Sting's biggest and best hits over the years
He's had so many!
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, better known by his stage name Sting, is the British rock musician and actor, who first found fame in the new wave rock band The Police. The singer has now won 17 Grammy Awards and three BRIT Awards during his four-decade career, as well as a highly coveted writing honour at The Ivors.
Whether part of The Police, or solo, Sting has many well-known songs, including 'Englishman In New York', 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' and 'Fortress Around Your Heart', so we've decided to look back at Sting's biggest and best solo hits through the years.
Take a look through Sting's biggest and best hits:
'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' (1985)
'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' was Sting's debut solo release after The Police. It was released in 1985, along with his debut solo album 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles'. The song reached Number 26 in the UK, and but was a huge success in the USA reaching Number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100, and reaching Number 1 in the US Mainstream Rock chart.
The music video was created by recording each of the individual musicians separately and the footage overlayed, which is what gives it an unusual effect.
Watch the music video on YouTube
'Fortress Around Your Heart' (1985)
'Fortress Around Your Heart' was the third single to be released in the UK from Sting's debut solo album. Despite not being a huge hit in the UK, it was in the US, where it was a Top 10 hit. The song was inspired by Sting's divorce from his first wife Frances Tomelty.
Watch the music video on YouTube
'We'll Be Together' (1987)
Released as the lead single from Sting's second solo album, 'We'll Be Together' was a big hit in the States where it reached the Top 10. The music video was shot in black and white, and stars Sting's second wife Trudie Styler.
Watch the music video on YouTube
'Englishman In New York' (1988/1990)
Featuring on Sting's second album 'Englishman In New York' was a huge hit for the singer. The song was originally released in 1988, but didn't chart in the Top 40. Two years later, after a remix from Dutch producer Ben Liebrand, the song was re-released and reached Number 15 in the UK.
Watch the music video on YouTube
'All This Time' (1990)
Released in 1990, 'All This Time' featured on Sting's third solo album released a year later called 'The Soul Cages'. The song reached Number 22 in the UK charts, and features lyrics about the death of the singer's father, symbolised by a young boy called Billy who wants to bury his father at sea.
Watch the music video on YouTube
'If I Ever Lose My Faith in You' (1993)
'If I Ever Lose My Faith in You' was a Top 20 hit for Sting, who released his song back in 1993. The song was the lead single from his fourth solo album 'Ten Summoner's Tales'. The following year, Sting won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, while also being nominated for Record of the Year and for Song of the Year.
Watch the music video on YouTube
'Fields of Gold' (1993)
'Fields of Gold' featured on Sting's 1993 album 'Ten Summoner's Tales' and was a Top 20 hit for the singer. It's hugely popular on YouTube and has had more than 100 million views since it was uploaded in 2012.
The song was later covered by Blues singer Eva Cassidy and British singer Katie Melua, who had success with it in 2017.
Watch the music video on YouTube
'Shape of My Heart' (1993)
'Shape of My Heart' was released in 1993. During a promotional interview at the time, Sting explained the meaning behind the song, saying: "I wanted to write about a card player, a gambler who gambles not to win but to try and figure out something; to figure out some kind of mystical logic in luck, or chance; some kind of scientific, almost religious law.
"So this guy's a philosopher, he's not playing for respect and he's not playing for money, he's just trying to figure out the law - there has to be some logic to it. He's a poker player so it's not easy for him to express his emotions, in fact he doesn't express anything, he has a mask, and it's just one mask and it never changes."
Watch the music video on YouTube
'Desert Rose' (2000)
'Desert Rose' was a hit around the world in 2000 when it was released. The song featured on his sixth solo studio album, 'Brand New Day' released a year earlier, and his very popular on YouTube having more than 440 million views.
Watch the music video on YouTube
'Redlight' (2022)
In more recent years, Sting teamed up with Swedish supergroup, Swedish House Mafia, on a song called 'Redlight'. The song, which was released in 2022, used lyrics from The Police hit 'Roxanne', which Sting wrote.
Watch the music video on YouTube
Now read:
The Police: The band that gave us 'Message In a Bottle' and 'Roxanne'
Sting's career highlights from The Police to multi award-winning solo artist
Sting received coveted songwriting honour