The one album that made Sting not want to write again: “Was it any good?”
Everything that Sting ever made was never about trying to become the best-selling artist in the world.
He wanted to make the music that struck a nerve with him, and while that did happen to realign with what everyone else wanted to hear in the days of The Police, it wasn’t all that out of the question for him to go in a completely different direction if the time called for it. Then again, there were bound to be times when even the legends like him started questioning what he was even doing.
It’s not like he was ever in doubt about his musical ability. Part of the reason why The Police resonated so well was because of the raw fearlessness they had when they were playing. Any song could have dissolved into a fistfight if someone said the wrong thing, but even in an age dominated by punk rock, Sting was more than happy to write simple pop songs and even throw in some strange progressive elements into the mix that would have sent the likes of The Clash running scared.
But when he left The Police, it never felt like that big of a concern to him. The band needed some time away from each other, and when looking at his solo career, he was clearly happy to be taking more chances on his own records than being restricted to something Police fans might have wanted to hear. The whole thing seemed to be running smoothly even through the 1990s, but after becoming one of the darlings of adult contemporary, where do you go from there?
Think about it for a second. Sting was more than happy to transition into music that was a little easier on the ears than ‘Next To You’, but when looking at other massive stars in the genre, it’s not like they are topping the charts, either. Everyone from Michael Bolton to Celine Dion certainly had their fans, but there was no point in sticking around for too long after Sting started throwing his hat into the ring with ‘Fields of Gold’.
And after the horrors that happened on 9/11, the bassist wondered if there was anything that he had left to say when working on Sacred Love, saying, “I was left on my own to meditate, really, and question my being, question what it was to be a singer in such a world, a songwriter Did I have any purpose to fulfill? Was it any good what I did? I didn’t get any immediate answers, to be honest with you. But that feeling of emptiness and of doubt was the beginning of this project.”
Anyone would have felt desensitised in Sting’s position, but it’s not like his songs about romance and everyday didn’t matter anymore. The live album that was recorded on that fateful day did manage to carry the weight of the moment a lot more, but when listening to his more sombre tone on this album, you could tell that he was far more disillusioned about what to say half the time, often wondering if he was striking the right chord with people that were still in the throes of grief.
But in those times of need, music almost demands to be felt. Bruce Springsteen extended a helping hand to people when writing The Rising, and Sting’s need to play helped everyone appreciate the gift of live music. The whole thing even managed to get him back to playing rock music, eventually recording one of the best versions of ‘Demolition Man’ when getting heavy hitters like Josh Freese into the band with him.
So while Sting did have a few months of wondering what the hell was left for him to stay, the rest of his career is a testament to what should be done when seeing those sea changes in the world. It’s never easy to confront them in the moment, but when you take a look outward, the best thing musicians can hope to do is use their voice to help bring some joy back into the world.
