Seven Days (Sting song)
"Seven Days" | ||||
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Single by Sting | ||||
from the album Ten Summoner's Tales | ||||
B-side | "January Stars" | |||
Released | 12 April 1993[1] | |||
Length |
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Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sting | |||
Producer(s) |
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Sting singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Seven Days" on YouTube |
"Seven Days" is a song by English singer-songwriter Sting, released on 12 April 1993 by A&M Records as the second single from his fourth studio album, Ten Summoner's Tales (1993). It was written by Sting and co-produced by him with Hugh Padgham. The song reached the top 30 in the UK and is noted for its quintuple meter time signature and drumming from Vinnie Colaiuta.
Background
For "Seven Days", Sting sought to build a song around a reggae-inspired beat in quintuple meter with chord changes akin to music from a Broadway show.[2] Sting stated that "Seven Days" was the first song he wrote in quintuple meter and that it "begged to be played with in a frivolous way."[3] He also reckoned that the song's time signature would challenge his backing band musically "by asking them to do things that aren't natural."[2]
The song was recorded in (5
8) time at a tempo of 184
The verses follow a chord progression of C6/9 – Eb6/9(#11) – Bb6/9 – G9 – F6/9, all of which are built around
Release
"Seven Days" is the sixth track on Ten Summoner's Tales and has a duration of 4 minutes and 40 seconds.
When asked about the decision to release "Seven Days" as a single, Sting explained that "My philosophy's always been to have a hit that's against the odds rather than designed to be a hit: something that sticks out like a sore thumb on the radio and is a hit because of that, rather than because it just obeyed all the rules. When I've had hits like that - "Russians" was a case in point - it's very satisfying."[3]
With the exception of the UK CD
Critical reception
Several publications gave particular attention to the song's lyrics. Rolling Stone depicted the song's premise as a
Track listing
- 7" single[14]
- "Seven Days" (radio edit) — 4:13
- "January Stars" — 3:50
- CD single[15]
- "Seven Days" (radio edit) — 4:13
- "January Stars" — 3:50
- "Mad About You" (live) — 5:31
- "Ain't No Sunshine" (live) — 5:06
- UK CD Digipak single[8]
- "Seven Days" (radio edit) — 4:13
- "Islands of Souls" (live) — 8:27
- "The Wild Wild Sea" (live) — 6:02
- "The Soul Cages" (live) — 6:17
Charts
Chart (1993) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] | 119 |
Europe ( Eurochart Hot 100)[17]
|
64 |
Europe (European Hit Radio)[18] | 33 |
25 |
References
- ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 10 April 1993. p. 21. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Sting Interview: ROCK WORLD (1993)". Sting.com. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Sting Interview: The Independent on Sunday (1994)". Sting.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Ley, Steve (7 November 2015). "Seven Days – Sting". Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ a b Rait, Matthew (May 2019). The Music of Sting (PhD thesis). York University. pp. 62–63, 88. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Modern Drummer 1993 - Vinnie Colaiuta". www.vinniecolaiuta.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ISBN 9781573567299. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Sting Discography - Seven Days, CD digipak". Sting.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- AllMusic. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ "Seven Days UK Chart History". Official Charts. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Ten Summoner's Tales". Sting.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ Moon, Tom (12 March 1993). "Ten Summoner's Tales". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 15 December 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ Violanti, Anthony (15 March 1993). "It's The Mysterious Sting, Playing A New Attitude". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ "Sting Discography - Seven Days, 7"". Sting.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Sting Discography - Seven Days, CD". Sting.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIAbetween mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 19. 8 May 1993. p. 23. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 21. 22 May 1993. p. 30. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 November 2023.