Sting released an album with reimagined versions of his greatest hits with The Police and solo work called My Songs, and he talked about the meaning behind some of them.
We probably would not be talking about Sting nor The Police had it not been for their first hit Roxanne about a prostitute working the red light district in Paris. The singer revealed he wrote the tune in 1977 while staying in a “very cheap hotel” in the City of Love.
He describes Roxanne as “a romantic song in a not very romantic setting.” Was there a real romance behind those lyrics? He reveals, “I am very grateful for Roxanne. Who I invented.” Then he added, “She changed my life.”
If he was staying in a “very cheap hotel”, then he probably could not have afforded Roxanne. Now, he could afford several Roxannes thanks to Roxanne.