Sting: How I started writing songs again
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- čas přidán 29. 05. 2014
- Sting's early life was dominated by a shipyard-and he dreamed of nothing more than escaping the industrial drudgery. But after a nasty bout of writer's block that stretched on for years, Sting found himself channeling the stories of the shipyard workers he knew in his youth for song material. In a lyrical, confessional talk, Sting treats us to songs from his upcoming musical, and to an encore of "Message in a Bottle."
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I must say, Sting is one of those artists who has just aged gracefully, artistically speaking.
I'd be honored if some Sting fans would take a listen to my acoustic piano & vocal interpretations of ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK and WHY SHOULD I CRY FOR YOU on my YT channel in tribute to the master off lyricism and composition. Live acoustic with no autotune or digital editing. Thanks and peace.
Really in all ways - I believe he has matured in a wonderful, perfectly lovely way.
Amen
Gorgeous guy !!!
Yeah, it's wonderful when a man can care and respect himself as well as tell stories that will care and lend a hand to those that come after himself.
The pure joy of finding the right combination of words, the right syllables as they roll off the tongue, flowing gracefully atop the right chord progression, to tell the tale as a painter with strings, is a most captivating art and discipline. He transported us to his childhood and put us on that shipyard. You could almost smell the brine in the air and hear the roar of the chains, the crack of the timber, the mountain of steel headed out to sea. Absolutely brilliant.
Although your own eloquence was placed aside, in order to serve your praise, I just have to opine that I, for one, noted its own poetic structure.
I noticed the brilliance in your praise as well. One artist knows another. Well done sir.
I could sit through this for a week and not get bored. Sting is not just a legendary musician, but an artful storyteller. Having grown up on his music - from The Police to Sting - I count myself as blessed to have come of age during the age of Gordon Sumner. This was a treat!!
Every true rockstar is basically a charismatic poet/storyteller who is lucky enough to be able to sing..
It's not hard to believe that Sting used to be a teacher. I bet he was an excellent one.
HE STILL IS!!!
I doubt he regrets his career change....
For about two minutes. When he realized he was gonna bed one of his students, he quit.
keyboard warrior
Like that old man from nabalauf
Hey y'all, are you sure you've understood what he's on about?
No matter how jealous some of the commenters are: It's not about his success and conceitedness, it's not about his ego, nor his expensive guitars.
A lad from the doomed shipyards defied the false hopes of his father and his community and fought for his own dreams. He was lucky (just lucky and talented) to escape, but only after fighting for them. And he had to learn to be authentic.
Will you please compare this to the stars in the usual music business?! Have you listened properly to "Dead Man's Shoes"?! Guess why this song never made the charts. And also: Guess why he chose SOS for an extra at the end?
Hearing his honest story I suddenly understood this song not as being a rescue from a personal isolation - it's about the isolatation such a given but outdated framework of socialisation forces on you, wherever you happen to come from. Will you take the risk and fight to go your own way in the end?
And that makes him an absolutely valid speaker for such a TED talk.
See, it's not about nagging and being jealous of those who have been lucky, strong and successful - it's about listening, watching and thinking!
Of course I would also like to be famous and have such a house in Tuscany - I haven't achieved what he has, but perhaps I can at least try to understand his way into the world and learn to go my own individual way? Watch, listen and learn! Empathy is the magic word! Risk to trust and learn to learn!
What are you talking about? I can only read comments praising him and saying that he had a very meaningful carreer, life and stuff \\
Or maybe it's the usual existential crisis people have when they realized all their dreams.
@@Rick-zw7zv He never worked in a shipyard, he lived near one, not the same at all.
The last ship, Dead man shoes tells me of a man coming out of a doomed plane n he’s the only survivor n it’s his tale to the world of what had happened so sad cos I look around and it’s happening all around us
Dead Man's Boots, not Dead Man's Shoes.
My favorite Sting album is Soul Cages. It was completely from the heart that album.
Mine too!
Not my favorite but 'Why Should I Cry' still tears me apart whenever I listen to it.
Not my favorite, but The Wild Wild Sea was in my head tonight, so I came here after enjoying that.
It was the first album I bought and is still my favorite. So many beautiful songs (When the angels fall!), the loss and the love you feel with him. Always breathtaking.
Mine too
I came here expecting an aging superstar indulging in his self-content, but I have to say I found his way of telling the story quite admirable and pleasant.
Thanks, Sting. My life has been much, much more enjoyable thanks to having co-existed with you. I hope you are a very happy person. You surely deserve that in exchange of the many hours of pleasure you have given away to so many of us.
