Sting & Shaggy with Race Taylor

Audacy Classic Hits

Sting and Shaggy join Race Taylor to talk about their new song, "Til A Mawnin."

Transcript

00:00Welcome to our Odyssey chat. My name is Race Taylor. We are in New York City at the Rockstar

00:08Suite, the Hard Rock Hotel high above Times Square. Our guests today to my immediate left

00:14are the iconic duo that we didn't know we needed until about 2018. Staying shaggy the

00:21last time we talked just before the Grammys at Madison Square Garden. I think that was

00:26the year that Bruno Mars won everything, James Corden was the host. It was in New York

00:31City for the, you know, the first time in a long time. Do you guys remember that night?

00:36I love it when the Grammys are in New York because I live here so I just, I can walk

00:40there. It's easy. Yeah. And usually walk back. It was a good night. We ended up doing, I

00:45have to party afterwards too. I don't, I don't remember the party. But it was, it was an

00:52amazing night and I believe it was then the following year that your album, 44876, we

00:59did Englishman and we did, we kind of flipped it as Jamaican in New York. It was the first

01:02time we did that. That's right. It's one of my favorites. Yeah. The way you flip that

01:06entire verse. So now the partnership is back after a few lean years. If you have not been

01:11paying attention, there was some side hustle where one of these gentlemen became the beloved

01:17space bunny on the mass singer. The other suspect from the Arconia and only murders

01:25in the building. Yeah. It's nice to know you've come out on the other side of that and you're

01:29back together. I don't think we actually had left to be honest. Of course not. Because

01:34we kept, we kept making music and kept collaborating, but I, you know, our schedules are so hectic.

01:41Right. And when we decide to come together, it's always hard to, you know, but you know,

01:45we manage. Well, your Yankee hat takes me to that project, uh, that happened a couple

01:50years ago with all the Sinatra songs, because I don't know if you're aware of this, but

01:54the Yankees are now going to play that's life after every game they lose. And I think we

01:59have a deal in that was the first thing I wonder if they'll do a reggae version just

02:04when they lose. I suppose. But yeah, because they play New York, New York, and they used

02:07to play it after every game. But now they're thinking we got to play something other than

02:12New York, New York. Yeah. And I think your version so joyful, it would be perfect. It's

02:18great. Put a smile on people's faces. On the subject of joy till the morning. Yeah. Brand

02:23new song on repeat at my house all weekend long. Thank you. Heard you perform it a couple

02:28different times. How did the idea begin? Well, Shaggy played the song to me and it immediately

02:35made me smile or the melodies is beautiful, but the vibe of it, it just gives, gives you

02:40a sense of joy. And boy, does the world need some joy at the moment. You know, there's

02:44so much unhappiness everywhere. People need that medicine. So listen to this song. It'll

02:50be, it's good for you. Where was the video recorded? I watched the video. I'm thinking

02:54I missed a crazy Eddie sale somewhere. I am seeing gear that I have not seen. Yes. And

02:59for ever. We were in Brooklyn, Brooklyn. Yeah. It was a soundstage and we did it. And I think

03:07the main thing we wanted to do, because it's such a tribute to the sound system era, uh,

03:11pick up the J wheel. We wanted to be as authentic as possible to get all of those old echo chambers

03:17and those old turntables and, and those tube amps and all of that, you know, in the massive

03:23speak because that's what all, you know, Jamaican sound system was, was built. That's how it

03:29was built back in the day. So to really grab that, uh, and to make it authentic was, was

03:34a huge movement. It's such an homage to that. And I can also tell, you know, the, the 45

03:40spinning on the photo phonograph, you didn't pick that up at urban outfitters over the weekend.

03:45Like that is, that is original gear, which is fantastic. Now, uh, I believe last year or a

03:53couple of years ago, there was a one fine day festival in Philadelphia, right? We're actually

03:57doing it again this year. We're doing it again next year. Yeah. And I think you have another

04:02gig together later this week. We're playing the reggae, uh, regularize regularize up in

04:08St. Peter's resort, Florida, Florida. Yeah. That is fantastic. If I could go to each of you

04:14individually for a couple of different things. And this, uh, question for sting, just because

04:19I'm going to try to use this conversation for the next nine months. Uh, I saw three ships,

04:26a Christmas thing you did for very special Christmas a long time ago. It might've been

04:31maybe the third version of this to raise money for special Olympics,

04:35just a beautiful Christmas, little one minute, 41 second thing. Do you remember

04:40anything about that session or the meaning of that song for you?

04:44Christmas Carol. It is. You can't see, you can't see ships in Bethlehem. No,

04:49it's not even a river there. No, no, not at all. I don't know quite what it's about,

04:53but it's a lovely, it is, it is stark. It is almost a little bit Renaissance.

04:59It is certainly the spirit of Christmas. It's a very old song. It is. So now as we

05:07look past this next week and the release of the new song, where does this summer see each of you

05:13respectively? I think we're both on tour separate separate tours. Yeah. Separately. Yeah. I think

05:19we're going to try and connect as much, you know, to do whatever promo we can when, whatever

05:24time permits, you know? Um, but he's got a very solid tour schedule and so I'm always looking at

05:32the corner of my eye in case he walks on stage at any point anywhere in the world. I've done a

05:38couple of pop-ups and you can do that without any warning. Yeah. So I'm always aware. I want

05:44to recommend a date at city field, maybe in August with another New Yorker, Billy Joel.

05:49That would be, that would be a huge night. I did think I did the first one with you

05:55in Florida. No, he'll be open. He'll be open to all of that. Fantastic. It was a good,

06:00it was a good night that night too. The new track is called till the morning. It is a

06:06beautiful melody. It is instantly recognizable and it is filled with the joy we all so badly need

06:13right now. Our guests sting and shaggy. Listen for the track. Find us for more

06:19online at odyssey.com. Thank you for joining us in the heart of New York city. Thank you.

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