Sting Reveals the Romantic Reason 'End of the Game' Is Wife Trudie's Favorite Song of His (Exclusive)

Sting opens up about his biggest hits in this week's issue of PEOPLE

By
Rachel DeSantis
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Rachel DeSantis
Rachel DeSantis is a staff writer on the music team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2019, and her work has previously appeared in Entertainment Weekly and the New York Daily News.
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Published on May 19, 2023 12:50PM EDT
Trudie Styler (L) and Sting attend the 67th Annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 14, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California
Sting and Trudie Styler. Photo: Rich Fury/Getty

Sting's wife Trudie Styler has plenty of options when it comes to picking a favorite song written by her husband — but her choice may surprise you.

The rocker, 71, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue that Styler's selection is "End of the Game," a deep cut about a pair of foxes on the run.

"Trudie loves this song, which is about two foxes being hunted by a pack of hounds, with the end result being that they're killed," he says. "I said, 'Well, why is this your favorite song?' And she says, 'Because it's about us.' I said, 'Well, explain that.' And she says, 'Well, if it was just me and you against the world, that would be enough.' So that's her interpretation. It's a rather beautiful one."

The track appears on Sting's 2007 album B-Sides & Rarities.

He and Styler, a 69-year-old actress and producer, were married in 1992 after 10 years of dating. They share kids Mickey, 39, Jake, 38, Eliot, 32, and Giacomo, 27 (Sting is also dad to son Joe, 46, and daughter Fuschia, 41, with ex-wife Frances Tomelty).

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Sting was recognized on Thursday at a ceremony in London, where he became a fellow of the Ivors Academy, a prestigious music writers' association.

With such a prolific catalog, asking the rocker which of his own songs he's most proud of yields an answer different to that of his wife: "That's like asking me which of my kids I prefer!" he says. "I think they're all my children and they're all one song, really. And when I perform, I'm singing the story of my life through these sort of touchstones."

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 17: (L-R) Actress Trudie Styler, Giacomo Luke Sumner, Sting, Joseph Sumner, Fuschia Sumner and Mickey Sumner attend the after party for the 25th Anniversary concert for the Rainforest Fund at Mandarin Oriental Hotel on April 17, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
Sting with wife Trudie Styler and his kids. Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic

Sting previously opened up to PEOPLE in 2020 about making love last with Styler, and said the secret was that the two are still friends after three decades of marriage.

"We love each other, but we actually like each other — and that's an important distinction there," he said. "Love is passion and all of that stuff, but actually liking somebody and enjoying someone's company is something slightly different, and it lasts longer. So you can have both, and I think that's important. Be married to your best friend."

For more on Sting, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.