Patricia Schiavone
amen
Sting is one of those artists I just can't get enough of. His songs are *truly* beautiful. They just feel incredibly melodic, "rich", or "colorful".
Not to mention, that the lyrics are often incredibly interesting, if you actually sit down and listen to them. Not just deep, but honestly an interesting story.
I must admit, I haven't liked much of his more recent stuff, though his latest album had several songs that brought me back again :)
I remember picking up his book "Lyrics" as it was right next to the register at a book store and heavily discounted. I thought "I'm not the world's greatest Sting fan, but the Police were pretty cool... sure, it's worth this price, I guess." I thought it would be just the lyrics to his songs, but holy crap was there more than that. His stories behind certain songs and how he explained them definitely inclined me to think I got it for a steal.
I went to a party where the hostess played Sting's greatest hits. I was entertained the whole way through!
Philip Zeplin dabadebadibadebafieldsofgold
You are quite right 👌
What a musician.. ! Dead man's boots.. A great song..
It's almost...eerie...how talented this guy is. It's been a privilege and a treat having his music through most of my life.
I love when lyrics tells something...a story, and not just a repetition of 3 lines the entire song.
I heard a lovely song about a girl sitting under her umbrella ella ella hey hey hay.... 😜
+Sam Lee lol
Sam Lee
- The Police, Rush, early Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Boston, etc... best bands and REAL music! But Rihanna is GREAT for dancing at a night club.... and relaxing "chill" music is great when getting a massage or taking a bubble bath ... and then high-energy hybrid orchestral music is best for an action movie trailer .... there are different types of music for different situations. It's all good, if it's at least "good" music. And yeah there is some crap out there, but bottom line is there's no time to focus on what we don't want in life.
DigitalBerserk kinda like “Don’t Stand So...don’t stand so...don’t stand so close to me.”
bajovato
- I like that song. Also, it does tell a story and those aren't the only lyrics. It's just a repetitive chorus.
Young teacher, the subject
Of schoolgirl fantasy
She wants him so badly
Knows what she wants to be
Inside her there's longing
This girl's an open page
Book marking, she's so close now
This girl is half his age
Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me
Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me
Her friends are so jealous
You know how bad girls get
Sometimes it's not so easy
To be the teacher's pet
Temptation, frustration
So bad it makes him cry
Wet bus stop, she's waiting
His car is warm and dry
Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me
Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me
Loose talk in the classroom
To hurt they try and try
Strong words in the staffroom
The accusations fly
It's no use, he sees her
He starts to shake and cough
Just like the old man in
That book by Nabakov
Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me
Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me
What is clear is Sting's intelligence and artistry honed over the years of dedication to his craft. Luck always plays a role in success, but it is the years of practice, exploration and distillation of his gift for storytelling in the form of music that allowed him to create his success. Harks back in some ways to the tradition of the troubadour of centuries past. And a flair for the dramatic gesture.
Very intelligent & well spoken. I’ve found songwriting isn’t about trying but actually the opposite. Its about surrender. Great songs come when you allow flow. Try to grasp it... & it naturally slips through your fingers. Trying to effort everything in life (the way most of us are taught to) eventually catches up to us & doesn’t work anymore.
I read Sting's autobiography about this story he now wrote and it's one of my favorite books it's honest it's beautiful and Sting is an inspiration to the human race
Broken Memoir?
Broken Music
amazing book indeed! these days I use it as a base to put my laptop on top, which means I look at this book every single day
This is quite possibly the best TED "talk" ever recorded. I already loved Sting from his years in The Police and on his own, but to hear him go back to his roots and create such powerful songs from them - well, we are witnessing yet another aspect of his brilliance. Tell a compelling story, and people will listen. Put it to music, add your amazing voice to it, and you'll have the world at your feet.
*How Sting got his mojo back*
A beautiful story of how an artist found inspiration in the bleak backdrop of the town where he grew up.
... and suddenly you see: Sting stands fair and just among the very greatest of them all. Peter Gabriel, Prince, David Bowie, and now that boy from the shipyard. What a truly amazing, gifted, and wise performer. We are lucky beyond the Sky to enjoy his music, his stories, his prodigious skill.
Sting should write a musical about a young man's struggle getting out of the shipyards. The music is already written, and the core of the story in place. It's only a matter of getting it down in paper. I can envision it now.
He has a musical and it's called The Last Ship which I believe is where most of these songs come from.
Bennett Galamaga: Thank you. I didn't know that. Cheers 👍
Always been a Sting fan, starting from way back. I think the term "ageing gracefully' in the very most polite way is the best way to describe him. There is so much talent, wisdom, humanism, intellect in one human being, amazing.
