They Dance Alone
Encyclopedia
"They Dance Alone" is a protest song composed by English musician Sting and published first on the 1987 album ...Nothing Like the Sun
. The song is a metaphor referring to mourning Chilean women (arpilleristas) who dancing the Cueca
, the national dance of Chile, alone with photographs of their disappeared loved ones in their hands. Sting explained his song as a symbolic gesture of protest against the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet
whose regime killed thousands of people between 1973 and 1990. This song was written in an English version (with some spoken Spanish words) and a Spanish version titled "Ellas Danzan Solas" which was released on the EP Nada como el sol
.
Sting was accompanied by Mark Knopfler
(guitar) and Ruben Blades
(background vocals and guitar).
There are several live versions of this song, most notable from the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
(1988), from an Amnesty International
concert (1988) in Buenos Aires
with Peter Gabriel
and the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and from the From Chile... An Embrace To Hope concert in Santiago de Chile (with artists including Sting, Jackson Browne, Wynton Marsalis, Sinead O'Connor, Peter Gabriel, and New Kids on the Block) on 13 October 1990 where more than 20 Chilean women came on to the stage with photos of their lost husbands and sons in their hands or pinned in their clothing.
and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra
(Instrumental Version) (1987) from the album Jose Feliciano and Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Richie Havens
(1994) from the album Cuts to the Chase, Bob Belden Ensemble
(Instrumental Version) (1989) from the album Straight to My Heart: The Music of Sting, Mark Hall
from the album Acoustic Moods of Sting, the London Symphony Orchestra
(1994) from the album Performs the Music of Sting, Lynn McDonald (2007) from the album It's High Time, Holly Near
& Mercedes Sosa
(English/Spanish Version) (1990) from the album Singer in the Storm, Mariano Yanani (2005) from the album Babies go Sting, and Joan Baez
(Spanish Version) (1989) from the album Diamonds & Rust in the Bullring.
...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 song is a metaphor referring to mourning Chilean women (arpilleristas) who dancing the Cueca
Cueca
Cueca is a family of musical styles and associated dances from Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina. In Chile, the cueca holds the status of national dance, where it was officially selected on September 18, 1979.- Origins :...
, the national dance of Chile, alone with photographs of their disappeared loved ones in their hands. Sting explained his song as a symbolic gesture of protest against the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
whose regime killed thousands of people between 1973 and 1990. This song was written in an English version (with some spoken Spanish words) and a Spanish version titled "Ellas Danzan Solas" which was released on the EP Nada como el sol
Nada Como el Sol
...Nada como el sol is an EP released by Sting, containing five tracks from the album ...Nothing Like the Sun performed in Spanish and Portuguese.-Track listing:# Mariposa Libre – 4:54# Frágil [Portuguese] – 3:50...
.
Sting was accompanied by Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
(guitar) and Ruben Blades
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres...
(background vocals and guitar).
There are several live versions of this song, most notable from the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute was a popular-music concert staged on June 11, 1988 at Wembley Stadium, London and broadcast to 67 countries and an audience of 600 million. It was also referred to as Freedomfest, Free Nelson Mandela Concert and Mandela Day...
(1988), from an Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
concert (1988) in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
with Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
and the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and from the From Chile... An Embrace To Hope concert in Santiago de Chile (with artists including Sting, Jackson Browne, Wynton Marsalis, Sinead O'Connor, Peter Gabriel, and New Kids on the Block) on 13 October 1990 where more than 20 Chilean women came on to the stage with photos of their lost husbands and sons in their hands or pinned in their clothing.
Cover versions
Jose FelicianoJosé Feliciano
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
-History:In 1900, Ferdinand Löwe founded the orchestra as the Wiener Concertverein . In 1913 it moved into the Konzerthaus, Vienna. In 1919 it merged with the Tonkünstler Orchestra. In 1933 it acquired its current name...
(Instrumental Version) (1987) from the album Jose Feliciano and Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
(1994) from the album Cuts to the Chase, Bob Belden Ensemble
Bob Belden
James Robert Belden is an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader and producer. He is noted for his Grammy Award winning jazz orchestral recording titled The Black Dahlia. He is also a past head of A & R for Blue Note Records.Belden was born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in...
(Instrumental Version) (1989) from the album Straight to My Heart: The Music of Sting, Mark Hall
Mark Hall (musician)
Mark Hall, Jr. is the lead vocalist for the Georgia-based Christian rock group Casting Crowns, a seven-member group made up of all youth pastors.-Early childhood:...
from the album Acoustic Moods of Sting, the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
(1994) from the album Performs the Music of Sting, Lynn McDonald (2007) from the album It's High Time, Holly Near
Holly Near
Holly Near is an American singer-songwriter, actress, teacher, and activist for social change.-Early years:...
& Mercedes Sosa
Mercedes Sosa
Haydée Mercedes Sosa, known as La Negra, was an Argentine singer who was popular throughout South America and some countries outside the continent. With her roots in Argentine folk music, Sosa became one of the preeminent exponents of nueva canción. She gave voice to songs written by both...
(English/Spanish Version) (1990) from the album Singer in the Storm, Mariano Yanani (2005) from the album Babies go Sting, and Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
(Spanish Version) (1989) from the album Diamonds & Rust in the Bullring.
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | German Single Charts Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
66 |
| 1988 | Dutch Single Charts MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
27 |