| "Fields of Gold" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bySting | ||||
| from the albumTen Summoner's Tales | ||||
| Released | 7 June 1993 (1993-06-07) | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 3:42 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter | Sting | |||
| Producers |
| |||
| Sting singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Fields of Gold" onYouTube | ||||
"Fields of Gold" is a song written and performed by English musicianSting. It first appeared on his fourth studio album,Ten Summoner's Tales (1993). The song, co-produced by Sting withHugh Padgham, was released as a single on 7 June 1993 byA&M Records, reachingNo. 16 on theUK Singles Chart and No. 23 on the USBillboard Hot 100. The song also reached No. 2 in Canada and No. 6 in Iceland. In 1994, it was awarded one ofBMI's Pop Songs Awards.[2] The accompanying music video for the song was directed byKevin Godley, featuring Sting as a gold silhouette.
"Fields of Gold" and all the other tracks on the album were recorded atLake House inWiltshire, mixed at The Townhouse Studio, London, England and mastered at Masterdisk, New York City. Theharmonica solo is played byBrendan Power,[citation needed] and theNorthumbrian smallpipes are played byKathryn Tickell at the end of verses one and three.[3]
Hugh Padgham, who co-produced the song, recalled that he placed particular attention on keeping the guitar part, including which strings to use for thechord voicings and simplifying the arrangement by discarding guitar tracks.[4]
The cover of the single was photographed by Kevin Westenberg.[5] InLyrics By Sting, the singer described the view from his 16th-century Wiltshire manor house:
In England, our house is surrounded by barley fields, and in the summer it's fascinating to watch the wind moving over the shimmering surface, like waves on an ocean of gold. There's something inherently sexy about the sight, something primal, as if the wind were making love to the barley. Lovers have made promises here, I'm sure, their bonds strengthened by the comforting cycle of the seasons.[6]
In a retrospective review,Stephen Thomas Erlewine fromAllMusic called "Fields of Gold" a "peacefulballad", and said that it ranks as a classic.[7]Larry Flick fromBillboard magazine described it as a "deeply alluring ballad with atmosphere to burn." He added, "Impeccably produced, it features a strong seductive vocal (and nice harmonica strains) fromSting, as well as lovely harplike acoustic guitar figures from band mateDominic Miller. Among the most distinctive and beguiling songs the man has written, it's sure to earn a powerful multiformat reception, and thereby steal a few million hearts."[8] IrishBray People viewed it as "moody but ultimately likeable".[9] David Bowling from theDaily Vault named it one of the "brilliant pop songs of the 1990s." He stated that it remains "the perfect ballad. It is a wistful love song looking back on love gained."[1]
In his weekly UK chart commentary,James Masterton wrote, "For a man who is normally considered an albums artist this is an achievement indeed, a third hit in a row from his latestalbum, and all of themTop 20 hits."[10] Alan Jones fromMusic Week gave "Fields of Gold" a score of four out of five and named it Pick of the Week, calling it a "lilting, haunting, soothing, almostfolky song". He added that "the uncluttered arrangement and intimate vocals are excellent".[11] In a 2015 review, Pop Rescue commented, "This song is so wonderfully mellow, and flows so perfectly, that it’s near impossible to find fault with it."[12]Andrew Collins fromSelect felt the album was at its best with songs like "Fields of Gold", saying it was "massaging the menopause".[13] In an interview at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts,Paul McCartney stated that "Fields of Gold" was a song he wished he'd written himself.[14]
The music video for "Fields of Gold" was directed by British singer, songwriter, musician and music video directorKevin Godley and released on 7 June 1993. It was shot over one week in motion control and produced by Iain Brown for Medialab.[15] The video features a gold silhouette of Sting singing the song while walking through a dark village at night containing common features seen throughout the UK such as ared telephone box and a redpillar box. Scenes also feature Sting singing the song while bathed in blue and gold light. The silhouette of Sting is shown as such that the background inside him exactly matches the background of the surrounding village, only the version inside of him is bright and bustling with people, while the version outside is dark and dead. The video ends with the camera going into the silhouette and Sting's clothing disappearing, showing a final shot of the village at daylight and with various people. It was later made available onYouTube in 2011 and had generated more than 100 million views as of November 2023.
"Fields of Gold" was the second single released from the album after "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" in North America and the third single in some European countries and Australia after "Seven Days". The single reached No. 16 on theUK Singles Chart,[16] No. 23 on theBillboard Hot 100[17] and No. 2 on the CanadianRPM Top Singles chart.[18] It was also a hit in Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland and many other countries. "Fields of Gold" was awarded one ofBMI's Pop Songs Awards in 1994, honoring the songwriters, composers and music publishers of the song.[2]
The song was included in Sting's first compilations album issued under the titleFields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994 and released in 1994 and in a later compilationThe Very Best of Sting & The Police in 1997. It was re-recorded by Sting in 2006 as a bonus track for his classical albumSongs from the Labyrinth, in which the song was accompanied entirely by alute.
Many musical artists have covered the song. American singer and guitaristEva Cassidy recorded a version that first appeared on her 1996 live albumLive at Blues Alley, then later on her albumsSongbird (1998) andThe Best of Eva Cassidy (2012). Cassidy's version charted in Sweden and the Netherlands in 2008 and 2013, respectively. British-Georgian singerKatie Melua, a fan of Cassidy,[19] recorded a version that was released as theBBC Children in Need single for 2017;[20] her version peaked at No. 29 on the UK Singles Chart.
In 2022,Drew and Ellie Holcomb recorded a version for their albumComing Home: A Collection of Songs.[21][importance?]
Weekly charts[edit]Sting version
Eva Cassidy version
Katie Melua version
| Year-end charts[edit]Sting version
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[49] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[50] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[51] sales since 2009 | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[52] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[53] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[54] sales since 2005, Cassidy version | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 7 June 1993 |
| A&M | [55] |
| United Kingdom |
| [56] | ||
| Japan | 10 June 1993 | Mini-CD | [57] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
