Whenever I Say Your Name

2003 single by Sting & Mary J. Blige
"Whenever I Say Your Name"
Single by Sting & Mary J. Blige
from the album Sacred Love and Love & Life
ReleasedNovember 2003[1][2]
Length5:25
Label
  • A&M
  • Geffen
Songwriter(s)Sting
Producer(s)
  • Sting
  • Kipper
Sting singles chronology
"Send Your Love"
(2004) 		"Whenever I Say Your Name"
(2004) 		"Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)"
(2004)
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"Not Today"
(2004) 		"Whenever I Say Your Name"
(2004) 		"It's a Wrap"
(2004)
Music video
"Sting - Whenever I Say Your Name (Official Music Video) ft. Mary J. Blige" on YouTube

"Whenever I Say Your Name" is a duet by English musician Sting and American singer Mary J. Blige. Written by Sting and produced by him along with Mark "Kipper" Eldridge, it served as the second single from Sting's seventh studio album Sacred Love (2003). It was not originally included on Blige's sixth studio album Love & Life (2003) but was later added to the album's international re-release.

A&M Records issued "Whenever I Say Your Name" as a single in mid-2004. It peaked at number 60 on the UK Singles Chart, marking Sting's lowest charting single since 1988's "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)." It also marked Blige's lowest-charting single since the release of her debut single "Real Love" in 1992. The recording won Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004.

Background

"Whenever I Say Your Name" was written and produced by Sting for his seventh studio album Sacred Love (2003).[3] Production was helmed by Sting and Mark "Kipper" Eldridge.[3] The singer felt inspired to work with Blige ever since they performed together on the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards. In 2003, he told LAUNCHcast: "I was totally blown away by her passionate, open singing [...] I had decided on that night that I'd love to write a song for her one day, and I came up with this idea of "Whenever I Say Your Name" – that's perfect for her, you know? It's very romantic. It also has a kind of religious component – you know, she's very churchy in the way she sings."[4]

Critical reception

Alan Light from The Los Angeles Times described "Whenever I Say Your Name" as "a knockout duet,"[4] while Entertainment Weekly's Tom Sinclair called it a "erotically charged duet" and further wrote: "[Sting] unites the secular and the sacred with the phrase "Whenever I say your name, I’m already praying"."[5] Riff Magazine's Alexander Baechle found that "Blige oozes exuberance on "Whenever I Say Your Name." Both Blige and Sting take the opportunity to play to their strengths. Sting begins the tune with a characteristically moody, subtle verse. Imperceptibly, the song morphs into a borderline funk romp, pushing Blige’s power vocals to the fore."[6]

Music video

A music video for "Whenever I Say Your Name" was directed by frequent Sting collaborator Jim Gable.[7]

Track listings

All tracks written by Sting.[8]

CD single[8]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Whenever I Say Your Name" (radio version)
  • Sting
  • Kipper
4:03
2."Whenever I Say Your Name" (Will.I.Am remix featuring The Black Eyed Peas)
4:03
3."Whenever I Say Your Name" (Salaam's Groove mix)
4:48
4."Whenever I Say Your Name" (Billy Mann mix)
3:53

Notes

  • ^[a] denotes remix producer

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Sacred Love.[3]

  • Mary J. Blige – vocals
  • Kipper – producer
  • Simon Osborn – engineer
  • Sting – producer, vocals, writer

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Whenever I Say Your Name"
Chart (2004) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[9] 6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 60
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 50
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 60

References

  1. ^ "Sting singles". Sting.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Sacred Love release date". Discogs. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Sacred Love (Media notes). Sting. A&M Records. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ a b Light, Alan (24 August 2003). "Lost and found". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  5. ^ Sinclair, Tom (3 October 2003). "Sacred Love". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  6. ^ Baechle, Alexander (15 March 2021). "ALBUM REVIEW: Sting brings out the best in his guests on 'Duets'". riffmagazine.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  7. ^ Marienberg, Evyatar (6 January 2021). Sting and Religion: The Catholic-Shaped Imagination of a Rock Icon. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-7252-7226-2. Retrieved 4 March 2024 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b "Whenever I Say Your Name – CD Single". Discogs. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Sting & Mary J Blige – Whenever I Say Your Name" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Sting & Mary J Blige – Whenever I Say Your Name" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  11. ^ "Sting & Mary J Blige – Whenever I Say Your Name". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  12. ^ "Sting & Mary J Blige: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
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