'Never thought it would be relevant again': Sting revisits his song 'Russians' for Ukraine
Mar 06, 2022
London [UK], March 6 : British musician Sting recently had to reach deep into his back catalogue and return to a 1985 song that he hoped would no longer be needed more than 30 years later.
Taking to his Instagram handle the singing superstar posted a new clip of himself singing his 1985 song titled 'Russians'. "I've only rarely sung this song in the many years since it was written because I never thought it would be relevant again," the 70-year-old told fans in a video.
He added, "But, in the light of one man's bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbour, the song is, once again, a plea for our common humanity."
Sting concluded by saying, "For the brave Ukrainians fighting against this brutal tyranny and also the many Russians who are protesting this outrage -- despite the threat of arrest and imprisonment - We, all of us, love our children. Stop the war.
This live version of the song, the Insta link of which he also shared on Twitter, was recorded along with cellist Ramiro Belgardt. The social media post's caption included an address to send supplies to Ukrainian refugees in Poland as well as information hotlines and a link to Help Ukraine.
According to US Weekly, this song was first released as a single from 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles', his first solo album after breaking away from his band, The Police. It was among his highest-charting songs in the first decade of his solo career.
Sting, who has been married to wife Trudie Styler since 1992, had written the song amid the Cold War, which didn't end until 1991.
The musician said in the 2007 book 'Lyrics by Sting 'that he'd been inspired while with a friend at Columbia University who had access to a computer that intercepted a Soviet TV signal, and he was taken aback by the wholesome nature of a children's program, as per US Weekly.
