|
 As
the focal point of the enormously popular British rock trio the Police,
Sting (b. Gordon Sumner, Oct. 2, 1951, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England)
became one of the most famous faces of the '80s. Aside from writing a
memorable string of hit singles and albums between 1979-83, highlighted
by the No. 1 song "Every Breath You Take" from 1983's hugely successful
Synchronicity, the one-time schoolteacher turned pop star regularly
appeared in such films such as Quadrophenia (1979), Brimstone And
Treacle (1982), Dune (1984), The Bride and Plenty (both 1985). It
surprised few then when, as the band's primary singer-songwriter, he
finally opted to record his own solo album, 1985's platinum-selling The
Dream Of The Blue Turtles; it surprised even fewer when, after a one-off
appearance at a 1986 Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope concert in
Atlanta, the Police unofficially disbanded, and the former Gordon Sumner
began an equally successful solo career.
Sting Links
Nicknamed Sting due to a black and yellow shirt he favored in the early
'70s, the blond singer was part of a Newcastle, England fusion-jazz
quartet called Last Exit prior to joining with drummer Stewart Copeland
to form the Police in early 1977. Following the release of a debut
single featuring early guitarist Henri Padovani--whom Sting and Copeland
replaced with renowned session guitarist Andy Summers--the Police began
a lengthy relationship with A&M Records via the 1978 single "Roxanne," a
colorful, reggae-tinged song about a prostitute written by Sting. Within
a year, the song had cracked the top 40 and began a streak of nine top
40 hits for the Police between 1979-84, six of which made the top 10,
including "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da," "Don't Stand So Close To Me,"
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," the eight-week No. 1 single
"Every Breath You Take," "King Of Pain," and "Wrapped Around Your
Finger."
The band did not play by pop's traditional business rules of the time:
They toured the U.S. before they'd released an album, and they signed a
deal for a minimal advance that then guaranteed them high royalties. As
a result, they acquired a very loyal early audience and became extremely
wealthy: All six of their albums were certified gold, five going
platinum or multi-platinum. Synchronicity, the trio's 1983 bestseller,
was No. 1 for 17 weeks and certified quadruple platinum; it would have
been the year's top album had it not been for Michael Jackson's
phenomenal Thriller.
Sting's progression as a songwriter was a fascinating step-by-step
evolution from writing lightweight, wry songs about prostitutes and the
seeming baby-babble of "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" to weightier political
topics influenced by philosopher Arthur Koestler (on Ghost In The
Machine) and Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (Synchronicity). In 1983, the
singer explained how his world view was playing an expanding role in the
songs he was writing. "I'm pretty angry at the world," he said. "And I
think it's my duty to be angry. Because a lot of people are asleep, you
know? They don't know what's going on. They don't know the place is
being wrecked by fools. Fools we call politicians. I am angry, and I am
sour about the political state of the world. I think it sucks. But that
doesn't mean to say that I'm crying in my beer." Sting's political
involvement showed itself through his alignment with such causes as
Amnesty International, for whom he appeared in concert in 1986 and 1988,
as well as a celebrated solo appearance in 1985 at Live Aid.
The latter performance coincided with the release of Dream Of the Blue
Turtles--which held the No. 2 slot for six weeks, included the top 10
singles "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" and "Fortress Around Your
Heart," and boasted a top-line backing band including jazz stars
Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, and Omar Hakim. Sting's incorporation
of such players indicated how the former fusioneer had come to feel
hemmed in the Police's guitar/bass/drums trio format; while most of the
band's later albums were marvelously textured, the Blue Turtles line-up
was able to provide an even more varied musical context for Sting's
increasingly sophisticated compositions. Furthermore, Bring On The
Night, a 1986 double-live album documenting the singer's Blue Turtles
tour, which went unreleased in the U.S., ably demonstrated how the group
was more than capable of playing Police songs such as "Bring On The
Night," "Driven To Tears" and "Tea In The Sahara" as good as if not
better than the original trio.
The new band, plus guests Eric Clapton, jazz arranger Gil Evans and even
Police guitarist Summers accompanied Sting for his double platinum 1987
album ...Nothing Like The Sun. With three top 20 hits, including the No.
7 single "We'll Be Together," the record was actually his first since
the Police's break-up, and it showed the singer had made the transition
to solo artist seamlessly. A successful world tour followed, and his
status as an international superstar was further cemented by the 1988
release of Nada Como El Sol, a Spanish and Portuguese version of
...Nothing Like The Sun. He returned in 1991 with The Soul Cages, a dark
album written after the death of his father and largely reflecting the
emotional ramifications of his loss throughout. Unusually--but to be
expected, considering its overall downbeat theme--the album contained
only one hit, the top 5 "All This Time."
In 1993, Sting rebounded with Ten Summoner's Tales--an album which even
in its pun-filled title (summoner = Sumner) revealed an upbeat contrast
to the dour The Soul Cages. "Being on the rebound from that very dark
record," the singer explained upon its release, "this time I wanted to
make one for the fun of it, the craft of it--to engage the band
musically. There's a clash of styles and motifs that's quite
deliberate." The album launched a series of popular singles--including
"If I Ever Lose My Faith In You," "Fields Of Gold," and "Nothing 'Bout
Me"--and eventually reached the triple-platinum sales mark. Following
the release of Fields Of Gold: The Best Of Sting 1984-1994, the
inevitable compilation, Sting returned to the marketplace with Mercury
Falling in 1996 and Brand New Day in 1999.
In 2002, Sting reunited with Police mates Copeland and Summers to
celebrate the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but
the reunion was only a one-night stand. Sting continued to explore his
solo vision with Sacred Love, released in the fall of 2003. |
