Sting "Fragile"

Thinking of this one on the Anniversary of September 11th.

You may or may not remember that Sting had scheduled a live webcast of a concert in Italy, to be made into a live album, for September 11th, 2001.

In light of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington that morning, he chose to come out, do one song, and then shut down the webcast.

Before the one song, "Fragile," he said a few words.

Thoughtful and well-done, as artists' responses go, this may be among the best in the wake of that day.


Hear the song on Youtube.

The Police "Wrapped Around Your Finger"

While PJ is on vacation, he's writing about songs that taught him something . . .

My Dad had studied Greek Mythology so we had a helpful book on the shelvesat home to explain "the Scylla and Charybdis" to me when this Police song came out.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Sting "If You Love Someone Set Them Free"

Let me ask you a question . . . when you were in that final English class in college (or High School), and you had that big paper to write . . . what did you write about?

Can you remember the subject?

Could you quote a line?

Could you recite any of it from memory?

I think about this when I think about artists who've been around for a long, long time. The Rolling Stones, Lucinda Williams and R.E.M. have been sufficiently mocked for not remembering the lyrics to their songs, mocked for using lyric sheets on stage.

But shit, can you do your monologue from that play you were in 20 years ago?

It is maybe too tall an expectation to have from an artist, who, believe it or not, is only human.

Then again, it is kind of fun to pick on them, and be a little shocked at how they could lose touch with the art that made them famous.

I saw this documentary a couple of weeks back, and in one scene, Sting has been convinced to sing a Kinks song on camera, with the interviewer.

The song is "Set Me Free" and when they have finished, after repeating the songs refrain a number of times, Sting gets a kind of foggy look on his face and says something like, "I think I stole some of that tune for my song, uh . . ."

He then struggles to name the song, his song, "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free."

He free associates the words he half-remembers, "Set You Free, Someone Set Them Free, If You Set Someone Free . . ." before finally pulling the title out.

So feel free to mock him. And just be glad that you aren't being asked to recite that poem you wrote for English Lit.

The Police "Don't Stand So Close To Me"

Last week I invited mvy listeners and EDIWTB readers to write about the first video they remember seeing on MTV.

Tim Taylor from Little Rock wrote today's entry:

I remember exactly where I was the first time I ever saw a music video. It was the summer of 1981. I didn't have cable television at the time, so I wasn't really aware of the draw of MTV. But the gym I worked out at did have cable in various rooms, and I remember stumbling into the lobby of the gym after a particularly hard workout to witness three men jumping up and down in graduation robes in a classroom. It was The Police, singing their hit "Don't Stand So Close To Me." I was immediately transformed into a fan of their music and the medium. I had no idea what MTV was or what music videos were supposed to accomplish, but I knew that they would have a dramatic impact on the music world.


If you have a good "First MTV Video I Saw" story, I have a few more guest blog slots. Send it to pj@mvyradio.com.

Sting "Rock Steady"

So we named our son Noah Ames Finn, and I have to tell you, in the many months leading up to his birth it seemed like we'd never agree on what to call this small thing.

We floated hundreds of ideas between the two of us, my wife and I, and many of them were musical. We tried our favorite musicians and our favorite songs, but nothing seemed quite right.

So many of our musical heroes had names that are too plain (Paul, Bob, Johnny) or too weird (Rufus).

I couldn't sell Levon. My wife wanted (Jeff) Buckley, but I couldn't have a son named Buck Finn.

When she and I each wrote down our top 10 names, there was only one name in common: Noah. And honestly, it was neither of our first choices.

But we lived with it for a while, trying to see if it would grow on us.

Leaving work on my last day before taking time off for the birth of this baby, as I was pulling into the driveway, and Alison played "Rock Steady." I listened to the lyrics.

I won't say that Sting chose my child's name, but I did take the song as a sign that we were going in the right direction.

So he's Noah.

Which is great, because when he's older he can say "Noah Finn way!" which sounds like "No F-ing Way!" That's fun.

And Ames, that's for my sister.