Music enthusiasts are still in awe of Robert Downey Jr.’s performance. at Sting’s 60th birthday party. A typical reaction is, “Ironman can sing like that?!”
Downey Jr. remains modest when it comes to his acquaintance with Sting, as befits a celebrity of his stature. He recalls their first meeting when he was in his mid-twenties and intrigued by the idea of his own exceptional songwriting abilities. In the stairwell after Sting’s concert, he tried to hand Sting a demo tape, catching him off guard.
Trudy Styler, Sting’s wife and “Less Than Zero” fan, recognized Robert Downey Jr. As she greeted the young actor, she remarked, “How nice of you to come.” Until they informed Downey that they had retrieved the tape and asked him if he wanted to return it 25 years later, Sting and Trudy did not mention it.
Downey dismissed the idea that they could rewind the tape and re-tape the box if they listened to it. Fortunately, that didn’t stop Downey from appearing at Sting’s birthday fundraiser in 2011.
Robert Downey Jr. & Sting – Brought to Tears – Live @ The Beacon Theatre
When Downey starts singing, I think of one of rock’s most distinctive voices, Nils Lofgren, former E-Street Band member and solo artist. People also compare him to Robert Palmer.
In the comments, Geena 99 exclaims, “Wow! It’s absolutely amazing!” Very talented! Who would have thought that Mr. Tony Stark could sing such challenging Sting tunes in such a voice! “I have listened to this song dozens of times; what can’t this man do?” 850thx he says with equal enthusiasm. “Speechless!” is all Miles says. There was no trace.
In 2016, Howard Stern conducted a more in-depth interview with Downey than usual. “Driven to Tears” is a Police song from the 1980s album “Zenyatta Mondatta”, and he said that Sting ruined it for him because he was so impressed by Downey’s vocals. Sting, who Downey described as a “virtually perfect” performer, mentored and tested him during rehearsals. Many Music Man readers know that this was not Sting’s first collaboration with Downey. They saw it on Ally McBeal.
The Ally McBeal episode “Cloudy Skies, Chance of Parade”, which aired on April 30, 2001, featured a fantastic duet. Cuckold husband sues Sting who happens to be in town during the episode. Larry Paul, played by Downey, serves as Sting’s lawyer and tries hard to make up for missing Ally’s birthday. Luckily, Sting volunteers to perform with Larry to help him out after learning of Larry’s absence from his girlfriend’s birthday party. Holy cow!
While Downey sings during the duet with Sting, it’s not his only singing engagement. He has appeared on various film soundtracks, including Chaplin (1992), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) and The Singing Detective (2003). “The Futurist” was Downey’s 2004 solo album, which contained eight original songs and received a 3.5/5 rating on Allmusic, with mixed reviews. However, Downey announced this as his last solo performance due to the time it took away from his family. One of the most commercially successful recordings of Robert Downey Jr. is a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “The River”, performed in the 2000 Christmas episode of Ally McBeal, included on the album Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas. If you haven’t listened to it yet, why not give it a try?
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education