Sting's "Sacred Love" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)

In his 2007 book "Lyrics", Sting wrote the following about "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)": "I liked the idea of the psychic car thief, who reads the atmosphere of any car that he steals and tells you what's been happening in it. He's cocky and rather sure of himself, as he retells the story of the company executive, his wife and kids, and the plaintive phone calls of his mistress. . . . [T]here are no judgments made by him, or by me, for that matter".

The song possesses multilevels of meaning. The company executive who finds no happiness in his wealthy cushioned life ironically finds no happiness in his alternate life either. His lonely mistress, not fulfilled by only a part-time love, begs the CEO, "Please take me dancing tonight, I've been all on my own / You promised one day we could, it's what you said on the phone / I'm just a prisoner of love always hid from the light / Take me dancing, please take me dancing tonight". However, no peace exists for the CEO at home either, for his wife has grown tired of the part-time love she receives and after discovering enough evidence of her husband's affair, takes the kids and rides off into the night after her husband's lie about having to work late. The wife also sings the refrain of her husband's promise to take her dancing as well. Then there's the outer layer of the thief stealing the CEO's car. His life of crime hasn't given him a great amount of peace either. He rather arrogantly prides himself on his thieving abilities, but his ability to read the aura of lives present in the car turns out not to be a blessing. At first, he is excited by the CEO's power and wishes he were in that man's place; however, like the dissatisfied townspeople in E. A. Robinson's "Richard Cory", were he truly in this CEO's place, he would be miserable. His crime leads to a miserable experience for him, as the CEO's "crime" leads to the same thing for him. Another consideration is that each has stolen something.

Mylene Farmer covered "Stolen Car" as a duet with Sting and included it on her 2015 album "interstellaires". This version of "Stolen Car" again reached number one on the "Billboard" US Dance Club Songs chart and topped the charts in France and Belgium as well.

Answer: Whenever I Say Your Name

"Whenever I Say Your Name" combines an element of spirituality and religiosity with romantic love as if to suggest that some who love one another on this earth love one another with as much urgency and purity as they love the god they worship. This becomes apparent not only through the lyrics quoted in the question but in many others, such as the powerful lines, "Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying". In other lyrics, Sting compares the spiritual healing and power of this love felt by human beings for one another to the spiritual awakening or ecstasy sometimes experienced by Christians during mass or communion: "Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste / Whenever your memory feeds my soul, whatever got broken becomes whole".

"Whenever I Say Your Name" peaked at position number 60 on the "Billboard" US Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs, the UK Singles, and the Dutch Top 40 and at position number 50 on Switzerland's Schweizer Hitparade. Despite its mediocre performance on the charts, the critics apparently loved it, for it won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals as the song featured the dual voices of both Sting and Mary J. Blige. The song's competition was "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking" by Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples, "La Vie en Rose" by Tony Bennett and k. d. Lang, "Can't Hold Us Down" by Christina Aguilera and Lil' Kim, and "Feel Good Time" by Pink and William Orbit.

The song was also remixed by wil.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas.

Answer: flamenco guitar

Vicente Amigo was born Vicente Amigo Girol in 1967 in Guadalcanal, a small community outside of Seville, Spain. He is a flamenco composer and is considered a virtuoso guitar player. Vicente Amigo studied under the tutelage of El Tomate and Manolo Sanlucar, and he has performed as a backup musician for well-known flamenco singers, such as El Pele, Vicente Soto, Luis de Cordoba, and Camaron de la Isla. He has also recorded several albums of his own, like "De mi corazon al aire" in 1991 and 2000's "Ciudad de las Ideas", which won the 2001 Latin Grammy for Best Flamenco Album.

Sting and Vicente Amigo also collaborated for a re-recording of Sting's song "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" for the "Voices of Hope: Sabera Foundation" album, which featured various artists attempting to raise money for programs promoting the lives of impoverished young women in India.

Answer: They are a variation of lines from "Walking in Your Footsteps" from The Police's "Synchronicity" album.

