"Englishman in New York" is a song by English singer-songwriter Sting, from his second studio album '' ...Nothing Like the Sun'', released in October 1987. Branford Marsalis played soprano saxophone on the track, while the drums were played by

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...

and the percussion by

Mino Cinélu Mino Cinélu (born March 10, 1957) is a French musician. He plays multiple instruments. He is a composer, programmer and producer; and is most often associated primarily for his work as a jazz percussionist. Biography Cinelu was born in Saint-Cl ...

. The single was released in February 1988 as the third single from the album, but only reached No. 51 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In the US, "Englishman in New York" peaked at No. 84 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in April 1988 and reached No. 32 on the ''Billboard''

Mainstream Rock chart Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched i ...

that same month. However, the single was more successful in continental Europe, becoming a hit in several countries, reaching the top 40 in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. "Englishman in New York" was also a top 20 hit in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. In South Africa, it peaked at No. 9. In 1990, just prior to the release of his third studio album ''

The Soul Cages ''The Soul Cages'' is the third full-length studio album released by English musician Sting. Released on 21 January 1991 it became Sting's second No. 1 album in the United Kingdom. This was Sting's first album to feature guitarist Dominic Mille ...

'', Sting's record label licensed Dutch DJ and producer

Ben Liebrand Ben Liebrand () (born 27 September 1960 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands) is a Dutch dance music DJ and remixer. He has produced for artists such as Forrest and MC Miker G & DJ Sven and remixed tracks by artists such as Alexander O'Neal, Salt-N- ...

to remix "Englishman in New York" and subsequently released it as a single. The remix played around with the introduction and some of the instrumentation, but the essence of the song remained the same. The new version was commercially successful, reaching number 15 in the UK charts in mid-1990. In 2010, Sting re-recorded the song in an orchestral version for his album ''

Symphonicities ''Symphonicities'' is the tenth studio album by English musician Sting, released on 13 July 2010 on Deutsche Grammophon. This is his first studio album featuring new recordings of existing songs (the second one to date being the 2019 studio alb ...

''. "Englishman/African in New York", a reworking of the song recorded with African artist Shirazee was released as a non-album digital-only single on 19 March 2021. Shirazee had previously covered the song as "African in New York" with Sting's approval. Sting and Shirazee released a music video and performed the song on ABC's '' Good Morning America''.

Content

Sting wrote the song about the famous eccentric and

gay icon A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon of some members of the LGBT community. The most widely recognized gay icons are often actresses and singers who garnered large LGBT fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Madonna, Diana Ros ...

Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt; – ) was an English raconteur, whose work in the public eye included a memoir of his life and various media appearances. Before becoming well-known, he was an artist's model, hence the title of ...

, who is the "Englishman" of the title. The song was composed not long after Crisp had moved from London to an apartment in the

Bowery The Bowery () is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north.Jackson, Kenneth L. ...

in Manhattan. Sting had met him and Crisp remarked jokingly to the musician that he "looked forward to receiving his naturalisation papers so that I can commit a crime and not be deported." When Sting asked him what kind of crime, he answered, "Something glamorous, non-violent, with a dash of style. Crime is so rarely glamorous these days." Sting included this story in the liner notes of his album '' ...Nothing Like The Sun''.

Musical content

The song is composed in the key of B-minor. It is mainly the same chord progression throughout the song (except in the bridge): Em - A - Bm. The functions in the key of the chords are iv - VII - i. The soprano saxophone that plays over the song mainly plays the

minor scale In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which ...

in Bm. In the bridge the chords change to D - A - Bm - F#, G - A - F# - Bm. This corresponds with III - VII - i - V, VI - VII - V - i.

Music video

The video was shot in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

and was directed by David Fincher, and featured scenes of Sting and his band in New York (primarily Branford Marsalis playing sax), as well as the elusive

. At the end of the video, after the song fades, an elderly male voice says: "If I have an ambition other than a desire to be a chronic invalid, it would be to meet everybody in the world before I die... and I'm not doing badly." In 2011, the official video was replaced with a version without the male voice.

Track listing

* 12" Single (AMY 431) #"Englishman in New York" – 4:25 #"Ghost in the Strand" – 2:33 #"Bring on the Night"/" When the World Is Running Down" (Live) – 11:42 * 7" Single (AM 1200) #"Englishman in New York" – 4:25 #"If You There" – 4:08 * CD Maxi Single (75021 2370 2) #"Englishman in New York" – 4:03 #"Someone to Watch Over Me" – 4:35 #"Up from the Skies" – 10:07

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

1990 remix

Certifications

Cris Cab version

*In 2015, American singer Cris Cab covered the song featuring Tefa & Moox, and

Willy William Willy Fauade William (born 14 April 1981) is a French DJ, record producer and singer, famous for his club remixes and vocal collaborations with a number of dance music artists. He is most famous for his French hit " Ego" and his Latin hit " Mi Gen ...

. This version charted on the French SNEP Top Singles chart, reaching number 16, and also on the Belgian Wallonia

Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization ...

singles chart at No. 34.

Other versions

*In 1993, the song was partially remade by

Shinehead Shinehead (born Edmund Carl Aiken; 10 April 1962 in Kent, England) is a British Jamaican reggae singer/toaster/rapper. Career He began his music career by performing for different New York City reggae dancehall sound systems in the 1980s, mo ...

, re-titled as "Jamaican in New York" (1993). It reached No. 30 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1993. *In 1998, Venezuelan band King Chango covered the song as "Venezuelan in New York" for the various artists tribute release ''Outlandos d’Americas - Tributo a Police (A Tribute to the Police)''. The instrumental sections in the song were re-worked using Latin rhythms such as cumbia and dancehall. *In 2015, Japanese singer Majiko released a cover as a bonus track on her single "Mirror".

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Englishman In New York 1987 songs 1988 singles 1990 singles Sting (musician) songs Quentin Crisp Songs about New York City Songs written by Sting (musician) Music videos directed by David Fincher Black-and-white music videos The Flying Pickets songs Reggae fusion songs A&M Records singles