Sting And Shaggy: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Watch Sting And Shaggy play "Englishman in New York", "Don&Make Me Wait" and "Shape of My Heart/Lucid Dreams" at the Tiny Desk. Follow NPR Music: July 10, 2019 | Josh Rogosin -- Sting and Shaggy might not be the most likely musical pairing. But one thing is certain, they love playing each other&music. On a bright autumn morning, the legends arrived at the NPR Music office bleary-eyed yet excited to play for the diverse staff of Shaggy and Sting fans. What surprised many of my NPR colleagues is just how well the collaboration works. Their success as a duo shouldn&come as a total shock. After all, pulsing through many Police songs (Sting&famed band of the &and &is a Reggae backbeat. It&impossible not to hear the influence in classics like "Walking On The Moon" and "So Lonely." Shaggy (zoinks! - his nom de guerre comes from the Scooby-Doo cartoon character) was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He moved to New York when he was 18 and his music evokes only good vibes. The positive energy he brought to their opening song, "Englishman [and Jamaican] In New York," had everyone in the room grinning ear to ear, "early morning Reggae style," as he put it. After the tune, Sting announced "I never sang that song before 8 PM... Ever!" Sting&familiar, raspy voice was accompanied by his battered 1957 Fender Precision bass he&plucked for over 25 years. His long-time guitarist and collaborator, Dominic Miller, strummed Reggae offbeats on acoustic guitar and co-wrote the hauntingly beautiful...