Desert Rose (Sting song)

"Desert Rose"
Single by Sting featuring Cheb Mami
from the album Brand New Day
ReleasedJanuary 2000
Recorded1999
GenreWorldbeat
Length
  • 4:45 (album version)
  • 3:55 (radio edit)
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)
  • Sting (English)
  • Cheb Rabah (Rabah Zerradine) (Arabic)[1]
Producer(s)
Sting singles chronology
"Brand New Day"
(1999) 		"Desert Rose"
(2000) 		"After the Rain Has Fallen"
(2000)
Music video
"Desert Rose" on YouTube

"Desert Rose" is a song co-authored by British musician Sting and Algerian songwriter Cheb Rabah (Rabah Zarradine), featuring Algerian raï singer Cheb Mami, from Sting's sixth solo studio album, Brand New Day (1999). According to Sting, the lyrics have to do with "lost love and longing".[2] Riding a wave of pre-9/11 interest in Latin and Arabic cultures,[3][4][5] "Desert Rose" peaked at No. 2 in Canada, No. 3 in Switzerland, No. 4 in Italy, No. 15 in the United Kingdom, and No. 17 in the United States.

Reception

Brand New Day received moderate to positive reviews,[6][7][8] with one critic calling it "world-beat".[7] Sting took issue with the classification of Brand New Day as "world music", although he acknowledged the North African feel of "Desert Rose".[9] Reviewers noted that the "exotic"[10] song differed from the rest of the album,[6] and cited it as one of Brand New Day's highlights.[10]

Music video

The music video was directed by Paul Boyd in October, 1999[11] and features Sting taking a trip through the Mojave Desert in a Jaguar S-Type driven by a masked female chauffeur while recording himself on a JVC GR-DVX4 video camera, and then going to a nightclub in Las Vegas to perform the song with Cheb Mami, a violinist and two DJs in front of a dancing crowd. Scenes also feature Sting walking alone in the desert holding the camera up and shots of the various patrons of the nightclub. It ends with a shot of Sting with his eyes shut (possibly asleep) in the back seat of the Jaguar, which is then seen driving off into the distance. After shooting the video, Sting's manager Miles Copeland III approached a music licensing maven, Lloyd Simon,[citation needed] to work with Jaguar on a collaboration, and the auto company featured the video in their prominent television advertisements during the year 2000.[12]

Remixes

Also included on the single releases were club remixes by Victor Calderone. One remixed version of the song was used in an alternative edit of the video, which included more sexually explicit footage.[citation needed] The song was later re-released on Sting's later album Duets.[13]

Track listings

UK CD1 (497 240-2)

  1. "Desert Rose (radio edit)" – 3:55
  2. "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" (live at the Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles) – 4:27
  3. "Fragile" (live at the Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles) – 4:10
  4. "Desert Rose" video (CD-ROM)

UK CD2 (497 241-2)

  1. "Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix radio edit)" – 4:47
  2. "Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix)" – 9:21
  3. "Desert Rose (Filter Dub Mix)" – 5:21
  4. "Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix)" video (CD-ROM)

UK 12-inch (497 241-1)

  1. "Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix)"
  2. "Desert Rose (Filter Dub Mix)"
  3. "Desert Rose" (original)

US CD (0694973212)

  1. "Desert Rose (radio edit)" – 3:54
  2. "Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix radio edit)" – 4:44
  3. "Brand New Day (Murlyn Extended Mix)" – 5:01
  4. "Brand New Day (Murlyn Radio Mix)" – 3:54

Europe CD (497 233-2)

  1. "Desert Rose (radio edit)" – 3:54
  2. "Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix)" – 9:20
  3. "Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix radio edit)" – 4:44
  4. "Brand New Day (Murlyn Mix)" – 5:01
  5. "Brand New Day" video (CD-ROM)

Charts

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Desert Rose"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom 17 January 2000
  • CD
  • cassette
 A&M [2][58]
Japan 9 February 2000 CD [59]
United States 6 March 2000 Hot adult contemporary radio [60][61]
Japan 1 May 2000 CD [62]
United States 2 May 2000 Contemporary hit radio [63]

References

  1. ^ "Rai star Cheb Mami fined 200,000 euros for plagiarism". 13 July 2015. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Sting Discography: Desert Rose, CD". sting.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  3. ^ Irwin, Dan (31 August 2008). "SULTAN RULES: Internationally known artist entertains crowd at Syrian picnic". New Castle News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014. Sultan cited the success of Sting's "Desert Rose," a 1999 song that climbed to No. 17 on the U.S. charts, as evidence that Western music was ready not only for a Latin influence, but also an Arabic one.
  4. ^ Benshoff, Harry (26 August 2011). America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 159. ISBN 9781444357592.
  5. ^ Karam, Nicoletta (2012). The 9/11 Backlash: A Decade of U.S. Hate Crimes Targeting the Innocent. Beatitude Press. p. 166. ISBN 9781478230953. Prior to 9/11, Egyptian pop star Hakim and rai singer Khaled had been contracted to perform in the Desert Roses and Aravian Rhythms Festival [...] In the weeks before the terrorist strikes, the tour had been enjoying good ticket sales as a result of Sting's and Cheb Mami's 1999 hit song, 'Desert Rose,' which brought rai music to American audiences. After 9/11, the musicians decided to discontinue the tour.
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