“My legacy”: The one album Sting wants to be remembered for
To Sting, music is like recognising your own lifeblood: it’s not about sinking or swimming; it’s about treading water long enough to realise you’re constantly learning and always shifting.
In his view, it’s the uncertainty that enables musical magic to thrive. As he once put it: “I can’t imagine life without music; it’s my medium – just like fish in water, but that doesn’t mean I understand any more than anyone else.”
While he has a habit of dividing opinion on music fans, one thing cannot be underestimated: Sting is a devout follower of the art form. Often finding new ways to propel his own work into new and exciting areas, The Police were just a small part of his legacy. It was within the realm of his solo work that one could easily assume Sting truly found his voice. Caught between worlds, Sting chose to ignore comfort and seek abrasive new ways forward.
In an enticing way, this both explains and contradicts his work within The Police. Although they dove headfirst into uncertainty by blending reggae-influenced sounds with rock and pop sensibilities during a time when new wave was having its crucial moment, their dynamics seemed to be constantly hanging on by a thread, the uncertainty of what’s to come, keeping them in an unpredictable spiral.
That said, Sting was as crucial to the success of The Police as Freddie Mercury to Queen—just as the late frontman defined the voice of a generation, Sting’s distinctive style and songwriting helped to make The Police a global phenomenon. Beyond the obvious hits like ‘Roxanne’, ‘Every Breath You Take’, and ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’, Sting infused an intellectual approach that put them at the forefront of innovating the intersection between rock and reggae.
He has held this within all of his projects, not just as a fundamental aspect of The Police but as a solo artist and collaborator, his versatility becoming a major selling point and a signifier of his ability to understand the visions of others. In terms of enduring legacy, however, Sting regards another project as much more important than his work with Eric Clapton, Branford Marsalis, and even The Police.
It’s a radical suggestion. The Police were not only his gateway into working creatively as a songwriter but would likely be considered his biggest hits and his most critically credible work. Era-defining singles are apparently not what gets Sting up in the morning. Instead, he opted for a deeply personal work as the one he wanted to reflect his time on this earth as an artist.
When Rolling Stone recently asked the musician to reflect on the diversity of his career and pinpoint one project that he feels most proud of, none of the above were mentioned. Instead, he discussed his work on the musical The Last Ship. “I think up till about ten years ago, I would have said my legacy are my songs – the songs I wrote for The Police, the songs I wrote for my own career,” he began.
Explaining his lasting connection to The Last Ship, he added: “But now I would say my legacy, the one I’m most fond of, is The Last Ship, which became a Broadway show and a touring show in Britain and Europe.” Beyond its success and the possibility of it becoming “an opera with a big chorus and orchestra,” he also clarified that his appreciation stems from it being “an exciting adventure,” one that was “very personal” and “about my community, where I come from, the people I was brought up with, and also about my escape from that.”
The Last Ship, set in his hometown of Newcastle, reflected Sting’s deep connection to his roots. Inspired by the shipbuilding industry that once thrived there, it explores themes of the working class and the industry’s decline. Aside from resonating with its messages, Sting also captured the story’s emotional depth with his artistic style while showing his vision’s more complex and nuanced side.
