If ever there was a movie theme that outshone its namesake, it would have to be “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero).”
Composed and performed by Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, “Going Home” played over the closing credits of the 1983 film Local Hero and was issued as a single–Knopfler’s first-ever solo release.
It wasn’t a hit, though, reaching only #56 in the U.K. and not charting at all in the U.S.
But the evocative instrumental captured the hearts of those who found it, especially after Knopfler added it to Dire Straits set lists and released it on their Alchemy live album. (English football fans also know it as the entrance song for Newcastle United.)
More than forty years on, the song remains one of Knopfler’s most popular songs and one of the most beloved rock instrumentals.
Which is why it made big news when Knopfler re-recorded it in 2024 and released at as a charity single to benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.
Of course, the attention might also have been due to the musicians Knopfler invited to guest-star on the track. He went deep into his rolodex, assuming only a few might actually respond. Among those who did were Pete Townshend, Tom Morello, Slash, Keith Urban, Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Sheryl Crow, Roger Daltry, Duane Eddy, Peter Frampton, Joan Jett, Ringo Starr, Sting, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.
In all, more than sixty all-star musicians contributed to the track (including Jeff Beck’s final studio recording before his death)–so many that the originally four-minute track now stretched out to ten.
Knopfler credited the single to a supergroup called Guitar Heroes, a name that lacks even an ounce of hyperbole given the group’s line-up.
Did I mention the group included a certain New Jersey guitarist who has a “Local Hero” single of his own?
My bad. You can hear Bruce Springsteen’s forty-second contribution to the track starting at the 4:10 mark below.
The single was part of a broader cancer awareness campaign that raised well over one million GBP for Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.
As for Knopfler, he’s retired from touring but clearly still committed to making an impact through music.
Going Home (Theme From Local Hero) Recorded: Released: Going Home (Theme From Local Hero) (2024)
Never performed
© July 6, 2026