"Be Still My Beating Heart" by Sting

Song#:  3376

Date:  01/16/1988

Debut:  64

Peak:  15

Weeks:  14

Genre:  Soft Rock

Pop Bits:  Sting got his third Pop Top 10 hit with "We'll Be Together," the lead track from his second solo album ...Nothing Like the Sun. To follow it up, this ballad was selected for release. Oddly, the track was only released in a few territories including the US while the second single in most countries was "Englishman in New York" (which would be the third single in the US). Whatever the reasons were for pushing this song out next in the US, it was a pretty good decision at the time as the song got to #2 at Rock while cracking the Pop Top 20. It also reached #37 at AC. The results were good enough to further sales of the album, which had just gone platinum at the end of '87.

ReduxReview:  Here's a Top 20 "hit" that I'm sure I haven't heard since it was originally released. How this song made it that far is a mystery. The dark and moody track played like a piece of Pink Floyd-ish prog rock so it was no surprise it did well at Rock. However, there was nothing about this tune that would indicate it could do well at Pop. I'm only guessing that Sting's popularity at the time along with a push from MTV might have helped it along. It's a good track with some jazzy influences along with shades of Sade. Still, it was a bizarre choice for a single. Sting lucked out and it ended up doing okay, but really, when was the last time you heard this played anywhere? Good album track, weird single.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  The opening track on ...Nothing Like the Sun was "The Lazarus Heart." From what I've read, the song may have been written for Sting's mother. Indeed, the whole album was dedicated to her as she had passed away from cancer in the summer of '87. However, the song was nearly used in a hit film. The original script for 1988 live-action/animated comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit? had the main character of Roger dying at the end. Then to finish off the film, Sting's "The Lazarus Heart" was going to be used. However, being a Disney-based film, the death of a lead character was pretty much a no-no. Roger was given a reprieve and survived in the film. Unfortunately, Sting's song did not and it got axed. Sting then kept the song for himself and included it on ...Nothing Like the Sun. Apparently, Sting was also considered for the villain role of Judge Doom, but it ultimately went to Christopher Lloyd. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? would go on to be a major box office hit. It would be nominated for six technical Oscars winning three.

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