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3 Sting Songs That Were Inspired by His Divorce
Sting, the former Police frontman, drew on the emotional fallout of his very public first divorce, from actress Frances Tomelty, when writing some of his best-known songs of the 1980s. He later married Trudie Styler, Tomelty's best friend, with whom he had had an affair, in 1992. Several tracks written during this turbulent period, including two from The Police and one from his debut solo album, are widely understood to reflect the jealousy, introspection and reconciliation he experienced at the time.
Sting has said "Every Breath You Take" is not the romantic ballad many take it to be, but rather a "nasty little song" about jealousy and surveillance, written in Jamaica as he tried to escape the scrutiny surrounding his divorce. "King of Pain," written during the same Jamaica trip with new partner Trudie Styler, emerged from a spontaneous exchange between the pair about a black spot on the sun. "Fortress Around Your Heart," from his 1985 solo debut Dream of the Blue Turtles, uses a minefield as a metaphor for repairing a damaged relationship, a chorus Sting has called one of his best.
In short
- Sting's 1980s divorce shaped several famous songs' lyrics.
- "Every Breath You Take" is about jealousy and surveillance, not romance.
- "King of Pain" and "Fortress Around Your Heart" also stem from the split.
Explained simply
Sting was the lead singer of The Police, one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s. His divorce from actress Frances Tomelty in the early 1980s became the subject of considerable media attention, and during this period he began a relationship with Trudie Styler, Tomelty's best friend, whom he would later marry in 1992.
During this turbulent personal period, Sting wrote some of his most celebrated songs, both whilst recording with The Police and on his solo albums. Several of these tracks are understood to draw from the emotional experiences of his marriage breakdown, reflecting themes of jealousy, surveillance and reconciliation.
For many listeners, these songs are regarded as romantic classics. Understanding their origins in Sting's personal circumstances reveals that they instead reflect experiences of jealousy, surveillance and reconciliation from his marriage breakdown.
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