Andy York

Fields Of Gold
(Sting)

Sting, CBE (born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, activist, actor and philanthropist. Prior to starting his solo career, he was the principal songwriter, lead singer and bassist of the rock music band The Police. As a solo musician and member of The Police, Sting has received sixteen Grammy Awards for his work, receiving his first Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1981, and receiving an Oscar nomination for best song. He is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Sting wrote this song after he bought a house near a barley field. The sunsets and the colors of the field were an inspiration for the lyrics, along with his love at the time. The major theme in this is commitment. It is about a man who has broken promises before, but is determined make this relationship last. The story is chronological. It is about courtship, marriage, and eventual death. The two people in the song meet, court, fall in love (at this point, he reveals that he has never really made such a strong promise/commitment to someone) but feels he is ready to now. "See the children run," their offspring and the "jealous sky" refer to the Heavens. Even Heaven is jealous of their love/relationship. The esteemed sun is jealous. Eventually, he dies and tells his love that they will always remember their love specifically, when she thinks of him, he wants to be personified as such.

Sting started writing this on the guitar. He thinks his simple songs are often his best, and uses this as an example.
Sting's wife, Trudie Styler, considers this one of her favorites. It is from the album "Ten Summoners Tales", the title being a play on Sting's real name, Sumner, as well as a reference to the book 'The Canterbury Tales' written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1400s. In the book, people from different backgrounds each tell stories, including tales by a nun, a miller, a knight, and a summoner. A summoner was someone who summoned a person for the king or some formal function. Like the book, Sting thought the album was a collection of songs that told many different tales.