"What It Is"
Single by Mark Knopfler
from the album Sailing to Philadelphia
Released4 September 2000 (2000-09-04)
GenreRoots rock
Length4:57 (Album version) 3:33 (Radio edit) 5:36 (Mexican version)
Songwriter(s)Mark Knopfler
Producer(s)Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler singles chronology
"Rüdiger"
(1996) 		"What It Is"
(2000) 		"Sailing To Philadelphia"
(2000)

"What It Is" is a song written and recorded by the British rock musician Mark Knopfler. It was released on 4 September 2000 as the lead single from his second solo studio album, Sailing to Philadelphia (2000).

An extended version of the song released in Mexico contains an additional verse:

And the highwayman stands blowing on his fingers by the green
I've walked inside his shoes before so I always buy his magazine
He's with a local mystery with blood stains on her hands
I like the way she winks at me but I leave her with the highwayman

The song's lyrics pay homage to the city of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."What It Is" (Radio edit)3:33
2."The Long Highway"3:46
3."Let's See You"4:21
4."Camerado"2:58
Total length:14:38

Charts

Chart (2000–01) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[1] 11
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[2] 15
France (SNEP)[3] 56
Germany (Official German Charts)[4] 81
Italy (FIMI)[5] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 38
Norway (VG-lista)[7] 10
Poland (Music & Media)[8] 10
Poland (Polish Airplay Charts)[9] 6
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[10] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 38
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[12] 3

References

  1. ^ "Mark Knopfler – What It Is" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  2. ^ "Mark Knopfler – What It Is" (in French). Ultratip.
  3. ^ "Mark Knopfler – What It Is" (in French). Les classement single.
  4. ^ "Mark Knopfler – What It Is" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  5. ^ "Mark Knopfler – What It Is". Top Digital Download.
  6. ^ "Mark Knopfler – What It Is" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  7. ^ "Mark Knopfler – What It Is". VG-lista.
  8. ^ "Major Market Airplay – Week 34/2000" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 34. 19 August 2000. p. 35. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Polish Airplay Charts – Lista krajowa 36/2000" (in Polish). PiF PaF Production. Archived from the original on 4 March 2001. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Mark Knopfler – What It Is" Canciones Top 50.
  11. ^ "Mark Knopfler – What It Is". Swiss Singles Chart.
  12. ^ "Mark Knopfler Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
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