The chorus from the song "Walking in Your Footstops" from the popular and critically acclaimed 1983 album by The Police, "Synchronicity", repeats the line "Walking in your footsteps" several times. Several years later, Sting intentionally echoes the tune to this chorus for a couple of lines in the bridge of his song "Dead Man's Rope" from his album "Sacred Love". However, he alters the word "your" to sing the word "his", apparently referring to a transcendent power, perhaps Jesus himself. At different points in the song, the singer mentions, "I've been walking away from Jesus's love" and "The hand of an angel is reaching down above my head" while he's lying in bed. Eventually, he sings, "All this wandering has led me to this place / Inside the well of my memory, sweet rain of forgiveness / Now I'm walking in his grace / I'm walking in his footsteps / Walking in his footsteps / Walking in his footsteps / All the days of my life I will walk with you". The song is about a middle-aged or older man who is struggling in his search for meaning to a mortal life, and the parallel between the two songs--"Walking in Your Footsteps" and "Dead Man's Rope"--works very well. "Walking in Your Footsteps" is about how human beings seem to be following in the footsteps of dinosaurs as they are headed to extinction while "Dead Man's Rope" offers a more optimistic and peaceful perspective of an alternative outcome for humankind and suggests that we don't have to choose nothingness as our destination. The reference to the angel's reaching hand may be a revisiting of an earlier Sting song "When the Angels Fall" from his 1991 album "The Soul Cages". In the older song, the singer wishes to "cast [the angels] from [his] sight" because their "hands are empty", but in the newer song he is more accepting of an angel's hand.

In his 2007 book "Lyrics", Sting writes the following words to explain the title "Dead Man's Rope": "This is another name for ayahuasca, or the vine of the soul, the visionary plant medicine from the Amazon. Although I have taken it many times, it still fills me with dread, and yet I am drawn to face the idea of my mortality in that way. It seems like an opportunity to rehearse the inevitable".

Answer: This War

Sting released the album "Sacred Love" officially on September 29, 2003, and it was produced by Sting himself and Kipper, the Grammy award winning guitarist and keyboardist known for his collaborations with not only Sting but Gary Numan. The album peaked at number three on charts from the United States and the United Kingdom but climbed to the number one position in other European charts, such as those in Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, and Poland.

The song "This War" pays homage to John Lennon with lines like, "I imagine there's a future / When all the earthly wars are over".

In his 2007 book "Lyrics", Sting wrote the following about the album "Sacred Love" as a whole:

"This album was recorded in Italy and Paris, as the United States and Britain were preparing to invade Iraq. Optimism was somewhat difficult to maintain in the aftermath of 9/11 and in the face of the messianic determination of our leaders to seek revenge on an Iraqi regime that, while certainly repellant enough, proved to be not guilty in this case.
Words in the mouths of politicians tend, more often than not, to become devalued currency. Words like 'freedom' and 'truth' probably suffered the most, as we declared an all-out 'war on terrorism,' which is of course absurd and the same as declaring 'war on war.'
As of this writing, we are still living with the results of this absurdity. What should have been an international police action became a 'clash of civilizations,' where the brazen disregard and lack of respect for cultures different from our own polarized the world into two opposing camps, 'us and them.' The mission of convincing others through logic and the rule of law became a lost battle for hearts and minds--a battle that may be lost for generations.
And so we need to reinvest in the words that are important to us, recalibrate their meaning, and, in the lexicon of the songwriter, there is no more important word than 'love' itself".

Answer: sitar

British sitar player and composer, Anoushka Shakar, is of Indian descent and was born in London in 1981. She has spent most of her life living in England, India, and the United States but has traveled all over the world for countless live performances.

Her father Ravi Shankar is a master sitar player, and she began accompanying him on the tanpura during his performances when she was only ten. She performed publicly for the first time on sitar in 1995 when she was thirteen years old and released "Anoushka", her first album, in 1998. During her senior year of high school, she was selected Homecoming Queen, and she graduated with honors; nevertheless, she elected to pursue a career in music rather than attend college.

Her third album "Live at Carnegie Hall" was nominated in 2003 for a Grammy award, making her the first female ever to be nominated in the World Music category.

Then, in 2005, she released her fourth album "RISE", self-produced and composed of her own original non-classical material.

This album was also nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Contemporary World Music category, and when she played material from "RISE" during the 2006 Grammy Awards Ceremony, she became the first Indian ever to perform during this annual event. She is also an actor, writer, and activist.

Answer: William Blake

William Blake's original lines are, "To see a world in a grain of sand / And a heaven in a wild flower / Hold infinity in the palm of your hand / And eternity in an hour". Apparently, the original lines didn't quite fit the rhyme scheme and metrical pattern Sting wanted for his song. These lines are the beginning words of "Auguries of Innocence", which Blake may have written around 1803 and is found originally in his notebook "The Pickering Manuscript". The hint in the question, suggesting that you focus on the word "Innocence", refers to Blake's famous book "Songs of Innocence and Experience", which includes most of his well-known poems, including "The Lamb" and "The Tyger".

