Ten Summoner's Tales

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Ten Summoner's Tales

Studio album by Sting
Released	March 9, 1993
Recorded	June - December 1992
Genre	Pop
Length	52:31
Label	A&M
Producer(s)	Hugh Padgham
Rolling Stone: (link) AllMusic.com: (link)
Sting chronology
The Soul Cages (1991)	Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)	Mercury Falling (1996)

Ten Summoner's Tales is the fourth solo studio album by the rock musician Sting. The title is a combined pun of his given name, Gordon Sumner, and Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales character, the summoner. Released in 1993, it features twelve tracks that seem to be loosely connected. It explores themes of love and morality in a noticeably upbeat mood compared to his previous release, the introspective The Soul Cages. Some of the songs, for example "Heavy Cloud, No Rain", are simply light hearted and almost comical.

The 1998 re-release includes a bonus Video track of "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You". Interestingly, it also features the song "Everybody Laughed But You", which wasn't part of the original 1993 release in the US and Canada, a fact that isn't mentioned on the official Sting website. The song did appear on the original release (UK, Europe, Japan etc), but was excluded from the US and Canadian versions in a decision made by A&M Records, not Sting himself. The instrumental track for "Everybody Laughed But You" was also used with an alternate lyric and released as "January Stars" on the "Seven Days" single.

A different version of "It's Probably Me" was featured in the opening titles of Lethal Weapon 3, featuring Eric Clapton. This issue is available as a single.

The cover of the album was photographed at Wardour Old Castle in Wiltshire, England, featuring Hrímnir, Icelandic horse who he owned for a period.

"Shape of my Heart" featured prominently at the end of the film Léon.

[edit] Track listing

"If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" (Sting) – 4:30
"Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" (Sting) – 5:11
"Fields Of Gold" (Sting) – 3:42
"Heavy Cloud No Rain" (Sting) – 3:39
"She's Too Good For Me" (Sting) – 2:30
"Seven Days" (Sting) – 4:40
"Saint Augustine In Hell" (Sting) – 5:05
"It's Probably Me" (Sting, Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen) – 4:57
"Everybody Laughed But You" (Sting) (Excluded from original Canada/US releases)[1]
"Shape Of My Heart" (Sting, Dominic Miller) – 4:38
"Something The Boy Said" (Sting) – 5:13
"Epilogue (Nothing 'Bout Me)" (Sting) – 3:39