Thank you Sting. You made my life richer.
I still can't believe that The Last Ship closed on Broadway. What a brilliant show and I feel so honored to have seen Sting in it several times. Thanks TED - it's nice to see where his inspiration for it came from.
Born as a shipbuilder's son, "Dead Man's Boots" really resonates with me. I feel lucky to have been able to be there and see Sting's performance #tedactive2014
You were there? Was that Paul McCartney in the front? Sure looks like it.
David Wigg
This is what I've always liked about Sting, his lyrics are true/authentic, and tell a story.
This ted talk is like an album - its a fully fledged artistic experience
He's got a powerful voice...
He does have a commanding voice.
How much talent in only one person...
I counted about 10 people there to be honest.
Surreal.
Sting injects so much emotion into this songwriting and recordings. Rock on.
MrCloudseeker never
Man is as alive as ever.
Sting still got the sting.
Sting is just marvelous! So, that time when he played and released those songs from 500 years ago that I now do not remember, could have been done in his "dry songwriting period"... I am so glad he recovered his songwriting talent!!!
That was "Songs from the Labyrinth" - mainly songs by John Dowland.
Being a Sting, Police fan I was obviously interested in Stings latest project. I've been even more moved by hearing his story. I understand how he felt like he wanted to escape the North East, some of us have but as you get older you reflect and start to appreciate what really matters. I appreciate this story of Stings community, my dad was a shipyard worker and his father before. This is what it was like in the North East, not now, not many jobs for manual workers now- Shame.
The score of The Last Ship is excellent. I loved it
Listening to Sting, & going to his concerts back in the mid 1980’s, helped me stay alive through a major life crisis ..💚message in a bottle , indeed 💚 Thank you ..Sting 🌞
Goosebumps and a tear. Thank you for being here.
How beautiful ... dead man’s boots had me in tears ... and message in a bottle is my favourite Sting song.
I got just as much emotion from these songs he wrote from anything else in stings career, you can tell he has found something dear to him to create music for so I'm happy for him.
Just by going back to one's youth and heritage, it's amazing how the creative process ignites and works for writers like Sting, truly a great artist.
Thank you Gordon ~ You still inspire after all these years.
I absolutely loved this Ted Talks with Sting. A beautiful story of a real person, of how he found himself, and started writing again. And yes, he can still
sing, better then ever if you ask me. I hope we'll hear more coming from this wonderful artist.
Wow amazing Ted talk, not only was Sting articulate but emmoting not just speaking from his heart and soul! His mind, language, poetry and compassion all are firing synchronized to connect with anyone who chooses to listen on that same frequency of honesty and vulnerability as hungry students opened to the caring teacher! Good on ya mate and God bless your soul for sharing your life, your heart, your gifts and your dreams. 🚢
ABSOLUTELY, WITH NO RESERVATION, WHATSOEVER, I FOUND THIS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST LOVELY TED TALKS I HAVE EVER HAD THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE OF SEEING! BLESSINGS, STING!!! BRAVO!!! SENDING MUCH LOVE TO YOU!
I find it quite amazing that both Sting and Mark Knopfler are from that same little patch of England/Scotland. Both are amazing musicians, but I think MK has the sailing/shipbuilding aspect of that world down a bit better. If you have the fortune, and/or opportunity to check out that part of England, please do so. It will change your view on these musicians, and the life that these folks endured for centuries. (Please keep any hateful comments to yourself.)
-Ltb!
What part of England is it?
@@jonashjerpe7421 Newcastle upon tyne
Quite a few famous musicians come from Tyneside, including Bryan Ferry.
And Brian Ferry - Brian Johnson{ACDC} - The Animals - Last Exit {Wikipedia} - Hank Marvin - Jimmy Nail - Eric Idle {Python} - Alan Price - Rowan Atkinson {Bean} -All groomed on Newcastle Brown Ale.
@@LiamArthursGTR6 And Ant and Dec.
I'm aways "comforted" by Sting ...his songs, lyrics, storytelling, mindfulness, presence. ...And he must have been just ADORABLE to the Queen Mother!!
Sending out an SOS was one of my favourite songs as a lad in Dublin,listening to him sing it brought me back, Thanks for the songs and the memories,sting you're a outstanding artist, and story teller,keep the light shining.
Sting your voice is like an old friend .... i lived just down the road from you as a young boy some 40 years ago ..... Some of my favorite songs are sung by you and the police (the only police i care to hear from) You sir are a living legend .... For me and im sure millions of people just like me you are indeed a hero ! dont change Sting we love you
Saw him live in Ireland about 20 years ago. This was even better!
