"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). The song's lyrics pay homage to the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, making reference to Edinburgh Castle, the Stone of Scone and Canongate Tolbooth. An extended version of the song released in Mexico contains an additional verse. The song became a top-10 hit in Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Spain, as well as on the US Billboard Triple-A chart.
Track listing
Charts Weekly charts Chart (2000–2001)PeakpositionEurope (Eurochart Hot 100)81Poland (Music & Media)10Poland (PiF PaF)6Portugal (AFP)9
Year-end charts Chart (2000)PositionUS Triple-A (Billboard)31 Chart (2000)PositionUS Triple-A (Billboard)13
Release history RegionDateFormatLabelUnited States4 September 2000Triple-A radioMercuryEurope18 September 2000CDUnited States25 September 2000Mainstream rock radio
References