The Soul Cages
Encyclopedia
The Soul Cages is the third full length studio album released by Sting. Released in 1991, it became his second No. 1 album in the United Kingdom
. It spawned four singles: "All This Time
", "Mad About You", "Why Should I Cry For You" and "The Soul Cages". The latter won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
.
focused on the death of Sting's father. At the time, Sting had developed a writer's block
shortly after his father's death; the episode lasted several years, until Sting was able to overcome his affliction by dealing with the death of his father through music. The first song written for The Soul Cages was "Why Should I Cry for You", and Sting has stated the rest of the album flowed quite easily after that first hurdle was overcome. Most of the songs have motifs related to sailing or the seas (Sting's father, according to Sting's autobiography, Broken Music, had always regretted not becoming a sailor.) There are also references to Newcastle
, the part of England where Sting grew up.
Album opener "Island of Souls" tells the story of Billy, the first son in a family line of riveter
s. As he watches the ships his father create set sail, Billy dreams of taking his father along with him to escape by sea; his dreams become more prevalent as his father is injured and given three weeks to live. "All This Time
" chronicles Billy's desire to bury his father at sea. The middle section of the record focuses mainly on the town Billy lives in and its people, before the highly introspective "Why Should I Cry For You". Musically, a mournful Northumbrian Pipe
motif at the end of "Island of Souls" returns to open "The Wild Wild Sea", where Billy loses his way in a tempest only to find himself steered to safety by the spirit of his father. In another fantastical narrative on the album's eponymous track, Billy's father is being held captive by a demonic fisherman, with whom Billy wagers his life in a drinking game in a bid to set his father's soul free. Finally, the album ends with the moody, slightly-enigmatic "When The Angels Fall", which serves as a final thesis on the Catholicism which so heavily influenced Sting's upbringing; particularly regarding his father's spiritual beliefs. Musically, the song acts as a full stop for both the album’s content and Sting's own personal torment, with the song’s fluctuating tonality finally resolving to a firm and secure G major, marking a return to “home” (in this case, the home key of the earlier, conceptually significant, track “All This Time”) and providing an overwhelming sense of acceptance, redemption and subtle-nostalgia; beautifully realised in the album’s closing “lullaby” motif. The character of Billy is referred to in the third person for the first three songs and in the first person for the last three songs.
In an interview with Charlie Rose
aired on December 10, 2010, Sting mentions that he is working on a "mood piece", a musical
project and book in collaboration with Pulitzer
winner Brian Yorkey
. The work will be based on an album he released many years ago concerning the loss of his father, growing up in Newcastle
and witnessing the passing of the shipbuilding
industry there. He admitted being scared of the prospect of pulling it all together but expressed confidence in it working out. This project has since been confirmed as the upcoming musical 'The Last Ship': set in Newcastle during the 1980's and featuring new material composed by Sting. Although the project is in it's early stages of development, playwright and collaborator Brian Yorkey confirmed Sting has already written a number of new songs for the project.
es. Sting, a committed environmentalist
, wanted to eliminate the amount of cardboard waste caused by the longbox. The original packaging was a fourfold cardboard case that could be modified to look like a longbox, and folded back into a jewel box
sized CD package for home storage. In Germany, the CD was only sold in jewel cases, as longboxes were not common there. The cover painting was a commissioned work by the Scottish artist Steven Campbell.
Until the release of Symphonicities
in July 2010, The Soul Cages was the only studio album by Sting not to feature a photograph of himself on the cover.
Some pressings erroneously list "Why Should I Cry For You" before "Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)". a part 2 of "Jeremiah Blues" has not yet been released.
Additional tracks
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It spawned four singles: "All This Time
All This Time (Sting song)
"All This Time" is a 1991 single by Sting. It was first released on Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages. The song was the first single from album....
", "Mad About You", "Why Should I Cry For You" and "The Soul Cages". The latter won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre...
.
