Mercury Falling

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Mercury Falling
Mercuryfalling.jpg
Studio album by
Sting
Released8 March 1996[1]
Recorded1995
StudioLake House, Steerpike Studio
GenreRock, pop
Length52:24
LabelA&M
ProducerSting, Hugh Padgham
Sting chronology
Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994
(1994) 		Mercury Falling
(1996) 		Brand New Day
(1999)
Singles from Mercury Falling
  1. "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot"
    Released: 19 February 1996 [2]
  2. "You Still Touch Me"
    Released: April 1996
  3. "I Was Brought to My Senses"
    Released: September 1996
  4. "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying"
    Released: 8 October 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic2.5/5 stars[3]
Chicago Tribune2/4 stars[4]
Entertainment Weekly(A−)[5]
Houston Chronicle3/5 stars[7]
Los Angeles Times3.5/4 stars[6]
Robert Christgau(dud)[8]
Rolling Stone3/5 stars[9]

Mercury Falling is the fifth studio album by Sting, released in 1996. The album begins and ends with the words "mercury falling".

In 1997, the album earned Sting two Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot".

Songs[]

The track "Twenty Five to Midnight" was excluded from the American and Canadian releases. It was included in the CD-Maxi Single of "You Still Touch Me", as the 4th track.[10] "Valparaiso" was used during the closing credits of the 1996 film White Squall.

Track listing[]

All songs written by Sting except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Hounds of Winter" 5:27
2."I Hung My Head" 4:40
3."Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" 6:41
4."I Was Brought to My Senses" 5:48
5."You Still Touch Me" 3:46
6."I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" 3:56
7."All Four Seasons" 4:28
8."Twenty Five to Midnight" (Excluded from original Canada/US releases) 4:09
9."La Belle Dame Sans Regrets"Sting, Dominic Miller5:17
10."Valparaiso" 5:27
11."Lithium Sunset" 2:38

B-sides[]

  1. "Lullaby to an Anxious Child"
  2. "Giacomo's Blues"
  3. "Beneath a Desert Moon"
  4. "Moonlight"
  5. "This Was Never Meant to Be"
  6. "The Pirate's Bride"
  7. "The Bed's Too Big without You"

Personnel[]

Production[]

  • Sting – producer
  • Hugh Padgham – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Simon Osborne – engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering[11]
  • Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine) – mastering location
  • Danny Quatrochi – personal technical assistant
  • Jeri Heiden – art direction, design
  • William Claxton – photography
  • Fabrizio Ferri – photography
  • Miles Copeland III – management
  • Kim Turner – management

Accolades[]

Grammy Awards[]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1997
[12]		 Mercury Falling Best Pop Vocal Album Nominated
"Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Nominated

Charts[]

Certifications and sales[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[42] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[43] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[44] Platinum 100,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[45] Gold 24,617[45]
Germany (BVMI)[46] Gold 250,000^
Italy — 210,000[47]
Japan (RIAJ)[48] Gold 193,600[38]
Latvia (LaMPA)[49][unreliable source?] Gold  
Netherlands (NVPI)[50] Gold 50,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[51] Gold 20,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[52] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[53] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[55] Platinum 1,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[56] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

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  2. ^ "Sting singles".
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  4. ^ Kot, Greg (14 March 1996). "Dour Delivery". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  5. ^ Scherman, Tony (15 March 1996). "Mercury Falling Review". ew.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  6. ^ Hilburn, Robert (10 March 1996). "Sting Rises to New Level of Accessibility". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  7. ^ Westbrook, Bruce (10 March 1996). "Feeling Sting without the pain". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  8. ^ Robert Christgau review
  9. ^ Elysa Gardner (2 February 1998). "Mercury Falling | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  10. ^ "Mercury falling releases".
  11. ^ Mercury Falling (booklet). Sting. Hollywood: A&M Records. 1996. p. 9.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Kot, Greg (8 January 1997). "Pumpkins A Smash With 7 Grammy Nominations". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
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External links[]

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