Englishman In New York by Sting in The Song Remembers When

I love Sting. I know he’s a very divisive character in music but I quite enjoy his eclecticism. From his punk-reggae infused days with The Police to his various musical journeys as a solo artist, I appreciate that his music is always changing and morphing into something entirely new.

I first heard this song as a kid and I didn’t really understand it. The second time I heard it and paid attention to it was when I watched the “All This Time” performance. That performance has remarkable energy and aura around it that is owed totally to the date it was filmed: 9/11/2001. Sting had been planning to do a concert at his Italian villa but that morning, New York was absolutely decimated. He decided to go through with the performance, albeit without an audience. It’s charged, especially when he sings this song.

It wasn’t until I was in Paris and heard the live version I’ve posted that I realized what the song was about. He wrote this song about queer icon Quentin Crisp (who actually appears in the original music video from the 80s). It has some of the greatest lines ever.

“It takes more than combat boots to make a man,
It takes more than a license for a gun
Confront your enemies, avoid them if you can
A gentleman will walk but never run”

I love that line. It’s so empowering for those of us who seem to be on the fringes of society’s idea of masculinity.

And then there’s…

“If ‘manners maketh man’ as someone said,
Then he’s the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say”

What an amazing line and an incredible sentiment. I happened to see Sting and that point in the song, he makes the entire audience chant that last line (as he does in the video below).

This song is such an unlikely song of empowerment and I cherish it for that. Classy self-esteem is best.