Home » Music » Sting » Brand New Day--the single

Brand New Day--the single

© Melanie Gold

Before going on the road in support of Soul Cages, Sting told Ed Bradley in a "60 Minutes" interview, "There's only so much you can write about love. When you're 38 it is less important than it was when you're 16. I think romantic love is a less interesting subject for me than it was 10 years ago."

"Brand New Day," Sting's newest release and the title track from his new CD, is precisely about romantic love. It is the first fruit born of his $35 million deal with EMI Records. [See http://wallofsound.go.com/archive/news/s... Perhaps love is a more interesting subject for him at 48 than it was at 38. Today he might agree with Bradley that "Love is ongoing. Love moves the world."

Perhaps Sting was musically attracted to a more light-hearted album as a departure from his brooding musician reputation. Like many gifted songwriters, Sting is able to turn pain into creativity.Soul Cages, for example, was written as a result of his parents'--particularly his father's--deaths. And Mercury Falling, his last CD, was filled with dark, somber songs.

Some think "Brand New Day" is unworthy of Sting. He uses an electronic drum machine instead of utilizing his talented drummer, Vinnie Coliauta (http://www.pitt.edu/%7Etjbst26/coliauta.... Stevie Wonder on harmonica is thought by many as the song's instrumental highlight, providing a bluesy yet breezy quality, but others see it as one more reason the song is merely a "pop" song, the latest in a long line of songs specifically designed to appeal to a mainstream audience.

There are other, favorable opinions. Here is a sampling:

"My impression is sort of a Steely Dan meets '70s Motown. Great bassline, awesome chord progression, very soulful sound, and how awesome is Stevie?" --Joe Coleman, 27, USA

"Cher and Madonna have changed their sound to accommodate the public's changing ear [but] Sting is not trying to follow the '90s sound. Mercury Falling was a very serious album lyrically but this song's lyrics feel fun and happy." --Jane Munz, 29, Canada

"It is obvious to me that this is a song [Sting] just wants to have some fun with. A great song for driving down the road and feeling positive about life." --Rob Johnson, 44, USA

Sting's fans have come to appreciate and expect a high caliber of songwriting. This song's lyrics, featuring words like "fuddy duddy," don't seem to come close to Sting's usual thought-provoking lyrical mastery. [Click here for lyrics: http://www.stingetc.com/lyrics/index.htm...

"The lyrics aren't deep, true, but I think bluntness is very effective, easy to relate to. Have you ever been looking for your glasses, spend fifteen minutes, and then realize that they're on your face?"

The copyright of the article Brand New Day--the single in Sting is owned by . Permission to republish Brand New Day--the single in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.