In the 80s, songwriter and The Police frontman Sting went through a very public divorce from his first wife, Frances Tomelty. He would later marry her best friend, Trudie Styler, in 1992, with whom he had an affair. Here are a few songs that were inspired by his first marriage and divorce.
“Every Breath You Take” by The Police
Although many people see this song as a romantic ballad about being overwatched by the one you love, Sting has many times refuted that theory.
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This song was written during a time when the singer was trying to escape the aftermath of his divorce and public scrutiny. He was staying in Jamaica and woke up one night with the idea for this song in his head.
“I think it’s a nasty little song, really rather evil,” he said of this song in 1983. “It’s about jealousy and surveillance and ownership.”
“King Of Pain” by Sting
This one was also written while Sting was in Jamaica to “try and pull [himself] together.” It was a moment with his current wife, Styler, that inspired “King Of Pain”. Styler was also with him in Jamaica, as he told Musician, when he noticed that there was a little black spot on the sun. He thought that was kind of poetic.
“I turned to Trudie. ‘There’s a little black spot on the sun today.’ She waited expectantly, not really indulging my mood but tolerant. ‘That’s my soul up there,’ I added gratuitously. Trudie discreetly raised her eyes to the heavens. ‘There he goes again, the king of pain.’”
This song sounds like it’s about Sting internally.
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running ’round my brain
I guess I’m always hoping that you’ll end this reign
But it’s my destiny to be the king of pain.
“Fortress Around Your Heart” by The Police
The lyrics of this song, which appears on Sting’s debut solo album, Dream Of The Blue Turtles, describe a relationship that has been through battles, metaphorically speaking.
‘Fortress’ is about appeasement, about trying to bridge the gaps between individuals,” Sting explained to Musician. “The central image is a minefield that you’ve laid around this other person to try and protect them. Then you realize that you have to walk back through it. I think it’s one of the best choruses I’ve ever written.”
Photo by: Jack Cusano/Toronto Star via Getty Images
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