Overview and concept
The Soul Cages is a concept albumConcept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
focused on the death of Sting's father. At the time, Sting had developed a writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
shortly after his father's death; the episode lasted several years, until Sting was able to overcome his affliction by dealing with the death of his father through music. The first song written for The Soul Cages was "Why Should I Cry for You", and Sting has stated the rest of the album flowed quite easily after that first hurdle was overcome. Most of the songs have motifs related to sailing or the seas (Sting's father, according to Sting's autobiography, Broken Music, had always regretted not becoming a sailor.) There are also references to Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, the part of England where Sting grew up.
Album opener "Island of Souls" tells the story of Billy, the first son in a family line of riveter
Rivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the buck-tail. On installation the rivet is placed in a punched or pre-drilled hole, and the tail is upset, or bucked A rivet...
s. As he watches the ships his father create set sail, Billy dreams of taking his father along with him to escape by sea; his dreams become more prevalent as his father is injured and given three weeks to live. "All This Time
All This Time (Sting song)
"All This Time" is a 1991 single by Sting. It was first released on Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages. The song was the first single from album....
" chronicles Billy's desire to bury his father at sea. The middle section of the record focuses mainly on the town Billy lives in and its people, before the highly introspective "Why Should I Cry For You". Musically, a mournful Northumbrian Pipe
Northumbrian smallpipes
The Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows-blown bagpipes from the North East of England.In a survey of the bagpipes in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University, the organologist Anthony Baines wrote: It is perhaps the most civilized of the bagpipes, making no attempt to go farther than the...
motif at the end of "Island of Souls" returns to open "The Wild Wild Sea", where Billy loses his way in a tempest only to find himself steered to safety by the spirit of his father. In another fantastical narrative on the album's eponymous track, Billy's father is being held captive by a demonic fisherman, with whom Billy wagers his life in a drinking game in a bid to set his father's soul free. Finally, the album ends with the moody, slightly-enigmatic "When The Angels Fall", which serves as a final thesis on the Catholicism which so heavily influenced Sting's upbringing; particularly regarding his father's spiritual beliefs. Musically, the song acts as a full stop for both the album’s content and Sting's own personal torment, with the song’s fluctuating tonality finally resolving to a firm and secure G major, marking a return to “home” (in this case, the home key of the earlier, conceptually significant, track “All This Time”) and providing an overwhelming sense of acceptance, redemption and subtle-nostalgia; beautifully realised in the album’s closing “lullaby” motif. The character of Billy is referred to in the third person for the first three songs and in the first person for the last three songs.
In an interview with Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
aired on December 10, 2010, Sting mentions that he is working on a "mood piece", a musical
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
project and book in collaboration with Pulitzer
Pulitzer
Pulitzer may refer to:* Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award* Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain* Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-profit organization for journalists- People :...
winner Brian Yorkey
Brian Yorkey
Brian Yorkey is an American playwright, lyricist, and theatre director. He shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score with composer Tom Kitt, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Next to Normal.A native of Issaquah,...
. The work will be based on an album he released many years ago concerning the loss of his father, growing up in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and witnessing the passing of the shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
industry there. He admitted being scared of the prospect of pulling it all together but expressed confidence in it working out. This project has since been confirmed as the upcoming musical 'The Last Ship': set in Newcastle during the 1980's and featuring new material composed by Sting. Although the project is in it's early stages of development, playwright and collaborator Brian Yorkey confirmed Sting has already written a number of new songs for the project.
Packaging
At the time this album appeared, the music industry was starting to shift away from using CD longboxLongbox
A longbox is a form of exterior paperboard packaging for musical compact discs in widespread use in the 1980s and early 1990s in North America.- Background :...
es. Sting, a committed environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
, wanted to eliminate the amount of cardboard waste caused by the longbox. The original packaging was a fourfold cardboard case that could be modified to look like a longbox, and folded back into a jewel box
CD and DVD packaging
Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical media. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage.- Jewel case:...
sized CD package for home storage. In Germany, the CD was only sold in jewel cases, as longboxes were not common there. The cover painting was a commissioned work by the Scottish artist Steven Campbell.
