"Desert Rose" is a song co-authored by British musician Sting and Algerian songwriter Cheb Rabah (Rabah Zarradine), featuring Algerian raï singer Cheb Mami, from Sting's sixth solo studio album, Brand New Day (1999). According to Sting, the lyrics have to do with "lost love and longing".[2] Riding a wave of pre-9/11 interest in Latin and Arabic cultures,[3][4][5] "Desert Rose" peaked at No. 2 in Canada, No. 3 in Switzerland, No. 4 in Italy, No. 15 in the United Kingdom, and No. 17 in the United States.
"Desert Rose" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Sting featuring Cheb Mami | ||||
from the album Brand New Day | ||||
Released | 17 January 2000 | |||
Genre | Worldbeat | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Sting singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Desert Rose" on YouTube |
Brand New Day received moderate to positive reviews,[6][7][8] with one critic calling it "world-beat".[7] Sting took issue with the classification of Brand New Day as "world music", although he acknowledged the North African feel of "Desert Rose".[9] Reviewers noted that the "exotic"[10] song differed from the rest of the album,[6] and cited it as one of Brand New Day's highlights.[10]
The music video was directed by Paul Boyd,[11] and features Sting taking a trip through the Mojave Desert in a Jaguar S-Type driven by a masked female chauffeur while recording himself on a JVC GR-DVX4 video camera, and then going to a nightclub in Las Vegas to perform the song with Cheb Mami. Scenes also feature Sting walking alone in the desert holding the camera up. It ends with a shot of Sting with his eyes shut (possibly asleep) in the back seat of the Jaguar, which is then seen driving off into the distance. After shooting the video, Sting's manager Miles Copeland III approached a music licensing maven, Lloyd Simon,[citation needed] to work with Jaguar on a collaboration, and the auto company featured the video in their prominent television advertisements during the year 2000.[12]
Also included on the single releases were club remixes by Victor Calderone. One remixed version of the song was used in an alternative edit of the video, which included more sexually explicit footage.[citation needed] The song was later re-released on Sting's later album Duets.[13]
UK CD1 (497 240-2)
UK CD2 (497 241-2)
UK 12-inch (497 241-1)
US CD (0694973212)
Europe CD (497 233-2)
Weekly charts edit
|
Year-end charts edit
|
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 17 January 2000 |
|
A&M | [2][58] |
Japan | 9 February 2000 | CD | [59] | |
United States | 6 March 2000 | Hot adult contemporary radio | [60][61] | |
Japan | 1 May 2000 | CD | [62] | |
United States | 2 May 2000 | Contemporary hit radio | [63] |
Sultan cited the success of Sting's "Desert Rose," a 1999 song that climbed to No. 17 on the U.S. charts, as evidence that Western music was ready not only for a Latin influence, but also an Arabic one.
Prior to 9/11, Egyptian pop star Hakim and rai singer Khaled had been contracted to perform in the Desert Roses and Aravian Rhythms Festival [...] In the weeks before the terrorist strikes, the tour had been enjoying good ticket sales as a result of Sting's and Cheb Mami's 1999 hit song, 'Desert Rose,' which brought rai music to American audiences. After 9/11, the musicians decided to discontinue the tour.