Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 - Sting (CD 1994)

From New Wave to New Age to New life

When I went to buy Sting's compilation, "Fields of Gold--The Best of Sting," I was hoping it included a seldom-heard single from 1988 which I had hardly heard over the past decade. Fortunately, this song, "Englishman in New York," was on the tape, so I snagged it.

The following is a summary of the highlights of this compilation:

"If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free"--This 1985 song, his first hit after leaving The Police, was a refutation of that band's 1983 hit, "Every Breath You Take." "Breath" was a song of control and surveillance, while "If You Love Somebody" was about giving one's mate his or her freedom.

"Fortress Around Your Heart," Sting's second solo hit, continued to explore the stifling effects of possessiveness. Sting feared he was too controlling. The imagery of war and battle plans is effective; the melody had an autumnal feel--you can almost hear the leaves falling down when you're hearing it.

"Russians" was one of two tracks I wanted most to be on the disc--it was a haunting, Cold-War-era song whose melody and lyrics chilled me. I listened to the songs many times during the spring of 1986, a time when U.S.-Soviet tensions were still high and ossified rhetoric existed on both sides. The song's message is still relevant, despite the demise of the Cold War.

"We'll Be Together," a 1987 release, was a fun, light-hearted ditty that had a funky, R&B beat and reached the top 10 that fall. The song kept building to a climax, when Sting uttered some of the words to "If You Love Somebody."

"Be Still My Beating Heart" had a subtle synthesizer hook, as well as occasional piano riffs and brassy breaks to complement the high-tech sheen. The song reminded me of the stray rays of sunlight that pierce a leaden February sky (yes, this was a February hit, in 1988 to be exact).

"They Dance Alone" was about loneliness and the inability to communicate. Its melody was Police-like, with "Ghost-in-the-Machine" overtones. The tempo of the song quickened during the outro, but this jazzy, spirited coda simply did not last long enough for me.

"Fragile" was a piano-driven 1987 album cut with Latin flavors--the song may have been about 12 years ahead of its time, with the recent explosion in Latin-influenced pop.

"Englishman in New York" was one of my two favorite tracks on the disc. From the ethereal reggae beat to the saxophone riffs toward the end, this song had an irresistible melody. I always associate this recording with a hailstorm I witnessed in April 1988, while it was playing in the background. The lyrics deal with loneliness and the desire to shed masks. We all get tired of the incessant need to play "the game." I especially like the fade-out lyric: "Be yourself, no matter what they say." These lyrics were intertwined with the chorus, "I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien..." It was lamentable that this single only reached the 80s on the pop chart, while much inferior music was perched in the top 10. Go figure.

"All This Time" was released during the troubled times of Desert Storm, in January 1991. It told of a cynical agnostic who hurled barbs at organized religion and its excessive reliance on ritual. The song contrasted the pettiness of some religious people with the peacefulness and godliness of rivers, the latter of which symbolized nature,God's lasting creation. Another verse laments that the poor would inherit a polluted world and therefore wouldn't be worth having. The final verse attacked the ancient Roman gods, who never responded to the pleas of that city's inhabitants.

"If I Ever Lose My Faith" began with an ominous, Renaissance-era melody that had been banned by the Church because it was unsettling. The lyrics dealt with disillusionment; Sting targeted institutions such as church and government. Some of the lyrics echoed the theme of the 1982 Police single, "Spirits in the Material World." I especially liked the line when Sting compared politicians to game-show hosts. How true.

"Fields of Gold" was a sensuous 1993 summer song with sparse arrangement: a perfect, unadorned track for romancing. Ironically, just a few months later, Bruce Hornsby released the poignant ballad, "Fields of Grey."

"When We Dance"-- a mellow, slow-tempo number from the fall of 1994--I had seldom heard this when it was a hit that fall because (a) it was considered too mellow for top-40 radio;(b) Adult contemporary radio was becoming more myopic, with Bolton-style tunnel vision; and (c) There was no triple-A (adult alternative airplay) music format in our area, in upstate New York.

The disc omitted only two of Sting's hits, the 1985 single, "Love Is the Seventh Wave" and the 1993 release, "Nothing About Me." However, I was simply glad that "Russians" and "Englishman in New York" were included. This disc is a good chronicle of the evolution of this tortured soul, from the new-wave pop star of the mid-'80s to the New Age-inspired star of the '90s.

Because there was some blank space on the cassette after the last track, I decided to tape his new hit, "Desert Rose" off the radio for the fun of it. While this song is catchy, it is not one of his stronger singles.