New York: Englishman in New York

Sting: Englishman in New York

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I’ve always taken Englishman in New York as a humorous piece. Sting presents himself as the clichéd Englishman, jauntily strolling down Fifth Avenue, twirling his cane in an oh-so-dignified manner. By the time the song came out on Sting’s second solo album, he had already spent a great deal of time with the band of all American musicians he had assembled for his solo debut. Yes, they had teased him mercilessly about his Britishisms, but surely Sting had become more used to us by this time. So I think Sting had developed a sense of humor about the whole thing by this time, and I think that’s where this song came from.