The Empty Chair (song)

"The Empty Chair" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Sting. Co-written by Sting and American record producer J. Ralph, the song was released as the lead single from the soundtrack album of 2016 documentary film Jim: The James Foley Story.[1][2]

"The Empty Chair"
Single by Sting
from the album Jim: The James Foley Story and 57th & 9th
ReleasedDecember 23, 2016
GenreClassical
Length
  • 3:12
Label
  • The Rumor Mill
  • UMG
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"The Empty Chair" was nominated for the 2017 Academy Award in the Best Original Song category.[3] Both Sting and J. Ralph have previously received nominations in the same category; Sting was nominated three times before while J. Ralph had two previous nominations.[4]

Sting recorded a separate version of the song with a guitar, instead of piano, for his studio album 57th & 9th.[5]

Inspiration

The song is written for the film Jim: The James Foley Story which tells the life story of American photojournalist James "Jim" Foley who was kidnapped in Syria and subsequently beheaded by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). Sting, who wrote the song with J. Ralph, discussed the inspiration behind "The Empty Chair" during an interview with Billboard:[2]

The stakes are higher when you're writing about a person who really existed, a person with family and friends you want to honor. I'm glad I found the metaphor of the empty chair. I said no at first [when Ralph asked]. I said 'This is beyond my powers.' I curated the song from what [Jim's] family and friends said about him. It's their song.

Live performances

Sting performed a solo acoustic guitar version of "The Empty Chair" during the 89th Academy Awards ceremony aired live on February 26, 2017.[4] Sting also sang the song in November 2016 at Bataclan, a theatre in Paris, in an exclusive concert to commemorate the 2015 terrorist attack.[5]

References
  1. Grobar, Matt (24 November 2016). "Sting And J. Ralph On The Life Of James Foley And The Meaning Of "The Empty Chair"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  2. Newman, Melinda (24 January 2017). "Sting Hopes to 'Shine More Light' on 'Jim: The James Foley Story' Documentary With Oscar Nomination". Billboard. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  3. "Oscar Nominations 2017: See the Full List". Vanity Fair. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  4. "Watch Sting's Poignant 2017 Oscar Performance of 'The Empty Chair'". Rolling Stone. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  5. Keegan, Rebecca (17 February 2017). "The Quiet Oscar Contender That's Taking On La La Land". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
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