AFTER DISBANDING the Police at the peak of their popularity in 1984, Sting quickly established himself as a viable solo artist, expanding the boundaries of pop music. He incorporated elements of jazz, classical and world beat into his music, and wrote meaningful lyrics.
He began work on his first solo album late in 1984, and moved from playing bass to guitar. He recorded his solo debut album in 1985, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, which was considerably more mature and diverse than any Police record that had come before. The album became a hit, featuring the songs If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, Love Is the Seventh Wave and Fortress Round Your Heart, all reaching the American top 10.
That year, Sting participated in a half-hearted Police reunion that resulted in only one new song, a re-recorded version of Don’t Stand So Close to Me. Following this aborted reunion, Sting began working on the ambitious album, Nothing Like the Sun, which was dedicated to his recently deceased mother.
Two years later, he delivered Ten Summer’s Tales, a light, pop-orientated album that became a hit on the strength of two top 20 songs, If I Ever Lose My Faith in You and Fields of Gold. At the end of 1993, All for Love, a song he recorded with Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams for the film The Three Musketeers, became a number one hit.
Did you know…? He received the name Sting from his striped rugby shirt that made him look like a bee. Sting is godfather to Madonna’s son Rocco. He takes an average of 2,000 dollars a day in royalties for his song Every Breath You Take. The Police have never announced an official break up and their album, Synchronicity, was the one that finally knocked Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the best selling album of all time, off the number one spot it held for most of 1983.
• You can catch Sting and Anastacia at Rock in Rio-Lisboa on June 4. For more information, call 214 666 500, e-mail [email protected] patricia.gonç[email protected] or visit www.rockinrio-lisboa.sapo.pt
