I don’t know if Sting qualifies as a guilty pleasure, but I find myself a little embarrassed to post one of his songs.
I think a lot of people dislike Sting because of his music, while I generally like his music but dislike him for his personality.
His solo career from the mid-80s to early 90s was rock solid, not to mention his best work with The Police. After that it was pretty much all downhill. He certainly didn’t do himself any favors with that lute album.
But I confess to loving most of Ten Summoner’s Tales, even if it represents the height of safe adult contemporary schlock to many of my contemporaries. I see that criticism of Brand New Day but this one strikes me as different.
There were no doubts in our minds
We set our eyes to the distance
We would find what we would find
We took courage from our numbers
What we sought we did not fear
Sometimes we’d glimpse a shadow falling
The shadow would disappear
But our thoughts kept returning
To something the boy said
As we turned to go
He said you’ll never see our faces again
You’ll be food for a carrion crow
Every step we took today
Our thoughts would always stray
From the wind on the moor so wild
To the words of the captain’s child
Something the boy said
In the circles we made with our fires
We talked of the pale afternoon
The clouds were like dark riders
Flying on the face of the moon
We spoke our fears to the captain
And asked what his son could know
For we would never have marched so far
To be food for a crow
Every step we took today
Our thoughts would always stray
From the wind on the moor so wild
To the words of the captain’s child
Something the boy said
When I awoke this morning
The sun’s eye was red as blood
The stench of burning corpses
Faces in the mud
Am I dead or am I living?
I’m too afraid to care, I’m too afraid to know
I’m too afraid to look behind me
At the feast of the crow
We spoke our fears to the captain
And asked what his son could know
For we would never have marched so far
To be food for a crow
Meet Me In Montauk 
I have no guilt whatsoever. And I don’t really see why he would be the musical punch line for anything. That kind of treatment should be reserved for the Neil Diamonds of the music industry, not the artist who led one of the most original powerhouse rock bands of the 80’s and then went from reggae to jazz joining up with incredible artists upon going solo.
Now, this doesn’t mean that I have followed Sting down every musical path the way I have with the likes of Costello or Folds, nor have I liked/loved all that he has done, but anytime Sting pops up on the radio or in my random iTunes playlist, I am reminded of just how good he is and how wonderful that voice is to hear.
I totally agree with Dana; also he has gone down the classical lane as well, and I think that’s just amazing. I never tire of listening to most of his music.