My Songs Explained

My Songs
Type:	remix
Artist:	Sting
Cover:	Sting - My Songs.png
Released:	24 May 2019
Length:	60:54
Label:	A&M
Producer:	Dave Audé Jerry Fuentes Martin Kierszenbaum
Prev Title:	44/876
Prev Year:	2018
Next Title:	Duets
Next Year:	2021

My Songs is the fourteenth album by British singer-songwriter Sting and his second album to feature new renditions of previously released material (after 2010's Symphonicities). The album was released on 24 May 2019.^{[1] [2]}

Background

The album features fifteen reworked versions of a selection of Sting's most widely recognised songs from across his career. Via his social media outlets, Sting described the new versions of the songs as being "reconstructed", "refitted" and "reframed", but "with a contemporary focus".^[3] Some songs on the album have been remixed using elements of the original tracks, while others are complete re-recordings.^[4]

A remixed version of "Brand New Day" produced for My Songs was released on 31 December 2018.^[5] This version was first performed live in Times Square on the same day. A remixed version of "Desert Rose" and a newly recorded version of "Demolition Man" were made available to download on 28 March 2019.^[6]

The My Songs tour commenced on 28 May 2019 in Paris.^[7]

Personnel

• Sting – vocals, bass (1, 2, 4-15), Roland VG-8 guitar synthesizer (1, 2), electric guitar (3), acoustic guitar (11), harmonica (14), saxophone (14)
• Dominic Miller – guitars (1, 2, 4-7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15), vocals (15)
• Rufus Miller – guitars (4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 15), vocals (15)
• Jerry Fuentes – guitars (7, 8), backing vocals (7, 15), bass (8), percussion (15)
• BJ Cole – pedal steel guitar (1, 2)
• Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar (14)
• Darryl Jones – bass (3)
• Kipper (Mark Eldridge) – keyboards (1, 2), drum programming (1, 2)
• Dave Audé – additional programming (1, 2, 3, 11, 13, 14), additional instruments (1), arrangements (1, 3, 11, 13)
• Jason Rebello – acoustic piano (1, 2), clavinet (1, 2)
• Don Blackman – Hammond organ (1, 2)
• Dave Hartley – Hammond organ (1, 2)
• Kenny Kirkland – keyboards (3, 11, 13)
• Danny Quatrochi – Synclavier (3), backing vocals (3)
• Jason Robinson – additional programming (3, 11)
• Martin Kierszenbaum – acoustic piano (4), keyboards (4), organ (5, 6, 8, 10)
• David Sancious – keyboards (7, 14)
• Kevon "Webbo" Webster – keyboards (9)
• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (1, 2, 5, 7, 14)
• Manu Katché – drums (1, 2, 11, 13)
• Omar Hakim – drums (3)
• Josh Freese – drums (4, 6, 8, 10, 12)
• Andy Newmark – additional drums (11, 13)
• Mino Cinelu – percussion (1, 2, 11, 13), vocoder (13)
• Ettamri Mustapha – darbouka (2)
• Tony Lake – percussion (9)
• Stevie Wonder – harmonica (1)
• Larry Adler – chromatic harmonica (14)
• Branford Marsalis – clarinet (1, 2), percussion (3), saxophone (3, 11, 13)
• Dave Heath – flute (14)
• Richard Edwards – trombone (14)
• Mark Nightingale – trombone (14)
• Chris Botti – trumpet (1, 2)
• John Barclay – trumpet (14)
• Guy Barker – trumpet (14)
• Kathryn Tickell – Northumbrian pipes (1, 2, 14), fiddle (1, 2, 14)
• Farhat Bouallagui – string arrangements and conductor (2)
• Moulay Ahmed – violin (2)
• Kouider Berkan – violin (2)
• Salem Bnoumi – violin (2)
• Sameh Catalanm – violin (2)
• Danny Dunlap – strings (14)
• Sian Bell – cello (14)
• James Boyd – viola (14)
• Simon Fischer – violin (14)
• Kathryn Greeley – violin (14)
• Tawatha Agee – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Dennis Collins – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Joe Mendez – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Janice Pendarvis – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 11, 13)
• Althea Rodgers – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Marlon Saunders – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Vaneese Thomas – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Darryl Tookes – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Ken Williams – backing vocals (1, 2)
• Cheb Mami – vocals (2)
• Jane Alexander – backing vocals (3)
• Stephanie Crewdson – backing vocals (3)
• Elliot Jones – backing vocals (3)
• Dolette McDonald – backing vocals (3, 11, 13)
• Vic Garbarini – backing vocals (3)
• Rosemary Purt – backing vocals (3)
• Pete Smith – backing vocals (3)
• Joe Sumner – backing vocals (3, 15)
• Kate Sumner – backing vocals (3)
• Mickey Sumner – backing vocals (3)
• The Nannies Chorus – backing vocals (3)
• Melissa Musique – backing vocals (9)
• Gene Noble – backing vocals (9)
• The Last Bandoleros [Jerry Fuentes, Derek James, Diego Navaira and Emilo Navaira] – backing vocals (10)
• Renée Geyer – backing vocals (11, 13)
• Vesta Williams – backing vocals (11, 13)
• Diego Navaira – backing vocals (15)
• David Foxxe – narrator (14)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2019–20)	Peak position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)^[8]	9
French Albums (SNEP)^[9]	2
Italian Albums (FIMI)^[10]	14
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[11]	17

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)	Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[12]	86
French Albums (SNEP)^[13]	37
Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[14]	96
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[15]	92
Chart (2020)	Position
Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[16]	54

Notes and References

1. Hear Sting Rework Three Classics for New Album 'My Songs'. . 28 March 2019.
2. Web site: Sting Teases New Album with 'Re-Imagined' Versions of His Hits. 10 January 2019.
3. Web site: Sting: My songs.
4. Web site: Sting Revisits, Reimagines Police, Solo Hits on 'My Songs' Collection....
5. Web site: Sting Kicks Off 2019 With a New Version of "Brand New Day" (Listen Here) on Steve Harvey New Year's Show Tonight. 31 December 2018.
6. Web site: Sting Announces New Album 'My Songs' To Be Released 24 May....
7. Web site: Sting Announces New Album, 'My Songs'. 28 March 2019.
8. Web site: ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums. Australian Recording Industry Association. 3 June 2019. 1 June 2019.
9. Web site: Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 23, 2019). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. French. 11 June 2019.
10. Web site: Album – Classifica settimanale WK 22 (dal 24.05.2019 al 30.05.2019). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Italian. 1 June 2019.
11. Web site: Top 100 Albums: Semana 22. Productores de Música de España. 4 June 2019.
12. Web site: Rapports Annuels 2019. Ultratop. 1 August 2020.
13. Web site: Top de l'année Top Albums 2019. SNEP. fr. 8 January 2020.
14. Web site: Najpopularniejsze albumy i single 2019 roku. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Polish. 28 January 2020.
15. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2019. hitparade.ch. 31 December 2019.
16. Web site: Najpopularniejsze single radiowe i najlepiej sprzedające się płyty 2020 roku. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. pl. 28 January 2021.