Sting has announced plans for a new album, The Bridge, which will be released on November 19. The upbeat first single, “If It’s Love,” which describes being in love as some kind of symptom, is out now on all digital platforms.
Speaking about the song, Sting says in a statement, “I’m certainly not the first songwriter to equate falling in or out of love with an incurable sickness, nor will I be the last. ‘If It’s Love’ is my addition to that canon where the tropes of metaphorical symptoms, diagnosis, and downright incapacity are all familiar enough to make each of us smile ruefully.”
Sting wrote and recorded The Bridge over the past year in lockdown, with the musicians contributing their parts remotely. As for the title, he explains, “These songs are between one place and another, between one state of mind and another, between life and death, between relationships. Between pandemics, and between eras — politically, socially and psychologically, all of us are stuck in the middle of something. We need a bridge.”
The Bridge, which can be pre-ordered now, will be available in various formats, including standard and deluxe CD and vinyl, and on cassette. The deluxe CD and vinyl versions will feature bonus tracks, including a cover of Otis Redding‘s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay.”
The Bridge is Sting’s first solo album of original material since 2016’s 57th & 9th.
Sting will return to performing live later this month with a September 27 gig in Sicily, Italy, followed by two shows in Greece. His Las Vegas residency, My Songs, kicks off October 29.
Here’s The Bridge‘s full track list:
“Rushing Water”
“If It’s Love”
“The Book of Numbers”
“Loving You”
“Harmony Road”
“For Her Love”
“The Hills on the Border”
“Captain Bateman”
“The Bells of St. Thomas”
“The Bridge”
“Waters of Tyne”*
“Captain Bateman’s Basement”*
“(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay”*
“I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City”**
* = Deluxe bonus track
** = Japanese exclusive bonus track
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