New Song: Sting – New Surprising Rocker “I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart) – Oh, Yes!

I think one of the things that I enjoy most these days is the fact that veteran rockers continue to come up with ways to surprise me. While I’ve been floating in a Pearl Jam cloud since I saw them a week ago in Chicago, and have been keeping an eye out for anticipated releases – David Gilmour’s new album and box sets from the Faces and Neil Young, Sting snuck up on me and dropped a surprisingly rocking song today, “I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart).” And here I figured he was busy with that anniversary release of the Police’s Synchronicity…

I’m like a lot of people, I had sort of given up on seeing great new music from Sting. I was disappointed with Sacred Love and didn’t really check out 57th & 9th. However, I was drawn back in by his fabulous 2021 album The Bridge. “The Bells Of St. Thomas” still affects me deeply…what can I say, I’ve been there. The Bridge may not have been the hook driven, hit-factory that some of his earlier works were but it was certainly a great album from a guy most of us had written off. I listened to it again today and it stands up very well. I even dig his Otis Redding, “(Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay” cover but I dig those old Stax Records songs.

The Bridge admittedly was a quieter, more contemplative album. I guess most of Sting’s solo work has been like that. Although there were some nice rocking songs along the way. Even the awful Sacred Love had a blast of rock n roll squall with “This War.” While I hoped that some day Sting might get back to his punk-ish roots and give me something a little heavier, I wasn’t holding my breath…

And then I woke up this morning to the surprise that Sting had released a new song. It looks like it’s just to herald a new tour, Sting 3.0. I wasn’t sure what that “3.0” thing meant but upon inspection it seems that he’s pared things down to just a trio, like his early days in the Police. He’s going out on tour with just Dominic Miller on guitar and Chris Maas on drums. Sting touring with a small combo… this could rock? I like Sting just singing and pounding away on bass guitar.

I pulled up the track with zero expectations… I figured it’d be a nice ballad. He’s talking about his heart, so why not? The first thing I hear is a heavy guitar riff. I’ve always considered Dominic Miller to be more of a delicate plucker of a guitar player, not a riff master. But Dominic brings the heat on this song. Sting’s voice is what sent me over though, it’s as raspy as anything I’ve ever heard him sing. It’s like he smoked a Marlboro, took a shot of whiskey (or for him probably whisky) and went to the microphone and I mean that in a very, very good way. The song is rock n roll simplicity at it’s finest. There’s nary a lute in sight. Here’s a link:

Oh Hell yes! “I wrote these letters, that spell your name, I carved your name upon my soul
For I was broken, ’til you came to make me whole…” Damn, I wish I’d written those lyrics for the Rock Chick… I’m not sure where this great track came from but clearly Sting has been taking his vitamins. If he puts out an album that sounds like this, to paraphrase one of my favorite movies, Jaws, “We’re going to need a bigger bandwagon.”

For now, turn this one up loud and always remember, as you’re rocking out, never count a great rock n roller out of the game! I immediately added this track to our Playlist: Songs About the Heart. After hearing this, I’ve certainly got my rock n roll fingers crossed for an album.

Cheers!