Happy Birthday, Sting!

Photo from here

Today is Sting's birthday.  I know I have never hidden the fact that I consider him my favorite songwriter, my greatest musical influence and the man I want most to jam with.  

There are a lot of great songs that have that casual, thrown-together kind of sound, like the songwriter was really just having a lot of fun and it turned out that the fun lyrics rhymed and the fun tune was singable.  Sting's songs do not sound like that at all. His songs are meticulously crafted so that every metaphor and twist in melody work together.  One of my favorites, Ghost Story, has some of the most exquisite phrases in it along with this sweet, gentle melody.  

You were my compass star, you were my measure

You were a pirate's map of buried treasure

If this was all correct, the last thing I'd expect

The prosecution rests, it's time that I confess

I must have loved you

I distinctly remember talking to my mom when I was twenty-one and a half, telling her I just didn't know what to do with my life.  I said, "I just want to be Sting."  She said, "Well, Sting writes his own songs.  So if you want to be like him, you have to write songs."

Well, I wasn't quite sure what else to do, so that's exactly what I did.  That night, when I went home, I wrote Evening Prayers.

Though stylistically, I'm pretty far from sounding like Sting, his intelligent, intentional approach really inspires me.  

So, happy birthday, Sting.  Thank you for the amazing music and for being the truly wonderful talent you are.