Fragile (Sting Song)

"Fragile" is a song written and performed by English musician and singer-songwriter Sting from his second studio album, '' ...Nothing Like the Sun'' (1987). Released as a single the following year by A&M, it peaked at number 70 on the UK Singles Chart. Sung additionally in both Spanish and Portuguese under the titles "Fragilidad" and "Frágil", it appeared twice more on his 1988 EP variant of the album, ''Nada como el sol''. The Spanish version features as a B-side to " I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying".

Background

The song is a tribute to Ben Linder, an American civil engineer who was killed by the Contras in 1987 while working on a hydroelectric project in Nicaragua. In a 1994 interview with ''Miami Herald'', Sting said that the song's meaning "changes yearly. When I sing it now I think of Bosnia and Yugoslavia."

The guitars on "Fragile" were played by Sting. Dominic Miller remarked in a 1999 interview with ''Virtual Guitar Magazine'' that Sting was "quite proud of the fact that he played guitar on the recording". He said that Sting would bar him from playing guitar for live performances of "Fragile" in response to Miller incorrectly telling fans that he played guitar on the song. Instead, Miller was assigned to bass guitar for live renditions of "Fragile".

The song appeared in the 1995 Oscar-nominated documentary ''The Living Sea''. It was the first song performed in Sting's '' All This Time'' concert, recorded on the evening of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Sting also performed the song with cellist Yo Yo Ma during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. A version of the song with Julio Iglesias was included on Sting's '' Duets'' compilation album (2021).

Track listings

* UK 7-inch Single
# "Fragile"
# "Frágil" (Portuguese)

* Bolivian 7-inch Single
# "Fragil"
# "Si Estamos Juntos"

* UK CD Single / UK 12-inch Single
# "Fragile" – 3:45
# "Frágil" – 3:50
# "Frágilidad" – 3:52
# "Mariposa Libre" – 4:54

* Spanish 7-inch Single
# "Fragile" – 3:54
# "Frágil" (Portuguese) – 3:50

* European 7-inch Single
# "Fragile" – 3:54
# "Frágil" (Portuguese) – 3:50

* West German 12-inch Maxi Single / European CD Maxi Single
# "Fragile" – 3:54
# "Up From The Skies" – 10:06
# "Someone to Watch Over Me" – 4:32

* Uruguayan 7-inch Single
# "Fragile" (In Spanish) – 3:55
# "Conversation With A Dog" – 3:34

* Canadian 7-inch Single / US 7-inch Single / Japanese 3-inch CD Single / Japanese Promo 3-inch CD Single
# "Fragile" – 3:54
# "Fragilidad" (Spanish) – 3:52

* Portuguese 7-inch Single
# "Fragile" – 3:54
# "Frágil" (Portuguese) – 3:52

* US Promo 7-inch Single
# "Fragile" – 3:54
# "Fragile" – 3:54

* French 7-inch Single / French CD Single
# "Fragil" (Portugues) – 3:50
# "Mariposa Libre" – 4:54

* Spanish 7-inch Single
# "Fragilidad" – 3:52
# "Fragil" (Portugues) – 3:50

* Mexican 7-inch Promo Single
# "Fragilidad" – 3:52
# "Fragilidad" – 3:52

* French 12-inch Promo Single
# "Fragil" (Portugues) – 3:50
# "Fragil" (Portugues) – 3:50

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

Isaac Hayes recorded a funk cover that was released on his 1995 '' Branded'' album. The song stayed in the top 100 for two weeks.

Pianist Kenny Barron recorded a cover of "Fragile" on his album '' The Moment''. Barron re-recorded the song with Regina Carter for their 2001 album ''Freefall''.

It was covered by a children’s choir in the final scene of Episode 2 of the Netflix miniseries ''Adolescence''.

References

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1987 songs
1988 singles
A&M Records singles
Macaronic songs
Music videos directed by Dominic Sena
Songs written by Sting (musician)
Sting (musician) songs