Until the release of Symphonicities
Symphonicities
Symphonicities is the tenth studio album by English musician Sting, released on 13 July 2010 on Deutsche Grammophon. The album is a companion piece to the tour of the same name, in which Sting, performing with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, reinterprets some of his songs as classical...
in July 2010, The Soul Cages was the only studio album by Sting not to feature a photograph of himself on the cover.
Track listing
All songs written by Sting.- "Island of Souls" – 6:41
- "All This TimeAll This Time (Sting song)"All This Time" is a 1991 single by Sting. It was first released on Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages. The song was the first single from album....
" – 4:54 - "Mad About You" – 3:53
- "Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)" – 4:46
- "Why Should I Cry For You" – 4:54
- "Saint Agnes and the Burning Train" – 2:43
- "The Wild Wild Sea" – 6:41
- "The Soul CagesThe Soul CagesThe Soul Cages is the third full length studio album released by Sting. Released in 1991, it became his second No. 1 album in the United Kingdom. It spawned four singles: "All This Time", "Mad About You", "Why Should I Cry For You" and "The Soul Cages"...
" – 5:52 - "When the Angels Fall" – 7:48
Some pressings erroneously list "Why Should I Cry For You" before "Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)". a part 2 of "Jeremiah Blues" has not yet been released.
Additional tracks
- "Vengo del sur" (Spanish Version of "Why Should I Cry For You")—Bonus track for Spanish edition
- "Muoio per te" (Italian Version of "Mad About You")—Bonus track for German and Italian edition
Credits
- Sting – vocals, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, SynclavierSynclavierThe Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Manu KatchéManu KatchéManu Katché is a French musician of Ivorian origin, born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés on 27 October 1958. He is a drummer and songwriter.-Career:Session musician...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Kenny KirklandKenny KirklandKenneth David “Kenny” Kirkland was an American pianist/keyboardist. He is most often associated with Sting, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Kenny Garrett....
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Dominic MillerDominic MillerDominic Miller is an Argentine-English guitarist who toured and recorded with World Party and King Swamp, worked on Phil Collins' solo album ...But Seriously and played guitar on every Sting album and tour since 1990...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Branford MarsalisBranford MarsalisBranford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Kathryn TickellKathryn TickellKathryn Tickell is an English player of the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle. She has recorded over a dozen albums, and toured widely.-Life and career:...
– Northumbrian smallpipe - Paola Paparelle – oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
- David SanciousDavid SanciousDavid Sancious is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on the 1992 album Human Touch. Sancious is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known as a keyboard player and...
– keyboards - Vinx – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Bill Summers – percussion
- Tony Vacca – percussion
- Skip Burney – percussion
- Ray CooperRay CooperRay Cooper is an English musician. He is a session and road-tour percussionist, and occasional actor, who has worked with several musically diverse bands and artists including George Harrison, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. Cooper is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow...
– percussion - Munyungo Jackson – percussion
- Hugh PadghamHugh PadghamHugh Padgham is a British record producer. He has won many awards, including four Grammys, with Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year. A 1992 poll in Mix magazine voted him one of the world's Top Ten Most Influential Producers....
– producer, engineer
Singles
- "All This TimeAll This Time (Sting song)"All This Time" is a 1991 single by Sting. It was first released on Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages. The song was the first single from album....
" (1991) – #5 US Hot 100, #1 US Mainstream Rock, #1 US Modern Rock, #9 US Adult Contemporary, #22 UK Singles Chart - "Mad About You" (1991) - #56 UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
- "Why Should I Cry For You" (1991)
- "The Soul Cages" (1991) – #7 US Mainstream Rock, #9 US Modern Rock, #57 UK Singles Chart
Chart positions
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
3 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 3 |
| Canadian Albums Chart RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
1 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 1 |
| French SNEP Albums Chart | 7 |
| German Media Control Albums Chart | 1 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 4 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 4 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
2 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 4 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
2 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1991) | Position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 26 |
| Canadian Albums Chart RPM Year-End RPM Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in Canada, based upon the RPM magazine charts during any given chart year.-RPM year-end number ones:... |
10 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 4 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 85 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 19 |
| UK Albums Chart | 82 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 46 |
Certifications
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