Songs from the Labyrinth
Studio album by
Sting
Released10 October 2006
GenreClassical, Renaissance music
Length48:27
LabelDeutsche Grammophon
0007220-02
ProducerSting, Edin Karamazov
Sting chronology
Sacred Love
(2003) 		Songs from the Labyrinth
(2006) 		If on a Winter's Night...
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Entertainment WeeklyC+ [2]
Now [3]
Rolling Stone [4]

Songs from the Labyrinth is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter Sting. On this album, he collaborates with Bosnian lutenist Edin Karamazov. The album features music by John Dowland (1563–1626), a lutenist and songwriter. It entered the UK Official Albums Chart at #24[5] and reached #25 on the Billboard 200, strong charting peaks for a classical record on the pop album charts. The release was a slow seller for a Sting album, his first since 1986's Bring on the Night to fail to break the UK top 10.[6]

The album was released and re-released in several versions: LP vinyl and CD editions with 23 tracks, a CD/DVD edition with 8 tracks on the CD and a DVD documentary, The Journey and the Labyrinth (released in both "CD size" and "DVD size" packaging), and a CD re-release with 26 tracks (including live versions of Sting's own "Fields of Gold" and "Message in a Bottle", originally recorded with The Police). In late August 2013, a "Dowland Anniversary Edition" was released, which includes 32 tracks on one CD (the full original album, six live versions of album tracks and Sting's non-Dowland live songs), as well as a DVD with the original documentary.[7]

Track listing

For the original CD program, the music was that of the 16th century British composer John Dowland, except for "Have You Seen the Bright Lily Grow", a song by Dowland's contemporary Robert Johnson. The 2008 re-release adds two live recordings of Sting-penned songs performed on lutes, as well as a live recording, in the same style, of "Hellhound on My Trail" by another Robert Johnson - the Delta blues musician, and an alternate version of "Have You Seen the Bright Lily Grow". The latter is omitted from the 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition" of the album, which, however, includes all of the live recordings. The track list includes readings from a letter by Dowland to Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury. The lyrics to many of Dowland's songs are anonymous.

  1. "Walsingham" – 0:38 [instrumental]
  2. "Can She Excuse My Wrongs" [lyrics attributed to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex] – 2:35
  3. "Ryght Honorable..." – 0:40 [letter to Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury]
  4. "Flow My Tears (Lachrimae)" – 4:42
  5. "Have You Seen the Bright Lily Grow" – 2:35 [lyrics: Ben Jonson, music: Robert Johnson]
  6. "...Then in Time Passing On..." – 0:32 [continuation of letter]
  7. "The Battle Galliard" – 3:01
  8. "The Lowest Trees Have Tops" [lyrics by Sir Edward Dyer] – 2:16
  9. "... And Accordinge as I Desired Ther Cam a Letter..." – 0:55 [continuation of letter]
  10. "Fine Knacks for Ladies" – 1:50
  11. "...From Thence I Went to Landgrave of Hessen..." – 0:24 [continuation of letter]
  12. "Fantasy" – 2:42
  13. "Come, Heavy Sleep" – 3:46
  14. "Forlorn Hope Fancy" – 3:08
  15. "...And from Thence I Had Great Desire to See Italy..." – 0:28 [continuation of letter]
  16. "Come Again" – 2:56
  17. "Wilt Thou Unkind Thus Reave Me" – 2:40
  18. "...After My Departures I Caled to Mynde..." – 0:30 [continuation of letter]
  19. "Weep You No More, Sad Fountains" – 2:38
  20. "My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home" – 1:34
  21. "Clear or Cloudy" – 2:47
  22. "...Men Say That the Kinge of Spain..." – 1:01 [continuation of letter]
  23. "In Darkness Let Me Dwell" – 4:12
  24. "Flow My Tears [live at St Luke Old Street - bonus track on 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition"]
  25. "The Lowest Trees Have Tops" [live at St Luke Old Street - bonus track on 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition"]
  26. "Fantasy" [Edin Karamazov solo, live at St Luke Old Street - bonus track on 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition"]
  27. "Come Again" [live at St Luke Old Street - bonus track on 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition"]
  28. "Have You Seen the Bright Lily Grow" [live at St Luke Old Street - bonus track on 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition"]
  29. "In Darkness Let Me Dwell" [live at St Luke Old Street - bonus track on 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition"]
  30. "Hellhound on My Trail" [ Robert Johnson ] [live at St Luke Old Street - bonus track on re-release and on 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition"]
  31. "Fields of Gold" – 3:34 [Sting] [live at St Luke Old Street - bonus track on re-release and on 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition"]
  32. "Message in a Bottle" – 5:40 [Sting] [live at St Luke Old Street - bonus track on re-release and on 2013 "Dowland Anniversary Edition"]

