Sting says these are his favourite songs of all time

Singer and songwriter Sting has been singing for 45 years now a rare feat in the industry. Starting his career in 1978 as part of the group The Police, the group shot to the top with four studio albums with the most famous one being Synchronicity in 1983.

The band was one of the few bands of that era that were able to blend elements of punk, classic rock, soul, jazz and reggae. The singer said that he also had an eclectic playlist of his own and told BBC Radio Two what his favourite songs were, one of them being Otis Redding’s soulful vocals.

“I think I was just 16 and Otis’s Redding had just died in a terrible plane crash. I went to my record store and bought ‘Dock of the Bay’ on the Stax label, a lovely blue label, there was a paper bag, and I took it out, put it on my turntable, the usual ritual, put the needle on it and I hear (imitates the song’s intro). What a wonderful song. I mean, sad, sad song but without any minor chords. It’s all major chords which is kind of an achievement in many ways.”

Sting also mentioned Bob Marley, Pet Shop Boys, Eurthymics and The Human League as well as Shaggy.

Speaking of Shaggy Sting said, “Sometimes you meet somebody and they might be very different from you, very different backgrounds, but you recognize a kindred spirit. Shaggy and I, we genuinely love each other. We laugh at the same jokes, I find him and intensively interesting artist. When he raps, he declaims like a Shakespearean act, it’s a beautiful voice. And he writes these, kind of, moral parables.

“It Wasn’t Me” kind of has a morality to it. We did it in a German church and I had to explain to the pastor what exactly the message was. I’m not sure how successful I was but it was very funny.”

That said here’s the list of Sting’s To 10 favourite songs of all time:

1.Otis Redding – (Sittin on) The Dock of the Bay

2.Procol Harum- A White Shade of Pale

3.Bob Marley & The Wailers- No Woman, No Cry

4.Gerry Rafferty- Baker Street

5.Pet Shop Boys- West End Girls