"Fragile"
Single by Sting
from the album ...Nothing Like the Sun
Released1 April 1988 (UK) [1]
Recorded1987
GenreAcoustic rock, jazz
Length3:54
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Sting
Producer(s)Sting
Sting singles chronology
"Englishman in New York"
(1988)		 "Fragile"
(1988)		 "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)"
(1988)

"Fragile" is a song written and performed by English musician Sting from his second studio album, ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987). Released as a single the following year by A&M, it placed to 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".

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.[2]

"Fragile" was the opening song in Sting's ...All This Time concert, recorded on the evening of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Sting performed the song with cellist Yo Yo Ma during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The song appears in the 1995 Oscar-nominated documentary The Living Sea.[3]

A version of the song with Julio Iglesias was included in Sting's Duets compilation album (2021).

Critical reception

Neil Taylor from NME wrote, "Well, 'Fragile' falls into the 'El Conda Pasa' group of songs with lots of strings and semi-acoustic guitar, so I suppose that someone somewhere considered it suitably romantic to render the song in three tongues. I hope this wasn't Sting's decision. As it is he is underrated but he does come over as a somewhat precious hombre. Fragile—quite a good word to sum up Sting."[4]

Track listings

Charts

References

  1. ↑ "Sting singles".
  2. ↑ "> Discography > Fragile, CD". Sting.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  3. ↑ The Living Sea: Soundtrack from the Imax film
  4. ↑ Taylor, Neil (2 April 1988). "Singles". NME. p. 12. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Sting – Fragile" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Sting – Fragile" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Sting – Fragile". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 23, 1988" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Sting – Fragile" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Lista Przebojów Programu 3" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Sting – Fragile". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sting – Fragile" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1988". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1988". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "Podsumowanie roku 1988 na LP3" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
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