Related live album and documentary

Main article: The Journey and the Labyrinth

Disc 1: CD

  1. "Flow My Tears (Lachrimae)"
  2. "The Lowest Trees Have Tops"
  3. "Fantasy"
  4. "Come Again"
  5. "Have You Seen the Bright Lily Grow"
  6. "In Darkness Let Me Dwell"
  7. "Hell Hound on My Trail" [a Robert Johnson cover]
  8. "Message in a Bottle" [written by Sting; originally recorded by the Police]

Disc 2: DVD Documentary with rehearsal and concert footage. The "tracks" listed below are the DVD chapter stops.

  1. "Come Again"
  2. Project Origin
  3. "Can She Excuse My Wrongs"
  4. The Lute and the Labyrinth
  5. "The Lowest Trees Have Tops"
  6. "Flow My Tears"
  7. Dowland's Exile
  8. "Clear or Cloudy"
  9. Political Intrigue
  10. "Have You Seen The Bright Lily Grow"
  11. "Weep You No More Sad Fountains"
  12. "Le Rossignol"
  13. Religion
  14. Sting and the Lute
  15. "Come, Heavy Sleep"
  16. "In Darkness Let Me Dwell"

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart performance for Songs from the Labyrinth
Chart (2006–07) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[8] 40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] 16
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[10] 38
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 39
French Albums (SNEP)[12] 20
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 11
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[14] 32
Italian Albums (FIMI)[15] 7
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[16] 7
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[17] 28
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 36
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[19] 50
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 30
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 31
US Billboard 200[22] 25
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[23] 25
US Top Classical Albums (Billboard)[24] 1
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[25] 25
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[26] 11
US Top Traditional Classical Albums (Billboard)[27] 1
Chart (2006) Peak
Position
UK Album Charts[6] 24
Billboard Comprehensive Albums 25
European Top 100 Albums 12
Top Internet Albums 6
Top Digital Albums 9

Certifications

Sales certifications for Songs from the Labyrinth
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[28] Gold 100,000^
Italy (FIMI)[29] Gold 40,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[30] Gold 10,000*
Russia (NFPF)[31] Gold 10,000*
United States — 268,000[32]

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

References

  1. ^ Songs from the Labyrinth at AllMusic
  2. ^ Collis, Clark (13 October 2006). "Songs from the Labyrinth Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. ^ Bromstein, Elizabeth (16–23 November 2006). "Disc Guide : Pop / Rock (Sting: Songs From The Labyrinth)". Now. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  4. ^ Hunter, James (30 October 2006). "Songs From The Labyrinth". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  5. ^ UK Albums Chart for the week of 21 October 2006, The Official Charts.
  6. ^ a b Sting in the UK Charts, The Official Charts.
  7. ^ "Songs from the Labyrinth: Dowland Anniversary Edition" on amazon.co.uk
  8. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Lescharts.com – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2006. 41. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  20. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Sting and Edin Karamazov – Songs From The Labyrinth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  22. ^ "Sting Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Sting Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Sting Chart History (Top Classical Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  25. ^ "Sting Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  26. ^ "Sting Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Sting Chart History (Top Traditional Classical Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  28. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sting; 'Songs From The Labyrinth')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Spettacolo – La musica di Sting strega Milano". TGCOM (in Italian). Mediaset Italia. 14 December 2006. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2006 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  31. ^ "Russian album certifications" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF).
  32. ^ Brown, Harley (13 April 2015). "Cherrytree's Fruitful Decade: How Martin Kierszenbaum Brought in Feist, Wrote with Gaga and Shaped the Company". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
Categories