Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)
| "Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" | ||||
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| Single by Sting | ||||
| from the album Ten Summoner's Tales | ||||
| Released | 24 September 1993[1] | |||
| Length | 5:12 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sting | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Sting singles chronology | ||||
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"Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" is a song by English singer-songwriter Sting. It was included as the second track on his fourth studio album, Ten Summoner's Tales. In September 1993, the song was issued as a single in certain European countries and peaked at number 75 in Germany.
Background
Sting wrote "Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven" in a time signature that alternates between septuple meter in the verses and common time during the chorus.[2] He started the song by writing a musical sequence in (7
8) time and decided to base the lyrics around an interpretation of The Magnificent Seven where a group of seven brothers would fight banditos and each find a wife to marry. In a 1993 interview with RCD magazine, Sting mentioned that he wanted the song to have a twist.
There could be a reward...they'd each get a wife! And so...the funny story. There's only one woman and so one of the seven has to get rid of the others...I used the time signature for the idea of seven wives for seven brothers.[3]
Sting commented that the concept of love being stronger than justice was an "ironic statement" that resulted in a "very tongue-in-cheek song".[3] Musically, the song opens with a guitar lick from Dominic Miller that leads into a groove in (7
8) time that features different rhythmic variations on the snare drum played by Vinnie Colaiuta.[4] The song ends with a piano solo performed by David Sancious.[5]
Critical reception
Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone thought that the song's arrangement in septuple meter rendered it unique for a song with undertones of country and western music. He also thought that the song's lyrics were infused with "a gnarly weave of ideas, jokes, mythic allusions and contradictory emotions."[6] J. D. Considine wrote in The Baltimore Sun that "Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" was the album's "most elaborate musical prank" that "burlesques spaghetti westerns, snickers at pop sentimentality and teases the trend toward country - all in just over five minutes. It sounds almost dizzying, described like that, but as diverse as the comic elements might be, the song as a whole is seamlessly melodic."[7] In their review for the Houston Chronicle, Marty Racine labelled "Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" as one of the best songs on Ten Summoner's Tales in part due to its "terrific chorus that echoes South African township music".[8]
Chart performance
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (GfK)[9] | 75 |
References
- ^ "Sting - Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ Holland, Nola Nolan (2013). Music Fundamentals For Dance. United States: Human Kinetics. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-7360-9652-2 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Lechler, Bernd (March 1993). "Sumner Time". RCD. p. 45. Retrieved 16 July 2025 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Gable, Christopher (2012). "Sting: Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)". In Perone, James E. (ed.). The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations (1st ed.). Bloomsbury. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-313-37907-9 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Sting Discography: Ten Summoner's Tales". Sting.com. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (31 July 1997). "Ten Summoner's Tales". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (9 March 1993). "Sting: a sly devil of musical, lyrical wit". The Baltimore Sun. pp. 1D – 2D. Retrieved 16 July 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Racine, Marty (14 March 1993). "'Tales' lifts Sting back to pop front". Houston Chronicle. p. 10. Retrieved 16 July 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sting – Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
