Writer: Sting
Producers: Hugh Padgham and Sting
Recorded: Summer 1990 at Studio Guillaume Tell in Paris, France, and Villa Salviati in Migliarino, Italy
Released: January 1991
| Players: | Sting–vocals, bass, mandolin Dominic Miller–guitar Kenny Kirkland–keyboards Branford Marsalis–saxophone Manu Katche–drums |
| Album: | The Soul Cages (A&M, 1991) |
The songs on Sting's third solo studio album, The Soul Cages, were inspired by his father's death from cancer the year prior to its release. “All This Time” makes direct reference to this, with Sting singing, “If I had my way I'd take a boat from the river and I'd bury the old man… at sea.”
Despite its dour subject matter, the ringing, melodically upbeat “All This Time” was a hit, reaching Number Four on the Billboard Hot 100 and Number 22 on the U.K. chart.
In retrospect, Sting's manager Miles Copeland said that acknowledging the downcast nature of the album was “a big mistake, and we couldn't correct it. If we hadn't said it was introspective, it would have been better received because there are actually a lot of 'up' songs on there.”
The Soul Cages reached Number Two on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum, but did not live up to the multi-platinum mark set by its two predecessors, 1985's The Dream Of The Blue Turtles and 1987's …Nothing Like The Sun.
In the U.K., however, the album debuted at Number One.
