans of Swing' was re-recorded in February 1978 at Basing Street Studios for the debut album Dire Straits, produced by Muff Winwood. Two months later, Dire Straits signed a recording contract with Phonogram Records. Gillett liked the music and put 'Sultans of Swing' on his rotation. They took the tape to the influential DJ Charlie Gillett, presenter of Honky Tonk on BBC Radio London, hoping for advice. Shortly after Dire Straits formed in 1977, they recorded a five-song demo tape at Pathway Studios, including 'Sultans of Swing'. Knopfler used similar triads on ' Lady Writer'. All the chords are compatible with a D natural minor scale, except for the A major triad, which suggests a D harmonic minor scale. The song employs the Andalusian cadence or diatonic phrygian tetrachord. The riff uses triads, particularly second inversions. It uses a chord progression of DmвЂ“CвЂ“B в™вЂ“A for the verses, and FвЂ“CвЂ“B в™ for the choruses. It is in the key of D minor with Knopfler's vocal range spanning G 2 to D 4. The song is set in common time, with a tempo of 149 beats per minute. At the end of their performance, the lead singer announced their name, the Sultans of Swing Knopfler found the contrast between the group's dowdy appearance and surroundings and their grandiose name amusing. The lyrics were inspired by a performance of a jazz band playing in the corner of an almost empty pub in Deptford, South London. the new chord changes just presented themselves and fell into place.'

He thought the song was 'dull' until he bought his first Stratocaster in 1977: 'It just came alive as soon as I played it on that '61 Strat. 'Sultans of Swing' was composed by Mark Knopfler on a National Steel guitar in open tuning.

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