Sumner's Tales: Sting talks...

"I wanted to write about a card player, a gambler who gambles not to win but to try and figure out something, to figure out some kind of mystical logic in luck, or chance, some kind of scientific, almost religious law. So this guy's a philosopher, he's not playing for respect and he's not playing for money, he's just trying to figure out the law - there has to be some logic to it. He's a poker player so it's not easy for him to express his emotions, in fact he doesn't express anything, he has a mask, and it's just one mask and it never changes. That's good for a poker player but it's terrible for a lover. If you are having a relationship with a guy like that the poor woman is lost, so I tried to create a little story that the guy was searching with his gambling and at the same time losing his relationship. The derivation of playing cards are actually tarot cards, and they are thousands of years old, And the suits of the cards - diamonds mean money, clubs are weapons, spades are swords and the hearts are love - and I got more involved in this thing. The shape of the heart is not the shape of the human heart so there's a kind of conflict there between reality and fantasy."
'Ten Summoner's Tales' Promotional Interview Disc, '93

"I think that reticence about being able to express love is probably part of me, but also the idea of the interest of life beyond winning. I'm not sure I need to win anymore. I enjoy to play the game for other reasons."
Los Angeles Times, 5/93

"We all know that the shape of the heart on the playing card is not the actual dimensions of the human heart, and yet we gamble all the time as if things really are that neat and precise and familiar."
Billboard, 2/93

"One of the greatest harmonica players this century, Larry Adler, lives in London. He's played with Gerswhin, he's had symphonies written for him, he's a classical player. He was blacklisted by the McCarthy people in the late '40s, left the US to live in London and he's been there ever since. He's thriving. I invited him along to play on 'Shape Of My Heart' and he was fantastic. Great tone."
'Ten Summoner's Tales' Promotional Interview Disc, '93

"The card player in my song is more interested in the mystical aspect of luck rather than just winning money. It's his meditation, his spirituality. Winning is not important, playing the game is. ...It's me playing a game with my career: It's not about having hit records or Grammy nominations or making lots of money at all. It's really about playing the creative game. It's play - but it's serious play."
Miami Herald, 2/94

"Every song has a sort of punchline: it's what some people call 'the money' and it's just a question of recognising that. Then you build around it; you don't necessarily use it at the beginning or the end. 'Shape Of My Heart' was a case where the riff came first. Sting's skill was taking it where it went, the key change and how we got back: But I think it's à?mportant to recognise when you've stumbled across something and then it's down to the placement of that riff - those two chords or the melody or whatever."
Dominic Miller: Guitar Techniques, 10/99

"I don't listen to pop music. I don't know much about it. It's not designed for me, I'm not in the demographic. I've managed to sculpt a career that's very much singular. There's no role model for me. I'm making it up as I go along. I write about what concerns me and what excites me and what gives me pleasure. Craig David called me up and said, 'I've written a song based on your song, would you like to come and sing on it' Absolutely! I've got something to learn. He's a great singer. But they've also got things to learn from me. It's like there's a kind of trade-off. It's so wonderful to see someone young and fresh reinterpret your song, or use bits of your song to create another original piece of art. I also get paid. I got paid enough on the Craig David track to put two of my kids through college, so I'm not gonna say no! I think it's great!"
Daily Express, 10/2003

'Shape Of My Heart' appears on the 1993 album, 'Ten Summoner's Tales'. Co written with Dominic Miller, this wonderful track was chosen for a single release in the UK but sadly did not trouble the top 50. The track was a staple during the 1993/94 world tour, (Larry Adler guested at the London shows) and received an occasional play on the Japanese leg of the 'Brand New Day' tour. The track, featuring an extended guitar intro from Dominic Miller, was included in Luc Besson's movie 'Leon', but inexplicably, this version was not included on the movie's soundtrack album. A live version of the track, recorded in 1993 at Villa Manin, Italy, was issued on a US promo single of the song. A live version of 'Walking On The Moon' was included on all but one of the UK single releases, which as a group included a real mixed bag of tracks including a live version of Brel's 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' from 1988, further live tracks from the Dutch concert in 1991 plus the studio version of 'Fragilidad'.