Sting knows exactly what it is, and says it so well. This is real man, what songwriting is all about. Great story teller. Always through your eyes come come visions of other people's lives. Enjoyed this a lot.
I cried watching this. Truly inspirational. I love him.
18:35 a raw and rustic version of ''Message In A Bottle''.
Beautiful.
He's a tremendous speaker.
Sting - the role model for his selfless, free-souled, honest and true character in all his works. He will always be our mentor...
So much, so much respect - is seldom shown for an artist. Magic. thank you, Sting.
Sting surprised me with this. A lot of his earlier stuff seems contrived but commercial, full of ersatz poetry. This is not commercial. I love it when people surprise me.
Always liked sting ,born to write and sing .true musical genius
I have been a Sting fan for the last 40 years. He never disappoints with his soulful observations of humaness. He still amazes and manages to connect with the everyman in us all.
Those guitars have gone thru many episodes in the artists hands. They sound as good as Sting's voice. The stories, the tragedies, the triumphs, and the memories. A true storyteller through the art of music. Thank you Sting.
One of the best TED performances ever.
First one I've been all through !
What a marvelous orator....A true English teacher!!
I remember in my youth seeing Sting in concert in Mountain View, CA. I must say that this performance which is here on You Tube brings back memories of concerts I have been to in the past and who I'd like to watch perform in the future.
I just love him. He has given us so many good songs and I hope his beautiful family perpetuates his legacy (he's a teacher so, that might be the case, I hope).
I hope also that this story of his life encourages many that are stuck somewhere they want to be away from. With hard work a better life is possible and this stories are the fuel we need to keep on fighting.
wow this is amazing, i was just jamming before on my guitar and singing songs from anothers perspective. hes right, it feels great and it gives you a release
Heya, Axel Fey!
I agree that a young man getting away from a life that he believed holds nothing real for him, is an important part of Sting's story.
But there's so much more happening here; for instance, a person could argue that as a boy, he found his Muse in his hometown to begin with (... it was always there /it made him what he became /...) , and later when he appears to have lost his Muse while distanced by both time and physical proximity from that community, it's by going back to the home all of his family's roots (and his very own roots) that he opens his eyes and sees the community which gave him his life and his start, and his place in that community for what it really is... the community for what it really is... that part of his life's mission (use the term that satisfies you here) is to tell his community's story... the peoples ' story(-ies)... humanity's story....
A person of then go forward and argue that in so doing, he fulfills his father's request and advice to put down Roots so that he can bloom and spread and become more, fullfilling his potential... but by discounting his roots, he had denied himself the important growth... that had he not returned "home",...
You get the idea. That's just the start, you see. There's so much more here in this compact recounting: the humility... love... reconnection... continuity... It's a Tardis of a performance, and a gift at that...
I could listen to this Ted talk forever and ever. 🥺🙏🏻❤️ His lyrics are so beautiful, meaningful, and inspiring. The writer in me is happy just to sit back and learn.
I think that's been one of the most exiting Sting speech I've ever watched on youtube: I didn't know that story! I've been thrilled about it. thanks dear form sharing! ;)
Gr8 job all round. Those new songs are really good. And i didn't realise SOS has such a great lyric. The ol boy's still got it. ty
Absolutely soulful...
Sting......what an icon that has made many great moments in the soundtrack that has become my life....and many others also.
royally real. hits a high note of authenticity, and what a wonderful story and message to hear and to heed
This just easily moved into my top 10 TED Talks
This is fantastic!!! I'm not a big fan of Sting but a talented songwriter & fantastic bass player!!! Great talk .
Thanks Sting for so many years of great music. Such a talented man and a wonderful story.
Profound and poetic! Truly astounding stories and songs capturing an epic ... a lifetime bottled up in his soul waiting to get out and shared with those that can appreciate the times and meaning. A very poetic story-teller and singer. Brilliant inter-lacing of words and music and magic.
Never been a real hardcore Sting fan but after seeing the show based on the album he’s talking about, I have to say I love this album.
Mr Sting, your muse is your hard work.
Total mastery of his art.
My dad worked at the Haverton Hill ship yard on the river tees, the burns on his ankles still have memories for me, he was a welder, thank you for letting people know the life cheers
Very inspirational. Thank you.
Inspiring history of his history :)
Amazing how Sting changed in those years. After this talk I fell that some big part of world history had closed. We getting older, "icons" slowly fade away. Yesterday stars became wise mentors and share lessons of their lives. It is one of the few last times to hear theirs thoughts and get larger perspective. Last time to hear truths we forget or don't notice in ours everyday runs. We can step in ones shoes - but should we? What icons new times we are building?
