The Soul Cages

The Soul Cages is the third full-length studio album released by English musician Sting. Released on 21 January 1991[13] it became Sting's second No. 1 album in the United Kingdom.[14] This was Sting's first album to feature guitarist Dominic Miller, who would become a regular collaborator.

For other uses, see Soul Cages (disambiguation).

The Soul Cages
Studio album by
Sting
Released21 January 1991
RecordedApril – November 1990
StudioStudio Guillaume Tell (Paris, France);
Villa Salviati (Migliarino, Italy).
GenrePop rock[1]
Length48:11
Label
ProducerHugh Padgham
Sting chronology
Nada como el sol
(1988)		 The Soul Cages
(1991)		 Ten Summoner's Tales
(1993)
Singles from The Soul Cages
  1. "All This Time"
    Released: 31 December 1990[2]
  2. "Mad About You"
    Released: 1 March 1991[3]
  3. "The Soul Cages"
    Released: 22 April 1991[4]
  4. "Why Should I Cry for You"
    Released: 21 May 1991
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Chicago Tribune[6]
Robert Christgau(dud)[7]
Entertainment WeeklyC[8]
Los Angeles Times[9]
NME4/10[10]
Orlando Sentinel[11]
The Windsor StarB[12]

It spawned four singles: "All This Time", "Mad About You", "The Soul Cages", and "Why Should I Cry for You?". Both "All This Time" and "Why Should I Cry for You?" were included on Sting’s 1994 compilation album Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994. The title track won the first Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1992.[15]

Since 2009, the song "Saint Agnes and the Burning Train" has been used as the character theme song for Running Man's Lee Kwang-soo.[16][17]

On 15 January 2021, Sting released an expanded version of The Soul Cages to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Along with the original 9 tracks, this new edition includes 13 bonus tracks that consist of remixes, extended mixes, and a pair of songs sung in Spanish and Italian incarnations.[18]

Concept

The Soul Cages is a concept album focused on the death of Sting's father.[19] Sting had developed a writer's block shortly after his father's death in 1987; the episode lasted several years, until he was able to overcome his affliction by dealing with the death of his father through music.[20] The single, "Why Should I Cry for You", was written for The Soul Cages in 1989, and Sting has said that the rest of the album flowed quite easily after that first hurdle was overcome. Most of the songs have motifs related to sailing or the seas; Sting wrote in his autobiography, Broken Music, that his father had always regretted not becoming a sailor. There are also references to Newcastle, the part of England where Sting grew up.[19]

"I lived next to a shipyard when I was young and it was a very powerful image of this huge ship towering above the house. Tapping into that was a godsend – I began with that and the album just flowed." — Sting[20]

In an interview with Charlie Rose aired on 10 December 2010, Sting mentioned that he was working on a "mood piece", a musical project and book in collaboration with Pulitzer winner Brian Yorkey. The work would be based on an album he released many years ago concerning the loss of his father, growing up in Newcastle and witnessing the passing of the shipbuilding industry there. He admitted being scared of the prospect of pulling it all together but expressed confidence in it working out. This project has since been confirmed as the musical The Last Ship.[21]

Packaging

At the time this album appeared, the music industry was starting to shift away from using CD longboxes. Sting, a committed environmentalist, wanted to eliminate the amount of cardboard waste caused by the longbox. The original packaging was a fourfold cardboard case that could be modified to look like a longbox, and folded back into a jewel box sized CD package for home storage. In Germany, the CD was sold in jewel cases as well as longboxes. The cover painting was a commissioned work by the Scottish artist Steven Campbell.

Until the release of Symphonicities in July 2010, The Soul Cages was the only studio album by Sting not to feature a photograph of himself on the front cover, although he does appear on the back cover of both albums.

Track listing

All songs written by Sting, except "Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)" and "The Wild Wild Sea" written with Dominic Miller.

Side one

  1. "Island of Souls" – 6:41
  2. "All This Time" – 4:54
  3. "Mad About You" – 3:53
  4. "Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)" – 4:54
  5. "Why Should I Cry for You" – 4:46

Side two

  1. "Saint Agnes and the Burning Train" – 2:43
  2. "The Wild Wild Sea" – 6:41
  3. "The Soul Cages" – 5:51
  4. "When the Angels Fall" – 7:48

Personnel

Musicians

Production
  • Produced by Sting and Hugh Padgham; QSound production assisted by Brian Cowieson and Scott Willing
  • Recorded and mixed by Hugh Padgham; Assisted by Simon Osbourne, Yves Jaget, Bruce Keene, Al Stone, Brian Scheuble and Efren Herrera
  • Technical assistant to Sting – Danny Quatrochi
  • Mastered by Bob Ludwig
  • Mixed at The Town House (London, England) and A&M Studios (Hollywood, California)
  • Mastered at Masterdisk (New York City, New York)
  • Design – Richard Frankel and Len Peltier
  • Front cover painting and inside illustrations by Steven Campbell
  • Photographs of Sting by Guzman
  • All songs published by Magnetic Publishing, Ltd/Blue Turtle Music

Singles
  • "All This Time" (1991) – No. 5 US Hot 100, No. 1 US Mainstream Rock, No. 1 US Modern Rock, No. 9 US Adult Contemporary, No. 22 UK Singles Chart
  • "Mad About You" (1991) – No. 56 UK Singles Chart[14]
  • "Why Should I Cry For You" (1991)
  • "The Soul Cages" (1991) – No. 7 US Mainstream Rock, No. 9 US Modern Rock, No. 57 UK Singles Chart

Charts

Certifications and sales
Certifications and sales for The Soul Cages
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[45] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[46] Gold 40,000[46]
Canada (Music Canada)[47] Platinum 100,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[48] Gold 26,040[48]
France (SNEP)[49] Platinum 300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[50] Platinum 500,000^
Italy — 500,000[51]
Japan (RIAJ)[52] Gold 185,820[53]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[54] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[55] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[56] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[57] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
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  4. "New Singles". Music Week. 20 April 1991. p. 23.
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  9. Willman, Chris (20 January 1991). "Sting "The Soul Cages"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  10. Mulvey, John (26 January 1991). "Long Play". NME. p. 32. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  11. Gettelman, Parry (1 February 1991). "Sting". Orlando Sentinel.
  12. Shaw, Ted (26 January 1991). "Record Review". The Windsor Star.
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  15. "34th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
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