I did my version of Wake Me Up, but nobody liked it

THE first time around in Mumbai as frontman of The Police, Sting was like any other rock star. After the authorities started hassling a youn...

THE first time around in Mumbai as frontman of The Police, Sting was like any other rock star. After the authorities started hassling a young crowd trying to pin down some ‘weedsters’ for exhaling a particularly strong hue into the breezy night, Sting screamed into the mic: ‘‘This is The Police telling the Bombay Police to f*** off.’’ Those were the wild days of Zanyatta Mondatta and Ghosts In The Machine.

Much later, yoga and ‘‘causes’’ got to him and he was in New Delhi with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen and Tracy Chapman, singing Bob Marley’s Get Up, Stand Up, to promote human rights for Amnesty International.

Performing in Delhi today, this is a brand new Sting—from the flamboyant pop star to the intellectually-inclined elder statesman of jazz-tinged rock.

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How different is your last album Sacred Love?
I like to think there’s some kind of evolution taking place. My intention is to be a better musician than four years ago—a better arranger, songwriter and performer. Whether I succeed or not is up to the listener to decide.

Finally, Desert Rose in India, live. How did that song happen?
I spent a lot of time in dance clubs in Paris during this recording. I heard this amazing hybrid sound and became very interested in it. When I met Cheb Mami, one of the most famous singers of Rai music, I decided that I would write an Arabesque song and try to get him to do a duet with me. That’s what happened. I’m happy it’s a huge hit.

In the film Bring on the Night, you speak of a very humbling moment in your life when you heard a window cleaner singing Roxanne. Why do things like these leave a deep impression on you?
I enjoy hearing people humming my tunes unconsciously. I see them on the street, in a restaurant, in a factory—I see people singing my song. I find that comforting and sweet. A song I made up in the privacy of my home becomes so recognised. I love it.

Do you like George Michael’s version of Roxanne?
George is one of my favourite singers. I thought the song was ultimately successful. Different from mine. I did my version of his Wake Me Up, but nobody liked it.

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How did you team up with Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler in Money For Nothing?
I have been Mark’s friend for a long time—we both come from Newcastle. I was on holiday on the island of Monserrat. He was recording Brothers In Arms. He asked me to come over to the studio and play a few notes. That was it.

In your memoir Broken Music, you hint of being afraid to write another one, in your song Book of My Life.
Well, I approach the first part of my life in the book because I have introspected on it; I can recognise the landmarks. I can give it some narrative shape. I am really close to the subsequent 25 years of my life and I can’t really see the wood for the trees yet. I may be able to. At the moment, it is too confusing and I am a bit afraid.

How does literature influence your songwriting? Like Moon Over Bourbon Street was inspired by Anne Rice’s Interview With A Vampire.
I read a lot. I think that has some influence on the level of literacy in my songs. I want them to mean something, I want the words to be beautiful. I want people to appreciate them.