The Last Ship

The Last Ship is the eleventh studio album by English musician Sting, released on 20 September 2013 in Germany and on 24 September 2013 in the UK and US. It contains songs written for and inspired by the musical The Last Ship, which was then in production and would premiere in June 2014. The Last Ship is the first full-length LP of original material released by Sting since his 2003 album Sacred Love. The album, like the musical, takes inspiration from the closing of the shipyards in and around the historic shipbuilding town of Wallsend, where Sting grew up. The album features guest artists with roots in the northeast of England, including Brian Johnson from AC/DC, Jimmy Nail, The Unthanks, The Wilson Family, and Kathryn Tickell. Background The album is inspired by the musical of the same name, which premiered in June 2014, and whose songs were written by Sting. The play explores the themes of homecoming and self-discovery, drawing upon Sting's memories of growing up in the shipbuilding town of Wallsend, along with his reflections on the complexity of relationships, the passage of time and the importance of family and community. Of the album's twelve songs and the musical's roughly twenty songs, only six are common to both (although the deluxe version of the album includes another three, and the "super deluxe" version includes another four). In some cases, the differences are due to changes to the musical after all the album had already been recorded, such as the song "What Say You Meg?" being written to replace "Practical Arrangement".