Desert Rose - Sting

Artist: Sting
Song: Desert Rose
Year: 1999
Album: Brand New Day

I think my attraction to Eastern music came from two places. The band Queen and Indian food. I won't go out of my way for world music, but I won't turn it off when I hear it. I feel the same way about Sting. I'm not a huge fan of his, nor am I a huge fan of the Police. I do like a lot of songs from both though.

I will on the other hand, step over your mother to get to some Indian food. I was introduced to that by an ex and I have loved it ever since. I was afraid of the unknown in that area. What stopped my fears? And Indian buffet. This way I could sample everything and not be committed to anything. I'll just say that I've loved just about everything that I've sampled, except for the foods that incorporated something that I didn't already like. Seafood and mushrooms come to mind.

Like most people, my first wide exposure of this song was through car commercials. I didn't think much of the song at first, but after hearing it a few times, it grew on me. Sting had an album that no one would listen to, so his manager licensed songs to commercials. The tactic worked and this album sold like hotcakes. It also proved to be a lucrative business model for Moby.

Now that I'm writing about these things, I have to alter a previous line slightly. My first exposure to Eastern music was through George Harrison. This made the entire music scene palatable from an early age. I enjoy hearing artists branch out a bit more from their normal comfort zone. It makes for some of the most interesting pieces of music.

Lyrics:
I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of fire
Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire
And in the flames
Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire

This desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

And as she turns
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
This fire burns
I realise that nothing's as it seems

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

I dream of rain
I lift my gaze to empty skies above
I close my eyes, this rare perfume
Is the sweet intoxication of her love

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

Sweet desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

Sweet desert rose
This memory of Eden haunts us all
This desert flower, this rare perfume
Is the sweet intoxication of the fall