If I remember correctly, Sting said on his website this song was made mostly because of his passion for African-American music. Here are a few quotes Sting says about the song:
"I used a quote from 'Soul Man' by Isaac Hayes - people in the know will know exactly what it is - it's a kind of soulful song with a kind of baroque chord sequence."
"It's a standard song of love and loss - a homage to the type of music I lost my virginity to, that I drove my first car to and that has been burned into my brain."
"I'm not interested in just copying records that were already brilliant. What's the point You can't improve on Sam and Dave or Marvin Gaye. You can't better Otis Redding. But you can twist it a little, combine it with other elements and pervert it a bit to make it your own."
Also, correct me if I'm wrong but I think this song uses a drum machine, rather than Vinnie Colaiuta's drumming. Sounds like the same drums as Beneath A Desert Moon and This Cowboy Song.
If I remember correctly, Sting said on his website this song was made mostly because of his passion for African-American music. Here are a few quotes Sting says about the song: "I used a quote from 'Soul Man' by Isaac Hayes - people in the know will know exactly what it is - it's a kind of soulful song with a kind of baroque chord sequence."
"It's a standard song of love and loss - a homage to the type of music I lost my virginity to, that I drove my first car to and that has been burned into my brain."
"I'm not interested in just copying records that were already brilliant. What's the point You can't improve on Sam and Dave or Marvin Gaye. You can't better Otis Redding. But you can twist it a little, combine it with other elements and pervert it a bit to make it your own."
Also, correct me if I'm wrong but I think this song uses a drum machine, rather than Vinnie Colaiuta's drumming. Sounds like the same drums as Beneath A Desert Moon and This Cowboy Song.