I don’t drink coffee, I drink tea, my dear… Sting is giving a concert at Delhi’s Nehru Stadium on Feb. 6th. Be still my beating heart.
On the occasion of his concert, a special Limited tour Edition of his latest album Sacred Love , which contains his rare singles, is being put together. The single, Sacred Love also has an Indian touch since it features Anoushka Shankar on the sitar.
With Sting’s long-standing interest in yoga (he owns a studio in New York) and professed mastery of tantric sex, it’s surprising he doesn’t play India more often. Maybe his Englishness gets in the way.
“… I mentioned to Bob [Geldof] I could make love for eight hours. What I didn’t say was that this included four hours of begging and then dinner and a movie.”
Please don’t label this the highlight of his career:
Sting’s career hit a real high note in ’94, when he, together with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, performed All For Love for the film, The Three Musketeers… [ToI]
What a repugnant thought. Sting, like Bono, is that rarest of birds, a thinking rocker with fractal lyrics that unfold. I spent many delicious hours on a bus through the USSR listening to ‘Russians’ and ‘Fortress Around Your Heart.’ U2’s ‘Vertigo’ has bite, but they’ve both been putting out geriatric stuff lately which makes the young’uns look askance when you admit to being a fan. Plus there’s the whole megagroup thing, hipster ammo; screw it, I sometimes drink Starbucks.
🙂
Maybe I’m an old-timer, but I have much love for the early solo Sting albums. I did start to scratch my head about him, though, when he started in with the Three Musketeers business.
Also, Sting’s spanish is far superior to Bono’s (he recorded a great Spanish album [Nada como el sol], while Bono cannot count to 4, apparently).
But Sting hasn’t rocked in ages, unlike U2. He’s peddling watered down ballads with pretty lyrics but no bite. U2 can still craft a hook, can still make you feel the music in your tailbone. U2 can still roar, Sting croons, he whispers.
Sting actually has played in India before – he came to Delhi for the MTV India VMAs about five years ago. He came on stage in kurta-pyjama, settled down cross-legged next to a couple of sitarists and a tabla player, and proceeded to sing ‘message in a bottle’ or something. It was truly AWFUL. When I tell you that Bon Jovi came on next, acoustic, and actually sounded brilliant in comparison, that may give you some idea of how crashigly bad it was.
Yeah, ‘They Dance Alone’ / ‘Gueca Solo’ is gorgeous. I actually heard ‘catorce’ in ‘Vertigo’ as ironic, a sonic liftoff. On a scale of 1 to 10, they’re jamming the needle at 14.
‘Desert Rose’ was pretty good, and I love the Arabic direction. A lot of his overtly jazz stuff was soporific.
Sting also came to India in the late 80s (89 I think) for some live-aid type concert. He was with the Boss, Youssou N’Dour and Peter Gabriel. I remember this because I was sent from my school to see his news conference (it was some gimmick)
You’d think I’d have learned by now not to rely on the Times of India. Fixed, thanks!
Sting has performed in India at least twice before — 1980 Feb (or was it 1981) in Mumbai with the Police.. just after Regatta de Blanc came out and then in 1988 Aug/ Sep in Delhi, with Springsteen, Peter Gabriel et al..
And to tie this to another SM post, Springsteen’s appearance at this 1988 Delhi Concert (part of Amnesty International’s Human Rights Now tour) is what Rabbi cites as his inspiration to be a musician.
I love the song Desert Rose. I am looking for the lyrics that included cheb’s part in the mix. All I can find are Sting’s or the translated words of Cheb’s. Does anyone know where i can go to get these lyrics?
I could be wrong, but I think you can hear a piece of the same track on either Meli Meli or Delali. I no longer have my liner notes for either of those, but you can check them.
u want desert rose song lyrics, [desert rose] I dream of rain I dream of gardens in the desert sand I wake in vain I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of fire These dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire And in the flames Her shadows play in the shape of a man’s desire
This desert rose Each of her veils, a secret promise This desert flower No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this
And as she turns This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams This fire burns I realize that nothing’s as it seems
I dream of rain I dream of gardens in the desert sand I wake in vain I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of rain I lift my gaze to empty skies above I close my eyes, this rare perfume Is the sweet intoxication of her love
I dream of rain I dream of gardens in the desert sand I wake in vain I dream of love as time runs through my hand
Sweet desert rose Each of her veils, a secret promise This desert flower No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this
Sweet desert rose This memory of Eden haunts us all This desert flower, this rare perfume Is the sweet intoxication of the fall