Englishman in New York
Encyclopedia
"Englishman in New York" is a song by Sting, from his 1987 album ...Nothing Like the Sun
. The "Englishman" in question is the famous eccentric Quentin Crisp
. Sting wrote the song not long after Crisp moved from London to an apartment in New York's Bowery
. Crisp had remarked jokingly to the musician "...that he looked forward to receiving his naturalization papers so that he could commit a crime and not be deported."
The song was released as a single in 1988, but only reached #51 on the UK Singles Chart
. In the US, "Englishman in New York" peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in April 1988. The song reached #32 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart that same month. Branford Marsalis
played soprano saxophone
on the track and Manu Katche
the percussions. In 1990, just prior to the release of his third studio album The Soul Cages
, Sting's record label licensed Dutch DJ and producer Ben Liebrand
to remix "Englishman in New York" and subsequently release it as a single. The remix played around with the introduction and some of the instrumentation, but the essence of the song remained the same. The new version was commercially successful, reaching number 15 in the UK charts in mid-1990.
The video was directed by David L. Fincher
, and featured scenes of Sting and his band in New York, as well as the elusive Crisp. At the end of the video, after the song fades, an elderly male voice says: "If I have an ambition other than a desire to be a chronic invalid, it would be to meet everybody in the world before I die... and I'm not doing badly."
The song was used in the mid-1990s by Rover Cars in the UK, in a television advert for the Rover 200.
The sequel to the Crisp biographical film The Naked Civil Servant
is titled An Englishman in New York
after the song.
...Nothing Like the Sun
…Nothing Like the Sun is a 1987 album by Sting. The title comes from Shakespeare's Sonnet #130 , which Sting used in the song "Sister Moon"...
. The "Englishman" in question is the famous eccentric Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :...
. Sting wrote the song not long after Crisp moved from London to an apartment in New York's Bowery
Bowery, Manhattan
Bowery , commonly called "the Bowery," is a street and a small neighborhood in the southern portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan...
. Crisp had remarked jokingly to the musician "...that he looked forward to receiving his naturalization papers so that he could commit a crime and not be deported."
The song was released as a single in 1988, but only reached #51 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. In the US, "Englishman in New York" peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in April 1988. The song reached #32 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart that same month. Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...
played soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
on the track and Manu Katche
Manu Katché
Manu Katché is a French musician of Ivorian origin, born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés on 27 October 1958. He is a drummer and songwriter.-Career:Session musician...
the percussions. In 1990, just prior to the release of his third studio album The Soul Cages
The Soul Cages
The Soul Cages is the third full length studio album released by Sting. Released in 1991, it became his second No. 1 album in the United Kingdom. It spawned four singles: "All This Time", "Mad About You", "Why Should I Cry For You" and "The Soul Cages"...
, Sting's record label licensed Dutch DJ and producer Ben Liebrand
Ben Liebrand
Ben Liebrand is a dance music DJ. He has produced artists such as Forrest and MC Miker G & DJ Sven and remixed tracks by artists such as Salt N Pepa, Sting, TLC, Fun Fun, Tavares, Bill Withers, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Rick Astley, SWV and Phil Collins...
to remix "Englishman in New York" and subsequently release it as a single. The remix played around with the introduction and some of the instrumentation, but the essence of the song remained the same. The new version was commercially successful, reaching number 15 in the UK charts in mid-1990.
The video was directed by David L. Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
, and featured scenes of Sting and his band in New York, as well as the elusive Crisp. At the end of the video, after the song fades, an elderly male voice says: "If I have an ambition other than a desire to be a chronic invalid, it would be to meet everybody in the world before I die... and I'm not doing badly."
The song was used in the mid-1990s by Rover Cars in the UK, in a television advert for the Rover 200.
The sequel to the Crisp biographical film The Naked Civil Servant
The Naked Civil Servant
The Naked Civil Servant is the title of two biographical works, both based on the life of Quentin Crisp:*The Naked Civil Servant is Crisp's 1968 autobiographical book...
is titled An Englishman in New York
An Englishman in New York (film)
An Englishman in New York is a 2009 biographical drama film that chronicles the English gay writer Quentin Crisp's later years spent in New York City. It is a follow-up to the 1975 TV movie The Naked Civil Servant with John Hurt reprising his role as Crisp...
after the song.
