| Wag the Dog | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 13 January 1998 | |||
| Recorded | AIR Studios, London, 1997 | |||
| Genre | Film music | |||
| Length | 24:09 | |||
| Label | Vertigo Mercury (USA) | |||
| Producer | Mark Knopfler, Chuck Ainlay | |||
| Mark Knopfler chronology | ||||
| ||||
Wag the Dog is the sixth soundtrack album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 13 January 1998 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Mercury Records in the United States. The album contains music composed for the 1997 film Wag the Dog, directed by Barry Levinson. The film featured songs created for the fictitious campaign waged by the protagonists, including "Good Old Shoe", "The American Dream", and "The Men of the 303". These songs appear on the soundtrack album as instrumental tracks. Only the title track contains vocals.[1]
Critical response
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album four out of five stars, calling it one of Knopfler's "best scores, alternately graceful and rootsy."[1]
Track listing
All music was written by Mark Knopfler.[1][2]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wag the Dog" | 4:44 |
| 2. | "Working on It" | 3:27 |
| 3. | "In the Heartland" | 2:45 |
| 4. | "An American Hero" | 2:04 |
| 5. | "Just Instinct" | 1:36 |
| 6. | "Stretching Out" | 4:17 |
| 7. | "Drooling National" | 1:53 |
| 8. | "We're Going to War" | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 24:09 | |
Personnel
- Music
- Mark Knopfler – guitar, vocals
- Richard Bennett – guitar
- Jim Cox – piano, Hammond organ
- Guy Fletcher – keyboards
- Glenn Worf – bass
- Chad Cromwell – drums
- Production
- Mark Knopfler – producer
- Chuck Ainlay – producer
- Mark Ralston – assistant producer
- Denny Purcell – mastering at Georgetown Masters in Nashville
- Don Cobb – digital editing
- Rick Lecoat – design
- Phil Caruso – photography
- Mark Leialoha – photography[2]