The artist Sting called a musical “higher being”
A number of musicians have claimed to be from unearthly backgrounds. Sun Ra declared that he had been brought to our planet from another, reinforcing his claim with an otherworldly collection of jazz. George Clinton, of Parliament and Funkadelic fame, created an entire stage show and mythology around his unearthliness. But for Sting, there was just one artist who convinced him of his higher power through music.
Stevie Wonder never claimed to come from another planet like the aforementioned artists, but that didn’t stop the Police frontman from believing him to be an ethereal figure. The two may have existed in different musical spheres — Sting finding success amidst the new wave era of the late 1970s with the Police, while Wonder worked across jazz, soul, R&B and more a decade or so prior. Still, their paths would eventually cross.
By the 1990s, both Sting and Wonder had established themselves as huge names in their respective areas and in music more generally. The Police frontman had penned countless for the Police before embarking upon a solo career. Wonder had amassed collaborations aplenty, as well as his own fair share of widely beloved tunes, capturing the hearts and ears of millions with tracks like ‘Superstition’ and ‘Isn’t She Lovely’.
Leaving the Police behind him, Sting was focusing more closely on his solo career throughout the 1990s, creating signature tracks like ‘Field’s Gold’ and ‘Shape of My Heart’ without the assistance of his former bandmates. But he did collaborate with a wide range of musicians while honing his solo sound. And when it came to recording his 1999 record Brand New Day, he recruited Wonder to the cause.
Wonder was featured on the title song from Brand New Day, which would become the lead single of the album. The beloved songwriter provided his harmonica skills to the tune, performing a blistering solo on the wind instrument at the climax of the song. “I’m the plough and you’re the land, you’re the glove and I’m the hand,” Sting sings, “I’m the train and you’re the station, I’m a flagpole to your nation,” before trailing off to let Wonder’s windpipes shine.
He plays a short but striking solo on the harmonica, continuing to play when Sting and his backing singers return to the fore. It’s a gorgeous addition to the track and one that left the former Police singer in awe in the studio. Speaking with Rolling Stone about the experience of working with Wonder, Sting described the harmonica player as a “higher being”.
“There’s an energy about him that’s just totally otherworldly,” he added. Though most of us will never have the pleasure of working with Wonder, of watching him shred on the harmonica in the studio, it’s easy to imagine why Sting saw him as an otherworldly presence. His talent for songwriting and for instrumentation is unmatched in a way that almost makes him seem inhuman.
Listening to Wonder’s records or watching him perform live is already awe-inspiring enough, so seeing him working his sonic magic in real-time is sure to convince anyone that he’s a higher being. Fortunately, Sting exercised his own talents for songwriting and the two created something truly magical with ‘Brand New Day’, an otherworldly single that would become a standout track in Sting’s solo discography.
