The second cassette tape I purchased after arriving in Bulgaria at the turn of the century was Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 (the international version) which became one of my favorites during my two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a city on the Black Sea. Before purchasing this tape, all I really knew about Sting was his albums with the Police and his smash ‘80s hit “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” but this stellar collection showed me Sting (born Gordon Sumner) had lots more to offer as a solo singer, songwriter, and musician.
For most of the ‘90s, I had been oblivious to mainstream radio and was listening mostly to punk and indie rock. By the end of the decade, I had begun opening up to other kinds of music including pop and adult alternative. While Sting had been popular in America, he was a god in Europe and in Bulgaria in the fall of ‘99 Fields of Gold hit all the right spots for me. Unlike most of the known world, I was hearing songs like “Fields of Gold” and “Fragile” for the first time. Sitting alone in my creepy apartment block or walking alone on the deserted beach with my Walkman, I gained a new appreciation for Sting’s talents. For years it had been easy to dislike or disregard the guy as a rich, egotistical prick but I had to admit Sting wrote good pop songs and Fields of Gold soothed me in both good times and bad.
As a young American Peace Corps Volunteer trying to assimilate into a post-Communist society and having lived with a Bulgarian host-family for three months (my host-parents had a statue of Lenin above their bed), the song “Russians” took on a whole new meaning for me while serving in Bulgaria. Sting’s international outlook and embrace of jazz, classical, and world music made me forget he was English and just see him as a guy who pretty much saw the world as I did. Like me, Sting was a former teacher- he seemed literate- and I enjoyed his use of political, historical, and religious themes in his music.
Sting and I were both raised Catholic (and were both altar boys)- something that’s easy to surmise from his lyrics. But Gordon Sumner apparently left the Church long ago (although once you’re in, Sting, you know you can never really escape). In a recent interview, when asked if he would ever return to being a devout Catholic again, Sting laughed and said, “I’d probably seek out the sacraments at the end of my life.” Here are some of my favorite Sting songs. Enjoy!
01. Sting – “When We Dance” (1994)
02. Sting – “Mad About You” (1991)
03. Sting feat. Rob Mathes, The London Players – “Roxanne” (2010)
04. Sting – “Fragildad” (1988)
05. The Chieftains feat. Sting – “Mo Ghile Mear (‘Our Hero’)” (1995)
06. Sting – “Fields of Gold” (1993)
07. Sting – “Russians” (1985)
08. Sting – “Fortress Around Your Heart (1994 Remix)” (1985)
09. Sting – “Fragile” (1987)
10. Sting – “Ghost Story” (1999)
Listen to the playlist on Spotify...
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