Album: Nothing Like The Sun (1987)

Charted: 70

License This Song 

Songfacts®:

• This was inspired by an American Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua, named Ben Linder, who was murdered by Contras.
• Sting wrote this during a tropical storm on the Caribbean island of Montserrat in 1987. Since then, it has become the voice of many different causes, including a plea by environmentalists to care for the planet. In 2001, the song resurfaced after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US. "'Fragile had found yet another home to work its comforting solace," Sting noted in Lyrics By Sting.
• Sting, normally a bass player, played the guitar on this track, to the surprise of his guitarist, Dominic Miller. He told Virtual Guitar Magazine in 1999: "We joke about it, because Sting is quite proud of the fact that he played guitar on the recording of 'Fragile'. I remember when I first met him and I saw the video. I said to him, 'I thought someone else played that and you where just miming.' I said to him that I thought that it was pretty uncool of him to mime someone else. I said, 'Who actually played it' And he said, 'That was me! THAT WAS F------ ME!!' I meet a lot of fans who think that I played it. I tell Sting that I say I did. It really pisses him off! I didn't even know Sting back then. So, his comeback is not letting me play it live. It's been like that for years now and I'm delegated to bass. He says I'm delegated to bass, but then I say, 'Delegated means it's not so difficult.' I say, 'Anyone can play bass.'"
• Sting performed at the Bataclan in Paris on November 12, 2016, the first concert there almost a year to the day that Islamist terrorists killed 90 people at the venue. He opened the gig with this song. "I think it's an appropriate beginning, I think that song has a lot of uses that we never foresaw," Sting explained to NPR's Michel Martin. "I wrote the song in the '80s, I think. But every time something happens, it seems an appropriate song to play on the radio."

Comments: 16

• Yorf from Eugene, OregonIt’s OK to bash the next Putin or Hitler. No one needs to be polite and stand by when you have a demon like Trump executing his plans to change a democracy into an amoral oligarchy.
• Carsten Dyreborg from Aalborg, DanmarkWell, Norman Casey, bashing Trump must be on any normal, non-american’s to do list. If the Republican Party decides not to have him for their candidate in the upcoming election, it may be scratched from the list, and Sting might just write a song about the bravery needed to do so. Until then, they stay on the list.
• Rev. Roz from GermanyMusicians, particularly songwriters, particularly the great ones, always have something to say about the state of the world. Sting without his passion for justice, would be just another songwriter. And since Trump is bent on destroying democracy on an international scale, well, I'm not surprised that Sting had to vent.
• Norman Casey from 02724Sting is a great musician.. he should keep his politics to himself.. last concert I have seen he bashed Trump and the Republican party for at least a 1/2 hour...
  You couldn't give me tickets to another show...
• Dory from IsraelGreat song by Sting. Bought the live album in 2002. It reminds me, that we always have to think before doing something harmful one to another- because we are all bonded. So please, stay human.
• Therisa from Gaborone Beautiful classic
• Angelahopemusic from Los Angeles1987...I was a UCLA student in love with a man who was my first love. He was gay. My mom met him one time only, told me he was a "sissie" (her generation's word for homosexual) and he was gonna break my heart. I didn't believe her. I desperately wanted his love intimately. We went to Boston to visit a friend in Harvard Business School. As we were all driving over an old cobble stone bridge near Harvard Square it started to snow. This song played. I thought it was romantic. The irony of the lyrics and my mom's (she died in car crash 8 years later) words didn't escape me years later. 33 years later and the song is now just a beautiful but sad as I have never felt love in my heart that way again. And the gay man? He was just also a narcissist. You never get closure no matter how many letters you write.
• Esskayess from EarthA great companion song for Henley's "New York Minute," which was also played extensively after 9/11.
• Seventhmist from 7th HeavenProbably the strongest song he ever wrote.
• Sonji from Cleveland, OhioMy most favorite song EVER!
  It's hard to explain the effect it has on me. Every time I hear the song, my emotions soar!
  Hope I get to meet him someday! ❤️
• Michael from Deridder, Lai hat to admit it, but when i was younger, i plugged in my ipod at night and played this to help me get to sleep...
• Harry from Hallandale, FlSting wrote this song for the death of Ben Linder an american engineer who was building hydroplants in one of the most god forsaken areas of the world, Northern Nicaragua.
• Ozzie from London, United Statesthis song is about how sting lives his life knowing that it will one day end "to fear death is fearing life" he also said that he regularly remebers death just like the sufies did in the past as a religues belife
• Prayerash from Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThe first time I heard this song was after the 9/11 tragedy... it's just so beautiful yet sad...
• Emiliano from Reggio Emilia, ItalySo a beautiful song ... This is a great gift for all humankind.
• Debby from Taichung, TaiwanOne of the most moving songs with heartfelt lyrics.

More Songfacts:

GreaseFrankie Valli

The song "Grease," sung by Frankie Valli in the 1978 movie, was written by Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees.

Let's DanceDavid Bowie

David Bowie's "Let's Dance" is about more than just dancing. It's about dishonesty, particularly when we mask our true feelings.

ThrillerMichael Jackson

Vincent Price did the spooky narration on "Thriller." He was paid a flat fee of $20,000, turning down a percentage of the royalties that would have paid him far more.

Night MovesBob Seger

Bob Seger got inspired to write "Night Moves" after watching the movie American Graffiti, which showed young people growing up in his "neck of the woods."

PanamaVan Halen

"Panama" by Van Halen is not about the country or the canal, but about a stripper David Lee Roth met in Arizona.

My Name IsEminem

Eminem's first hit was "My Name Is," which introduced his alter ego, Slim Shady.

Editor's Picks

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?

Dave MasonSongwriter Interviews

Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

How "A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss" Became Rock's Top ProverbSong Writing

How a country weeper and a blues number made "rolling stone" the most popular phrase in rock.

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"They're Playing My Song

As a songwriter and producer, Narada had hits with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Starship. But what song does he feel had the greatest impact on his career?