In Sting's 2007 book "Lyrics", he explains his use of Blake's lines as well as his purpose behind the song "Send Your Love":

"Great poetry doesn't necessarily make for great song lyrics, and vice versa, but sometimes a bit of William Blake or Shakespeare can set an idea in motion. In the same way a jazz player improvising over the chords of one song will quote fragments of other standards, sometimes as virtuosity, sometimes for humorous effect, I have often nicked pieces of our common poetic heritage and slipped them into my songs as collage--respectfully and, I hope, effectively and seamlessly.
Blake was deeply religious and a visionary, but he had no time for the churches, those dark 'Satanic Mills' as he called them in 'Jerusalem'.
The 'certainties' of the major faiths on the planet are becoming increasingly contradictory, illogical, and dangerous. If there is one thing they agree on, it is that the world is heading for annihilation. So if we are to have a future, we must find it beyond scripture and, like Blake, create a personal mythology, looking for spiritual meaning in the daily fabric of our lives".

Consider these words from his song:

"Throw a pebble in and watch the ocean
See the ripples vanish in the distance
It's just the same with all the emotions
It's just the same in every instance

There's no religion but the joys of rhythm
There's no religion but the rites of spring
There's no religion in the path of hate
No prayer but the one I sing"

Answer: The Book of My Life

Sting writes the following about his inspiration for "The Book of My Life" in his book "Lyrics", published in 2007: "I like to sit in front of the fire at night and reflect. Memories always come up--thoughts, ideas, visions--and if you let them, ghosts will sit with you awhile, if you're not too afraid, that is".

Incidentally, Sting has written a book of his life called "Broken Music: A Memoir", published in 2005. It covers his childhood, his early days attempting to establish his career as a musician, and then the very beginnings of The Police (his meeting Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers). The book is not a complete autobiographical narration of his early life; instead, it focuses on his interest in music and various influences that had an impact on his music and career.

Answer: Mary J. Blige

Mary Jane Blige was born in 1971 in the Bronx of New York City. She began her career as a backup singer for Uptown Records in 1989 and released her first album "What's the 411?" in 1992. By 2013, she had sold over 50 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide and has won Grammy awards in the categories of soul, hip hop, pop, and gospel. Her 1994 album "My Life" has been ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time by the magazines "Rolling Stone", "Time", and "Vibe". She also made "Rolling Stone"'s "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" list and was ranked number nine on VH1's 2012 "100 Greatest Women in Music" list.

The website "Songfacts" has the following comments about Sting's composition of "Whenever I Say Your Name": "Sting wrote this song specifically for Mary J. Blige after the two performed together at the My VH1 Music Awards a few years before. He told 'Grammy Magazine': "Mary J. Blige was the right singer to sing this duet. The song is about finding solace in the world through love, through finding that one person. 'Whenever I say your name, I'm already praying.' That's not just romantic gobbledygook, it's real. If you really love somebody, it's a religious experience when you're with them, when you think of them and when you speak to them. Certainly the only connection I have with religion apart from music is this sense of love with someone else. So Mary and I are playing these roles, a relationship that was co-dependent and necessary. And she is just so passionate that it brought passion out in me. I'm not the most passionate person - I'm English! We find it very difficult to express passion, so we need some help".

"Whenever I Say Your Name" was also published on the 2004 International release of Mary J. Blige's 2003 album "Love & Life".

Answer: Forget about the Future

Continuing the themes of love and war prominent throughout 2003's "Sacred Love" album, Sting combines the two in this song, "Forget about the Future". The man comes to represent those of us on this planet who idealistically and optimistically believe that peace among all nations can be achieved while the woman represents those of us who have little to no faith in such a reality. Just as the couple's relationship doesn't seem likely to be reborn, if it ever truly existed in the first place, the likelihood of nations and societies ever learning to overlook their cultural differences seems bleak. Sting is, as he admitted in a number of interviews concerning this album, thinking foremost about the Middle East and the historical and ongoing conflicts between the Christian culture and the Islamic culture.

While many of the verses use words typically associated between a male and a female in a relationship, other verses use words that more straightforwardly refer to what Sting has referred to as a "clash of civilizations". Consider the following words:
So they called a 'nited nations summit
To negotiate for peace on earth
And it may be idealistic, baby
But I know what peace of mind is worth
Everybody aired their grievances
And they threw away the suture
They opened up all the wounds of the past
As they failed to find their way to the future
Just as the man wants to forget about the past, the woman keeps bringing it back up--"let's get on with the past". Likewise, the civilizations of this world can't seem to let go of the past either. Thus, are we doomed to repeat it? This practice of not letting go of the past seems more likely to cause its continuance than forgetting about it, which is, of course, the traditional advice (i.e. "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it".).