Cover versions
- Max BMax BCharly Wingate , better known as Max B, is an American rapper and songwriter from Harlem and is known for his original rap style of mumbled delivery, catchy sing-song choruses & hooks, and his energetic personality in interviews and videos.In 2009, Max B began serving a 75-year prison sentence for...
sampled this song in "Goon Music (We Run New York)" - The band Loose Ties performed Englishman in New York at the 1992 Telluride Bluegrass FestivalTelluride Bluegrass FestivalTelluride Bluegrass Festival is held annually in Telluride, Colorado by . Although traditionally the festival focuses on bluegrass music, it often features music from a variety of genres. In 1974, its first year, it attracted 1000 participants. Currently the festival's attendance is capped at 10,000...
in Colorado. It's available on the album: 1992 Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Vol 1. - ShineheadShineheadShinehead is an English-born Jamaican reggae singer/toaster/rapper.-Career:He began his music career by performing for different New York reggae dancehall sound systems in the 1980s, most notably Tony Screw's Downbeat The Ruler, based in The Bronx.His recording debut was in 1986 on the African...
made a cover version of the song called Jamaican in New York in 1992, its video parodying the original. - K-pop group Roo'raRoo'raRoo'ra is Korean hip hop and dance group from 1994-2001. Its name is abbreviation of Roots of Reggae.Many of the groups albums were the top selling of their time in Korea, with their debut album selling over 280000 copies. As well they also hold the title for first setting the record of one million...
made a cover version called Koreana in New York in their second album; 날개 잃은 천사 (Angel Without Wings). - The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
sampled the song in their recording Union, featured on their 2005 album Monkey BusinessMonkey Business (album)-Track listing:Notes*"My Humps" contains a hidden track "So Real".*"Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" includes a hidden track "Change".Sample Notes*"Pump It" samples "Misirlou" by Dick Dale....
, which included a guest appearance by Sting singing new lyrics. A music video was made for the song. - Filipino rockPinoy rockPinoy rock, or Filipino rock, is the brand of rock music produced in the Philippines or by Filipinos. It has become as diverse as the rock music genre itself, and bands adopting this style are now further classified under more specific genres or combinations of genres like alternative rock,...
band BambooBamboo (band)Bamboo was a Filipino alternative rock supergroup founded in 2002 by Francisco "Bamboo" Mañalac, Ira Cruz, Nathan Azarcon and Vic Mercado.-Band origin:...
also recorded a cover of this song for their album We Stand Alone TogetherWe Stand Alone TogetherWe Stand Alone Together is the third album of the Filipino rock band Bamboo and also their first cover album. The first disc contains 8 tracks plus 1 hidden song, 3 of which are Tagalog songs. The songs "Tatsulok" and "Probinsyana" have been released as singles and have become instant hits on local...
where it is featured as a hidden track. - RazorlightRazorlightRazorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
have contributed a cover of this song for BBC Radio One's Radio 1. Established 1967 CD - German comedian Otto WaalkesOtto WaalkesOtto Gerhard Waalkes is a Frisian comedian and actor. He became famous in the 1970s and 1980s in Germany with his shows, books and movies. His perhaps most famous trademark are the 'Ottifanten' , elephant-like comic characters of his own design...
recorded a cover of this song and called it "Friesenjung". The lyrics are about his life in EmdenEmdenEmden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia; in 2006, the city had a total population of 51,692.-History:...
, East FrisiaEast FrisiaEast Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
. - Davide EspositoDavide EspositoDavide Esposito is an Italian singer and songwriter from Naples. He grew up in the 80’s listening to Lucio Dalla and Lucio Battisti .He started learning piano when he was a child....
covered the song on his album Amore Eterno, as "Un italien à Paris" ("An Italian in Paris") with Italian and French lyrics. - The Turkish band Dolapdere Big Gang covered the song on their album Local Strangers in 2006.
- Tiken Jah FakolyTiken Jah FakolyTiken Jah Fakoly is a reggae singer from Côte d'Ivoire.Tiken Jah was born into a family of griots and christened Doumbia Moussa Fakoly on June 23, 1968 in Odienné, north-western Côte d'Ivoire. He discovered reggae at an early age, assembling his first group, Djelys, in 1987...
covered the song on his 2007 album L'Africain, as Africain à Paris (African in Paris), with French lyrics. - Omid DjaliliOmid DjaliliOmid Djalili is a British Iranian stand-up comedian, actor, television producer and writer.-Personal life:Djalili was born in Chelsea, London to Iranian Bahá'í parents and is a Bahá'í himself...
used the song to promote his 2007 BBC1 show, The Omid Djalili ShowThe Omid Djalili ShowThe Omid Djalili Show was a British sketch comedy/stand-up comedy television show produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC One. Writing by Omid Djalili, Will Smith, Roger Drew, Ian Stone, Ricky Grover with script editor Steve Punt...
, the title becoming An Iranian in UK and the lyrics reflecting British Iranian culture. - Masao Taneura recorded a cover of the song called 関西人 in Tokyo (KansaiKansaiThe or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
jin in TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
) in 2007, with Kansai Japanese lyrics. - TanghettoTanghettoTanghetto is a musical group based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and one of the most important on the neo tango scene.The style of Tanghetto is a blend of tango and electronic music. Formed in 2001 by producer and composer/songwriter Max Masri . Then Max Masri asked guitarist and composer Diego S...
