A shopping trip to an appliance store can lead to a hit song.

The lyrics from one of the iconic songs of the 1980s came from a routine shopping experience at a New York appliance store.

Money For Nothing from the U.K. band Dire Straits was written by singer-guitarist Mark Knopfler after he jotted down notes while sitting in a kitchen display, listening to the comments of a delivery man. The store staffer watched videos on a bank of televisions all playing MTV, and remarked on the easy success of musicians, and used phrases “that ain’t working”, “money for nothing” and “chicks for free”.

Knopfler immediately grabbed a pen and paper to write down some of the comments and used them as song lyrics because it sounded so real.

The song’s video became a staple of the young MTV network because of the background vocal refrain “I want my MTV”, and a unique animated style that included two primitive delivery people inside an appliance store. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard charts in September 1985.