They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)

"They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)" is a protest song composed by English musician Sting and published first on his 1987 album ...Nothing Like the Sun; the song was the fifth and final single released from the album. The song is a metaphor referring to mourning Chilean women (arpilleristas) who dance the Cueca, the national dance of Chile, alone with photographs of their disappeared loved ones in their hands.

"They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)"
Single by Sting
from the album ...Nothing Like the Sun
B-side	"Ellas Danzan Solas"
Released	2 September 1988[1]
Recorded	1987
Genre	Rock jazz world
Length	7:16
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Gordon Sumner
Producer(s)	Gordon Sumner
Sting singles chronology
"Fragile" (1988) "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)" (1988) "All This Time" (1991)
Music video
"Sting - They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)" on YouTube

Sting was accompanied by Eric Clapton, Fareed Haque and Mark Knopfler on guitar, by Branford Marsalis on the saxophone, and with Rubén Blades providing additional Spanish vocals.

Song information

Sting explained his song as a symbolic gesture of protest against the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet whose regime killed thousands of people between 1973 and 1990. This song was recorded in both English (with some spoken Spanish words by the Panamanian salsa singer, Rubén Blades) and Spanish (with additional lyrics by Roberto Livi). This latter version was titled "Ellas Danzan Solas" and was released on the 1988 EP Nada como el sol.^[2]

Cash Box said that the song is "one of Sting's most powerful tunes, a tribute to the Chilean women who stand in mourning and protest for their missing sons and husbands."^[3]

Live versions

There are several live versions of this song, most notable from the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute (1988), from an Amnesty International concert.^[4] Sting later performed the song with an extended introduction in Spanish during the Human Rights Now! concerts that took place from 2 September - 15 October 1988.^[5] On October 13, 1990, Sting played the song at Estadio Nacional in Santiago de Chile (with artists including Peter Gabriel, Jackson Browne, Branford Marsalis, Luz Casal, Sinéad O'Connor, Vinnie Colaiuta and New Kids on the Block).

Cover versions

Jose Feliciano and the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra Project (Instrumental Version) (1988) from the album Jose Feliciano and Vienna Symphony Orchestra,^[6] Richie Havens (1994) from the album Cuts to the Chase,^[7] Bob Belden Ensemble (Instrumental Version) (1989) from the album Straight to My Heart: The Music of Sting,^[8] Mark Hall from the album Acoustic Moods of Sting,^[9] the London Symphony Orchestra (1994) from the album Performs the Music of Sting,^[10] Lynn McDonald (2007) from the album It's High Time,^[11] Holly Near & Mercedes Sosa (English/Spanish Version) (1990) from the album Singer in the Storm,^[12] Mariano Yanani (2005) from the album Babies go Sting,^[13] Joan Baez (Spanish Version) (1989) from the album Diamonds & Rust in the Bullring,^[14] and Birgitte Grimstad (Danish version) (1996) from the album Ord over grind, 51 Beste 1966-1994.^[15]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "They Dance Alone"

Chart (1988–1989)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16]	35
Germany (GfK)[17]	66
Italy (Musica e dischi)[18]	24
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19]	29
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20]	27
UK Singles (OCC)[21]	94

See also

• "Mothers of the Disappeared" – a song by U2 that treats the same subject

References

1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 35.
2. Ahmed, Haris (10 May 2018). "They dance alone". The News International.
3. "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. September 10, 1988. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
4. "Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute - Various". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
5. Carr, Paul (19 April 2015). "Sting and the Protest Song". Professor Paul Carr Music Consultancy. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
6. "Images for VSOP Vienna Symphonic Orchestra Project* / Die Wiener Symphoniker* Mit Gast-Star José Feliciano - Classic & Rock - Die Neue Dimension". www.discogs.com.
7. "Richie Havens - Cuts To The Chase". September 11, 1994 – via www.discogs.com.
8. "The Bob Belden Ensemble - Straight To My Heart: The Bob Belden Ensemble Performs The Music Of Sting". September 11, 1991 – via www.discogs.com.
9. "Album Search for "acoustic moods of sting"". AllMusic.
10. "London Symphony Orchestra - Fortress: The London Symphony Orchestra Performs the Music of Sting Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
11. "Lynn McDonald - It's High Time Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
12. "Hollynear.com". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
13. "Various Artists - Babies Go Sting Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
14. "Joan Baez - Diamonds & Rust in the Bullring Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
15. "Album Search for "ord over grind 51 beste 1966 1994"". AllMusic.
16. "Sting – They Dance Alone" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
17. "Sting – They Dance Alone" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
18. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Sting".
19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Sting" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
20. "Sting – They Dance Alone" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
21. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

External links

• Sting: Lyrics by Sting. The Dial Press. 2007. ISBN 978-0-385-33987-2
• Marjorie Agosín: Tapestries of hope, threads of love: the arpillera movement in Chile. Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7425-4003-3
• Billboard review from the From Chile... An Embrace To Hope concert in Santiago de Chile (Online)