Sting Sings The Last Ship at Tony Awards: Back to His Working Class Roots (Video)

the last ship sting tony awards 2014

The legendary British singer songwriter Sting brought the house down at tonight’s Tony Awards when he sang The Last Ship.

It is the title song from his upcoming musical, and its message goes back to Sting’s English working class roots.

Sting himself told Rolling Stone earlier this month that he wanted the music to “reflect the traditional music of the northeast of England where I grew up”.

Coming from that area of the country myself, I can absolutely testify he has certainly succeeded.

Sting, of course, was born and raised in Wallsend in Tyne and Wear – an area of the country known for its now-defunct shipyards, and the men who worked in them.

The Last Ship itself tells the story of the collapse of the shipyard industry in Wallsend, and the disastrous affect that had on the working class people who lived in the area, and on the town they lived in.

People who had lived their whole lives around the shipping industry, and had very few options once that industry was gone:

Oh the roar of the chains and the cracking of timbers,
The noise at the end of the world in your ears,
As a mountain of steel makes its way to the sea,
And the last ship sails.

Tonight’s Tony Awards took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York. It was attended by a bevy of stars from the stage, screen and music worlds.

If you missed the 2014 Tony Awards, or you loved Sting singing The Last Ship, don’t worry, you can watch him (again) in the video below.

 

About Michelle Topham

I'm a Brit-American journalist, former radio DJ at 97X WOXY, and Founder/CEO of Leo Sigh. I'm also obsessed with music, anime, manga, and K-dramas. Help!