I think this videos are Forever! #youtube
Yeah, I remember thinking when I was a kid that there is no such thing as old rock stars. And not just because rock is a newer form of music. But it would have been the case even if there was rock music earlier on because TV came around about that time of its Inception. Like even Elvis would have been fairly young in the eighties if he was alive. It just seemed more interesting because rock music was such a young mans type of genre. Finally, I knew it would happen, but this is the first time it's happening in history, where we can see old rock stars/and by rock stars I really mean people that are famous and very successful from selling music. I mean, Mozart and Beethoven were not getting rich by selling millions of albums and selling out stadiums. But, basically the famous musician getting old had to pave their own path. There was never an example of an old rock/pop star until recently now. And as it turns out they never get old, in the way that I pictured old people as being, in the sense of them all in walkers and nursing homes beds.
we should have trail blazers left right and centre but everything is recycled and stolen inauthentic and artists corrupted by success record sales, downloads , charts and money the religion . creativity is creativity either way but theres so much potential for musicians to create mre pathways for wide world change especially environmental/politicial . "Icon" is old world perhaps even
@@OldHickory7 how do you know????they still age the same we all do. my nana was never in a nursing home and lived until 96. rockers probably afford extra nurses to come to their homes but of cause they still age in the same sense .
I have always been a big Sting fan, but I had no idea he was such an articulate speaker. Bravo, Gordon!
He poetically and aptly puts words to many things about songwriting which elude many who listen to and even many who create songs. Kudos and gratitude
I stumbled across this by accident, and the title stuck out to me, because i have lost song writing, brilliant to remember it's good to write song from other's perspectives, i loved this, very motivational, loved the stories! I grew up listening to Police and Sting, this is very intimate, love it, i really got to know the man behind the man I knew.
I lost song writing for most of TEN YEARS!!! after I found out I had Asperger's syndrome, and my brain learned how other people think.. I learned to be more embarrassed and less embarrassing... I became more normal, and lost my brilliance ... But eventually the songs came back. More than before. And more variety. I'm still embarrassing ; )
TED Talks proudly presents VH1's "Storytellers". Priceless :o) ... and I sort of admire Mr. Sumner.
Dead man's boots is just an amazing song.
Also sting doing message in a bottle at the end of all the stories he just told...it gives the song a much deeper meaning.
Inspired me so much through the years.
Superb musician and songwriter/composer.
Sting is one of the greatest!!!
Like the men who worked in the steel mills in Western PA when I was growing up there, The jobs paid well, but the workers paid the price in their health.
A marvelous speaker. He is so talented and deserves his success.
I can relate to this feeling of finding my muse again. His story REALLY helped me see.
So great how he has evolved...
Motivation is the source of energy to make your dreams become reality
Just found this......hits home in so many ways
I have seen many artists or singers in concert. Sting rises above them all. He is the only one, who's smile while performing, showed the love for what he does and is able to share! Thank you TED for bringing another inspiration and thank you Sting for sharing!
Will Tieman the "only one" - how many artist have you seen? Lol....
Truly extraordinary! Thanks sting 😀
watching this in 2019. This inspired me :D It was exactly what I needed to hear at this current point in the road.
Returning to his roots: Beautiful.
The fact that he sang Message In A Bottle at the end means he really loved it. That was one of my favorite songs when I was a little kid. I felt the energy and passion even back then.
What an amazing talk! Really inspiring! And very unique songs like if they are from a musical!
He's a great communicator, like everything he says had been edited and read right off the page. "I was infected by an idea. I didn't belong in the streets. I don't want to live in that house. I don't want to end up in that shipyard. I want to be in that car (maybe meaning the car the Queen of England arrived in for the ship launching ceremony). I want a bigger life beyond this town. I want a life that is out of the ordinary. It's my right as much as hers (the Queen). There is a symbiotic and intrinsic link between storytelling and community, between community and art, between community and science and technology, between community and economics. It's my belief that abstract economic theory denies the needs of community, denies the contribution that community makes to the economy, is short-sighted, cruel, and untenable. Applause The fact is whether you're a rock star, or whether you're a welder in a ship yard, or a tribesman in the upper Amazon, or the Queen of England, at the end of the day we're all in the same boat." He is a great artist and a man of empathy. Also, seems amazing he is 63 in this video! It seems he's like 40! I wonder what his diet is. It is evident that he must do rigorous exercise, like he's an athlete too.
One of the most unique sounds to grace this planet . Great storyteller.
One of the greatest songwriters that ever lived. Timeless songs and lyrical masterpieces. Sting is amazing