...Nothing Like the Sun

…Nothing Like the Sun
Studio album by Sting
Released 13 October 1987 (1987-10-13)
Recorded March–August 1987
Studio Air Studios, Montserrat
Genre
Length 54:45
Label A&M
75021-6402-2
Producer
Sting chronology
Bring on the Night
(1986)		 …Nothing Like the Sun
(1987)		 Nada como el sol
(1988)
Singles from …Nothing Like the Sun
  1. "We'll Be Together"
    Released: 1 November 1987
  2. "Be Still My Beating Heart"
    Released: 1 December 1987
  3. "Englishman in New York"
    Released: 1 February 1988
  4. "Fragile"
    Released: 1 April 1988
  5. "They Dance Alone"
    Released: 1 August 1988

…Nothing Like the Sun is the second solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Sting. The album was originally released on 13 October 1987 on A&M (worldwide). The album explores the genres of pop rock, soft rock, jazz, reggae, world, acoustic rock, dance-rock, and funk rock. The songs were recorded during March–August in 1987 in sessions that took place at Air Studios, in Montserrat, assisted by record producers Hugh Padgham, Bryan Loren, and Neil Dorfsman. It features a number of high-profile guest guitarists, including former Police member Andy Summers, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, and Hiram Bullock, and is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of Sting's early work.

On release, the album was received favorably by the majority of music critics and in 1989, the album was ranked #90 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties".[1] "We'll Be Together", "Be Still My Beating Heart", "Englishman in New York", "Fragile", and "They Dance Alone" were all released as singles.

It won Best British Album at the 1988 Brit Awards. In 1989 the album received three Grammy nominations including Album of the Year while the album's second single ("Be Still My Beating Heart") was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Album title

The title comes from Shakespeare's Sonnet No. 130 ("My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun"), which Sting used in the song "Sister Moon". He added that his inspiration for this was a close encounter with a drunk, in which Sting quoted the sonnet in response to the drunk's importunate query, "How beautiful is the moon?"[2]

Production and recording

The album was influenced by two events in Sting's life: first, the death in late 1986 of his mother, which contributed to the sombre tone of several songs; and second, his participation in the Conspiracy of Hope Tour on behalf of Amnesty International, which brought Sting to parts of Latin America that had been ravaged by civil wars, and introduced him to victims of government oppression. "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)" was inspired by his witnessing of public demonstrations of grief by the wives and daughters of men missing in Chile, tortured and murdered by the military dictatorship of the time, who danced the Cueca (the traditional dance of Chile) by themselves, with photos of their loved ones pinned to their clothes. "Be Still My Beating Heart" and "The Lazarus Heart" approach the subjects of life, love and death. Elsewhere on the album, "Englishman in New York", in honour of Quentin Crisp, continues the jazz-influenced music more commonly found on Sting's previous album, as does "Sister Moon".

Release

The album's first single and biggest hit, "We'll Be Together" sported a prominent dance beat and funk overtones; it reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in late 1987 and even crossed over to the R&B charts.

The album also inspired a Spanish/Portuguese counterpart, the 1988 mini-album Nada Como el Sol. It featured four of the songs from the album sung in either Spanish or Portuguese, and in the case of "Fragile", both languages. The Brazilian CD edition of …Nothing Like the Sun also contained "Fragile" in Portuguese ("Frágil") as the tenth track (between "Rock Steady" and "Sister Moon").[3]

Three years after its release on both the album and in single form, "Englishman in New York" was remixed in mid-1990 by Dutch producer Ben Liebrand. Providing a stronger dance beat, as well as an extended introduction, the song was a hit in clubs and reached number 15 in the UK pop charts. The maxi-single also included a dance remix of "If You Love Somebody (Set Them Free)" as a B-side.

…Nothing Like the Sun was one of the first fully digital audio recordings (DDD) to achieve multi-platinum status.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Chicago Tribune[5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
Orlando Sentinel[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
The Village VoiceB[11]

…Nothing Like the Sun was praised by critics consistently. In a review for Rolling Stone, Anthony DeCurtis wrote: "…Nothing Like the Sun represents [an] impressive growth for Sting. His voice is rich, grainy and more mature; his ideas are gaining in complexity; and musically he is stretching without straining. His mistress's eyes may be nothing like the sun, but on this fine new album Sting's intrepid talent shines on brightly."[9] In 1989, the album was ranked number 90 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties".[1]

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited the track "We'll Be Together" as a highlight, while praising the album as a whole, writing: "If Dream of the Blue Turtles was an unabashedly pretentious affair, it looks positively lighthearted in comparison to Sting's sophomore effort, Nothing Like the Sun, one of the most doggedly serious pop albums ever recorded." Erlewine added, "If Nothing Like the Sun runs a little too long, with only his Gil Evans-assisted cover of 'Little Wing' standing out in the final quarter, it still maintains its tone until the end" and noted that "it's one of his better albums."[4] In a mixed assessment, Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot felt that Sting's "nuanced singing and literate lyrics" are "weighed down by ponderous music."[5]

Commercial performance

In the United States, the album debuted at number 54 on the US Billboard 200 chart on the week of 31 October 1987 and eventually peaked at number nine in its third week of release. The album spent a total of 52 weeks on the chart. On 24 October 1991, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over two million copies in the United States.

In the UK, the album debuted and peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart. In the second week the album dropped to number three. It spent a total of 42 weeks on the chart. The album was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of over 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom. To date, the album has sold over 18 million copies worldwide, becoming Sting's most successful album release.