, the neo tangoTango musicTango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
band from Argentina released in March 2008 an instrumental version of the song on their album El Miedo a la LibertadEl Miedo a la LibertadEl Miedo a la Libertad is the second studio by Buenos Aires-based electronic neo-tango band Tanghetto, or the third, considering that their side project Hybrid Tango is in fact part of their official discography, as well as part of their regular live repertoire...
, with the vocal part replaced by a bandoneonBandoneónThe bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
, and keeping the reggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
elements of the original in the arrangements. - Michael Wilkins, A Scouser in New York from Bolton FM 96.5 radio did a cover version for the intro of his segment beginning in February 2010.
- Canadian comedy duo Bowser and BlueBowser and BlueGeorge Bowser and Rick Blue, better known as Bowser and Blue, are a musical duo from Quebec, Canada who write and perform comedic songs...
perform a similar song, "Anglophone In Quebec", satirizing the trials and tribulations of a native-English speaker living among the predominantly French-speaking citizens of QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The melody is identical to the original. - Jazz pianist Eric ReedEric Reed (musician)Eric Scott Reed, , in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American jazz pianist and composer.His group Black Note released several albums in the 1990s.-Biography:...
recorded a spacious, laid-back instrumental version on his cd, Manhattan Melodies, released in '99 on Verve Records. - Jazz trumpeter Arturo SandovalArturo SandovalArturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in the newest renamed Artemisa Province, Cuba....
recorded a version for his 1999 album Americana. - Canadian rapper Kardinal OffishallKardinal OffishallJason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
performs an interpolation of the song's chorus, in his 2008 song, "Ill Eagle Alien". - Spanish band Che SudakaChe SudakaChe Sudaka is a six-piece band, composed of South Americans resident in Barcelona.- Music :The group play "mestizaje music" , a style combining traditional South American and Spanish styles with influences from ska, reggae, rock and world music...
covered the song as "Sin papeles", with Spanish lyrics. - Fans of English football team Arsenal FC sing an adapted version of the song in support of Theo WalcottTheo WalcottTheo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...
, with the words "Woah, Theo Walcott, Theo, Theo Walcott; he's an Englishman at Arsenal," referring to the fact that Walcott was the only Englishman in their first team. - Former Fulham FC player Moritz VolzMoritz VolzMoritz Volz is a German footballer currently playing for German Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli.Volz generally prefers to play at right-back, although he is comfortable at any defensive position and has played in midfield as well.-Early career:Volz started his career in his native Germany at FC...
recorded a cover version which you can hear on his website. It features the lyrics "Ja ja, he is an alien; a humorous WestphaliaWestphaliaWestphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
n, he's a German man in West London." - Japanese singer Haruka ShimotsukiHaruka Shimotsukiis a Japanese singer and dōjin music composer known for her vocal themes in the Atelier Iris and Ar tonelico series. She also wrote the lyrics and sang the ending themes to the two seasons of Rozen Maiden as well as the OVA under the name Kukui, with Myu. Shimotsuki's original music mainly consists...
performed a cover of the song on an album called "SoulS" - German rappers Pint, Dikan and S.T. Pain perform an interpolation of the song's chorus, in their 2009 song, "Wir sind Aliens".
- Swedish humour group Rally recorded a version about a finnFinnFinn is commonly used to refer to a member of the Finn ethnic group or a citizen of Finland.a name* Finn , a Frisian King, who appears in Beowulf and The Fight at Finnsburg...
living in Gothenburg; "Finne i Göteborg". - Sampled by Washed OutWashed OutWashed Out is the stage name of the American chillwave musician Ernest Greene .-Career:In June 2009, Greene graduated with a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina and was unable to find a job as a librarian...
for the song "Belong" - Greek artist Sotis VolanisSotis VolanisSotis Volanis is a Greek pop folk singer, that made a significant success during the year 2002.Sotis Volanis, was born in Akrolimni, Central Macedonia to Romani parents. After his major debut, his fame slowly declined...
made a cover of the song in 2010 under the title "Eksogiinos" - German DJ PH Electro performed the remix of the song in 2010
- In Nigeria, Ese Agesse performed a radio-popular parody called "Bendel Girl in Lagos" in the 1990s
- German a cappella band Wise GuysWise Guys (band)The Wise Guys are a band that began in early 1990 in Cologne, Germany. They are an a cappella group.-History of the Group:Apart from Ferenc Husta and Nils Olfert, the members all attended the Hildegard-von-Bingen-Gymnasium in Cologne from 1981 to 1990. With their schoolmates Clemens Tewinkel and...
performed a version called "Kölsche Jung in New York", of which the (adapted) lyrics are written in the Kölsch dialect. - Venezuelan band King ChangóKing ChangóKing Changó is a Latin ska band from New York City, New York with roots in Venezuela. Its name comes from Changó, the Afro-Cuban god of war.King Changó is back; check .- Members :* José Andrés Blanco, Blanquito Man -...
covered the song as "Venezuelan In new York", with Spanish lyrics.
External links
- http://www.ascouserinnewyork.com