Tea in the Sahara

The lyrics of "Tea in the Sahara" were inspired by the Paul Bowles book The Sheltering Sky. The first section of that book is called "Tea in the Sahara". In it, the character Port is told a story in which three sisters wait for a prince to join them for tea in the Sahara Desert, but the prince never returns. Sting was a fan of the novel, and based the lyrics of the song on the story. Guitarist Andy Summers, who claimed to have been the one who gave Sting The Sheltering Sky, used a special technique in recording his guitar part for the song, involving turning the guitar up to near-feedback levels and "wobbling" it. Despite Sting's affection for the song, he has since said that the track was too fast. He said in 1993, "I've always loved the song. There's so much space in it. But I think we played it too fast on the album and live." ==Critical reception==

In his review for Rolling Stone Stephen Holden characterised "Tea in the Sahara" as "Synchronicity moodiest, most tantalizing song", calling it an "aural mirage that brings back the birdcalls and jungle sounds of earlier songs as whispering, ghostly instrumental voices." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that the song was "hypnotic in its measured, melancholy choruses." Ultimate Classic Rock critic Mike Duquette described the song as "a fable about broken promises". ==Live version==

In addition to its studio release on Synchronicity, a live version of "Tea in the Sahara" from the Synchronicity Tour, was released as the B-side to "King of Pain" in Britain and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" in America. This version also appeared on Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings. This version of "Tea in the Sahara" was not the only live release of the track. A version from Sting's first solo tour can be found on his live album, Bring on the Night, while a version from a Sting MTV Unplugged session appeared on the 1993 "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" CD single. ==Personnel==

• Sting – lead vocals, bass guitar, oboe • Andy Summers – guitar • Stewart Copeland – drums ==References==