Answer: Inside

In the November 2003 edition of the "National Post", Sting explains his motivation for composing the songs found on the "Sacred Love" album: "The process began on Sept. 12, 2001, after the tragedy in New York. I remember doing a concert that night and the next day, like everybody, being traumatized and then reassessing who I was and what could I do in this world that was useful or coherent, and not really coming up with any easy or quick answers. That's a useful place to begin, to feel empty and not entirely sure of yourself. I suppose looking back, in hindsight, I recognize that I must have come to the conclusion to do what I'd always done - write love songs.

But perhaps with an eye towards a larger resonance than just relationships. That relationships create the world incrementally, relationship by relationship. Positively or negatively. How you deal with people in your life, how you're dealt with, really does create the world. And incrementally, by acts of kindness, by acts of compassion, acts of generosity, you can create a better world. I feel at the moment that we're slightly out of whack.

The world of course will never be perfect. The world will always be this yin and yang. I just think there's too much negativity and paranoia and fear in this side of the pan, so I think art and music and popular culture can help to rebalance that. And I think that's what the job is".

Answer: Jason Rebello and Christian McBride

Jason Rebello, born in 1969, is credited with playing the piano on Sting's 2003 "Sacred Love" album. He was highly influenced by the music of Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner. He began touring with Sting in 1998 after the death of Kenny Kirkland, whom Sting had often relied on. Rebello remained with Sting for six years and recorded three albums with him: studio album "Brand New Day", live compilation album ". . . All This Time", and "Sacred Love". Rebello's 2016 album "Held" won Album of the Year at the British Jazz Awards.

Christian McBride, born in 1972, is credited with playing the double bass (often referred to as simply "bass" and not to be confused with "bass guitar") on "Sacred Love". McBride's own father Lee Smith and his own great uncle Howard Cooper were his influences and mentors; they were already established musicians in the Philadelphia area. McBride began playing bass guitar at first but then switched to double bass and attended Julliard. He is now considered a virtuoso, and he has played and recorded with various highly-praised musicians, such as Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, and Freddie Hubbard. He has also played and recorded with pop icons, such as James Brown, Isaac Hayes, and Paul McCartney. He has toured with Sting and also helped record Sting's ". . . All This Time" album.

Sting relied on collaboration with several other musicians he has toured and recorded with in the past. Dominic Miller, who appears on every album since 1991's "Soul Cages", plays guitar. Kipper plays keyboards and assists with production. Jeff Young plays the hammond organ. Chris Botti plays trumpet, and both Manu Katche and Vinnie Calaiuta play drums.

Answer: Dave Aude

Dave Aude, as a producer, has held the record for most Number One songs on the "Billboard" Dance Club Songs chart. He has worked with U2, Madonna, Katy Perry, Yoko Ono, Barenaked Ladies, Jennifer Lopez, Rhianna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Celine Deon, LeAnn Rimes, Faith No More, will.i.am, and a number of others. His remix of Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson's song "Uptown Funk" won a Grammy for Record of the Year, a coveted award.

Dave Aude is the older brother of Rich Aude, who played first base for the Major League Pittsburgh Pirates.

Answer: Sacred Love

In his 2007 book "Lyrics", Sting has the following to say about the eponymous song "Sacred Love": "I famously made an off-the-cuff comment about tantric sex one day that sped around the world like a digital virus and continues to reverberate even now . . . .

The interpretation that tantra has to do with 'staying power' is of course fatuous, but the idea that sex could be considered a sacred act seemed too much for a world media attuned to the minutiae of trivia. Sex is either scandalous--when, for example, politicians are caught in flagrante delicto--or it's used to sell cars and aftershave.

In both cases, eroticism, the most powerful force in our human nature, is devalued to the point of worthlessness".

Answer: Never Coming Home

"Never Coming Home" interestingly maintains neutrality, as each of its two parts is narrated from the perspective of each individual in the relationship. This dual presentation was a deliberate attempt on Sting's part to suggest not only that there are always two sides to every story but that understanding the truth is a difficult process and perhaps something nearly impossible, especially about the complexity of a relationship--whether that relationship is between two people, two groups, two institutions, or two societies.

The man in this relationship wakes up late and is quite puzzled at why the woman hasn't awakened him earlier. He's likewise just as puzzled by the mess of the house and the lack of her response when he calls her name. He is completely clueless, not only about her absence but about the mess she believes their relationship is in. Then . . . he finds her letter. The narrator repeats the chorus, slightly altered, from the question above, but it means something different now: "In his imagination she's a universe away / Too many of his promises got broken on the way / So she wrote it in a letter all the thing she couldn't say / And she told him she was never coming home / She told him she was never coming home".