Track listing

All tracks written by Sting, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Lazarus Heart"4:34
2."Be Still My Beating Heart"5:32
3."Englishman in New York"4:25
Side two
No.TitleLength
4."History Will Teach Us Nothing"4:58
5."They Dance Alone"7:16
6."Fragile"3:54
Side three
No.TitleLength
7."We'll Be Together"4:52
8."Straight to My Heart"3:55
9."Rock Steady"4:27
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Sister Moon" 3:46
11."Little Wing"Jimi Hendrix5:04
12."The Secret Marriage"Hanns Eisler, Sting2:03
Total length:54:45

B-sides

  1. "Ghost in the Strand" ("Englishman In New York" 7"/ Maxi Single)
  2. "Ellas Danzan Solas" ("They Dance Alone" Maxi Single)
  3. "If You There" ("They Dance Alone" 7")
  4. "Conversation with a Dog" ("We'll Be Together" 7"/ Maxi Single)
  5. "Someone to Watch over Me" ("Englishman in New York" 3-inch CD single)
  6. "Up from the Skies" (Jimi Hendrix cover with Gil Evans and His Orchestra, "Englishman in New York" 3-inch CD single)

Singles

  • 1987 – "We'll Be Together" #7 US
  • 1988 – "Be Still My Beating Heart" #15 US
  • 1988 – "Englishman in New York" #84 US #51 UK
  • 1988 – "Fragile" #70 UK
  • 1988 – "They Dance Alone" #94 UK
  • 1990 – "Englishman in New York" (Remix) #15 UK?

Personnel

[12][13]

Production

  • Producers – Sting and Neil Dorfsman (Tracks 1-6 & 8-12); Bryan Loren (Track 7).
  • Production Assistants on Tracks 1-6 & 8-12 – Ken Blair and Dave O'Donnell
  • Recording and Mixing – Neil Dorfsman and Hugh Padgham (Tracks 1-6 & 8-12); Paul McKenna (Track 7).
  • Mix Assistants – Mark McKenna and Bob Vogt (Tracks 1-6 & 8-12); John Hegedes (Track 7).
  • Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk (New York, NY).
  • Art Direction and Design – Richard Frankel
  • Photography – Brian Aris

Charts

Certifications

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Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[41] 2× Platinum 689,200[42]
Germany (BVMI)[43] Platinum 500,000^
Japan (Oricon Charts) 221,000[44]
Netherlands (NVPI)[45] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[46] Gold 7,500^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[47] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[48] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[50] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. 1 2 "100 BEST ALBUMS OF THE EIGHTIES". Rolling Stone.
  2. ↑ Nothing Like the Sun Album Review Rolling Stone. 29 December 2011
  3. ↑ PolyGram Brazil, Brazilian CD cover and booklet, CD SKU 396941-2
  4. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Nothing Like the Sun – Sting". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  5. 1 2 Kot, Greg (7 March 1993). "Feeling A Sting". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  6. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  7. ↑ Willman, Chris (11 October 1987). "Burning Sting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Duffy, Thom (25 October 1987). "Sting". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  9. 1 2 DeCurtis, Anthony (3 December 1987). "Nothing Like The Sun". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  10. ↑ Considine, J. D. (2004). "Sting". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 783–84. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. ↑ Christgau, Robert (27 October 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  12. ↑ Nothing Like the Sun credits, Discogs.
  13. ↑ Official Sting Discography, Sting.com. Accessed 2015-02-20. Archived 2015-03-25.
  14. 1 2 3 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. ↑ "austriancharts.at Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  16. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Archived 29 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 May 2012
  17. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  18. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  19. 1 2 "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1988" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  20. ↑ "スティング-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック (Highest position and charting weeks of ...Nothing Like the Sun by Sting)". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  21. ↑ "charts.org.nz Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  22. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  23. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  24. ↑ "swedishcharts.com Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  25. ↑ "Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun - hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  26. ↑ "Sting > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  27. 1 2 "allmusic ((( Nothing Like the Sun > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  28. ↑ "Album Search: Sting" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  29. ↑ "Top 100 Albums of '87". RPM. 1987-12-26. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  30. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1987" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  31. ↑ "Les Albums (CD) de 1987 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  32. ↑ "日本で売れた洋楽アルバム (Top-ten international albums on the Japanese Oricon Year-End Charts)". 12 October 2007. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007.
  33. 1 2 "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  34. ↑ "Austriancharts.at - Jahreshitparade 1988". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  35. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1988" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  36. ↑ "日本で売れた洋楽アルバム (Top-ten international albums on the Japanese Oricon Year-End Charts)". Archived from the original on 2007-01-01. Retrieved 2007-10-21.
  37. ↑ "Hitparade.ch - Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1988". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  38. ↑ "Billboard.BIZ: Top Pop Albums of 1988". billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  39. ↑ "Austriancharts.at - Bestenlisten - 80-er album" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  40. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Sting – Nothing Like the Sun". Music Canada.
  41. ↑ "French album certifications – Sting – Nothing Like the Sun" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  42. ↑ "Les Albums Double Platine". infodisc.fr (in French). SNEP. Archived from the original on 23 December 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
  43. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sting; 'Nothing Like the Sun')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  44. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  45. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Sting – Nothing Like the Sun" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Nothing Like the Sun in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  46. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Sting – Nothing Like the Sun". Recorded Music NZ.
  47. ↑ "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979–1990". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano.
  48. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Sting; 'Nothing Like the Sun')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  49. ↑ "British album certifications – Sting – Nothing Like the Sun". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Enter Nothing Like the Sun in the search field and then press Enter.
  50. ↑ "American album certifications – Sting – Nothing Like the Sun". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 

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