...Nothing Like the Sun

...Nothing Like the Sun
Studio album by Sting
Released	13 October 1987
Recorded	March–August 1987
Studio	Air Studios, Montserrat
Genre	Pop rock soft rock jazz reggae world acoustic rock dance-rock funk rock
Length	54:45
Label	A&M 75021-6402-2
Producer	Sting Hugh Padgham Bryan Loren Neil Dorfsman
Sting chronology
Bring on the Night (1986) ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987) Nada como el sol (1988)
Singles from ...Nothing Like the Sun
"We'll Be Together" Released: November 1, 1987 "Be Still My Beating Heart" Released: December 1, 1987 "Englishman in New York" Released: February 1, 1988 "Fragile" Released: April 1, 1988 "They Dance Alone" Released: August 1, 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 #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 and chart performance

The album's first single and biggest hit, "We'll Be Together" (reportedly not one of Sting's favorites), sported a prominent dance beat and funk overtones; it reached #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 initial release on both the album and in single form, "Englishman in New York" was remixed in mid-1990 by Dutch producer Ben Liebrand, apparently to increase Sting's commercial viability after a two-year absence from the charts. 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.

Sting's most commercially successful solo album, it went on to peak at number one in three countries, including the UK. According to the RIAA, the record sold over two million copies in the US, and in the UK, the album sold over 300,000 copies, and was certified platinum. Worldwide, the album has sold over four million copies.

...Nothing Like the Sun was one of the first fully digital audio recordings (DDD) to achieve multi-platinum status. It is also Sting's biggest-selling album yet, with worldwide sales of 11 million copies as of 1997.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Chicago Tribune	[5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]
Los Angeles Times	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]
The Village Voice	B[10]

...Nothing Like the Sun has been 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."^[8] 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]

Track listing

All tracks written by Sting, except where noted. 

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Lazarus Heart"	4:34
2.	"Be Still My Beating Heart"	5:32
3.	"Englishman in New York"	4:25

Side two
No.	Title	Length
4.	"History Will Teach Us Nothing"	4:58
5.	"They Dance Alone"	7:16
6.	"Fragile"	3:54

Side three
No.	Title	Length
7.	"We'll Be Together"	4:52
8.	"Straight to My Heart"	3:55
9.	"Rock Steady"	4:27

Side four
No.	Title	Length
10.	"Sister Moon"	3:46
11.	"Little Wing" (Jimi Hendrix)	5:04
12.	"The Secret Marriage" (Hanns Eisler, Sting)	2:03
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

• Sting – Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar, Guitar on "History Will Teach Us Nothing" and "Fragile"
• Manu Katché – Drums
• Kenny Kirkland – Keyboards
• Mino Cinelu – Percussion, Vocoder
• Branford Marsalis – Saxophone
• Andy Newmark – Additional Drums
• Gil Evans & His Orchestra - on "Little Wing"
• Hiram Bullock – Guitar on "Little Wing"
• Kenwood Dennard – Drums on "Little Wing"
• Mark Egan – Bass Guitar on "Little Wing"
• Andy Summers – Guitar on "The Lazarus Heart" and "Be Still My Beating Heart"
• Eric Clapton – Guitar on "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)"
• Fareed Haque – Guitar on "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)"
• Mark Knopfler – Guitar on "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)"
• Rubén Blades – Spoken Spanish on "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)"
• Ken Helman – Piano on "The Secret Marriage"
• Renée Geyer – Background Vocals
• Vesta Williams – Background Vocals
• Dolette McDonald – Background Vocals
• Janice Pendarvis – Background Vocals
• Annie Lennox – Background Vocals on "We'll Be Together"

^[11][12]

Certifications

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Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[13]	Platinum	100,000^^
France (SNEP)[14]	2× Platinum	689,200[15]
Germany (BVMI)[16]	Platinum	500,000^^
Japan (Oricon Charts)		221,000[17]
Netherlands (NVPI)[18]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[19]	Platinum	100,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[20]	2× Platinum	100,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Platinum	300,000^^
United States (RIAA)[22]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1987–88) Position Australian Kent Music Report[23] 3 Austrian Albums Chart[24] 3 Canadian Albums Chart[25] 3 Dutch Albums Chart[26] 3 French Albums Chart[27] 3 Italian Albums Chart[28] 1 Japanese Albums Chart[29] 1 New Zealand Albums Chart[30] 13 Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[31] 2 Spanish Albums Chart[32] 2 Swedish Albums Chart[33] 7 Swiss Albums Chart[34] 3 UK Albums Chart[35] 1 U.S. Billboard 200 [36] 9 U.S. Billboard R&B Albums [36] 52 West German Albums Chart[37] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1987) Position Australian Albums Chart[23] 82 Canadian Albums Chart [38] 26 Dutch Albums Chart[39] 65 French Albums Chart[40] 4 Japanese Albums Chart[41] 56 UK Albums Chart[42] 68 Chart (1988) Position Australian Albums Chart[23] 46 Austrian Albums Chart[43] 8 Dutch Albums Chart[44] 6 Italian Albums Chart[28] 3 Japanese Albums Chart[45] 87 Swiss Albums Chart[46] 3 UK Albums Chart[42] 84 U.S. Billboard 200[47] 24

Decade-end charts

Chart (1980s)	Position
Austrian Albums Chart[48]	19

References

1. "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. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Nothing Like the Sun – Sting". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
5. Kot, Greg (7 March 1993). "Feeling A Sting". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
6. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-857-12595-8.
7. Willman, Chris (11 October 1987). "Burning Sting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
8. DeCurtis, Anthony (3 December 1987). "Nothing Like The Sun". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
9. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 783–84. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
10. Christgau, Robert (27 October 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
11. Nothing Like the Sun credits, Discogs.
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15. "Les Albums Double Platine". infodisc.fr (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
16. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sting; 'Nothing Like the Sun')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
17. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
18. "Dutch album certifications – Sting – Nothing Like the Sun" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
19. "Solo Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979-1990". Solo Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano.
20. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Sting; 'Nothing Like the Sun')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
21. "British album certifications – Sting – Nothing Like the Sun". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Nothing Like the Sun in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
22. "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
23. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
24. "austriancharts.at Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 2 May 2012.
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29. "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.
30. "charts.org.nz Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
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32. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
33. "swedishcharts.com Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 May 2012.
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• Liner notes to the album.