"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Sting, released on 1 February 1993 as the lead single from his fourth studio album, Ten Summoner's Tales (1993). The song reached number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top 40 in several European countries. In Canada, the song reached number one, spending three weeks atop the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart and finishing 1993 as Canada's fourth-most-successful single.
In 1994, the song won Sting a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, while it was also nominated for both Record of the Year and for Song of the Year. It has been included on all of Sting's compilation albums since its release, namely Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 and The Very Best of Sting & The Police.
Composition
The song, in the key of A major, is played in swing time. According to Sting, the song was written on the piano, and contains a flattened fifth in the song's intro, which he says was banned in the churches due to its dissonant sound:
The "You" in the song's title is not identified by Sting, as he explained he felt it was important not to point out what it is specifically so that the listeners could connect more with the song:
Critical reception
Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song three out of five, writing, "Less gloomy and more immediate commercial than some of his solo material, though it won't hit the high numbers."
After the dark vision presented on "The Soul Cages", Sting wanted to "make a pop record in the truest sense." "I loved making it. I had to make it, just as I had to make the last one," the intense, autobiographical "Soul Cages." "Being on the rebound from that very dark record, this time I wanted to make one for the fun of it, the craft of it - to engage the band musically."
Sting was amazed by how popular the song became. "I got a prize for this. It was the most played record on American radio in 1993, which kind of surprised me," said Sting. "But I suppose it captured a mood. We've lost faith in a lot of institutions, our government, our churches – most things. And yet we still maintain a sense of hope about the future."
Track listings
UK CD1
"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" "All This Time" (unplugged) "Mad About You" (unplugged) "Every Breath You Take" (unplugged)
UK CD2
"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" "Message in a Bottle" (unplugged) "Tea in the Sahara" (unplugged) "Walking on the Moon" (unplugged)
UK 7-inch and cassette single
European CD single
Australian cassette single
Japanese mini-CD single
"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" – 4:29
"Every Breath You Take" (unplugged) – 5:06
European maxi-CD single
"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" – 4:29
"Every Breath You Take" (unplugged) – 5:06
"All This Time" (unplugged) – 5:20
US maxi-CD single
"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" (LP version) – 4:29
"Everybody Laughed but You" – 3:51
"January Stars" – 3:50
"We Work the Black Seam (1993)" – 6:08
US cassette single
"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" (LP version) – 4:29
"All This Time" (unplugged) – 5:20
Australian CD single
"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" "Every Breath You Take" (unplugged) "Message in a Bottle" (unplugged) "All This Time" (unplugged)
Japanese maxi-CD single
"If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" "All This Time" (unplugged) "Mad About You" (unplugged) "Every Breath You Take" (unplugged)