Book Review: Lyrics by Sting

I'm a Police fan. I first learned to sing along and modulate my voice with Sting. I got to see them at the Staples Center this year with my sister and it was amazing. As an aspiring song writer, I love to read about different people's process for writing songs and lyrics. Sting goes through all the albums he's ever done and explains the origin of all his lyrics. Yelling at the sky as he rode home, or hearing a crow give him a lyric for "If I ever lose my faith". At times it feels like a book of poems (he was an english teacher) but you can see a strange beauty in these lyrics. He adds notes on some of the more interesing songs. For instance, what is the real story behind "Don't stand so close to me?" A song about a girl falling in love with her teacher (keep in mind he taught for a while) He made a note that it had no connection to real life. It's always about the song for Sting. Its feel, its mood and the message he wants to convey. For instance, "Every little thing she does is magic" was put in one of his more somber albums. "Fields of Gold" was written while he lived in a castle near barley fields. Very inspirational stuff. If you're a sting fan, you'll love it, if not, just read it to get into the mental process of a great song writer.