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Mercury Falling is the fifth studio album by English musician Sting. It was released on 4 March 1996 through A&M Records and was produced by Sting alongside longtime producer Hugh Padgham. The album features many tracks which see elements of soul music and country music music integrated to a greater extent than on past releases. Supporting musicians on the album include frequent collaborators Dominic Miller on guitar, Kenny Kirkland on keyboards, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, and Branford Marsalis on tenor and soprano saxophone.
Mercury Falling was a success, reaching the top 10 in 18 countries, but failed to match the success of its predecessors. None of its four singles—"Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot", "You Still Touch Me", "I Was Brought to My Senses", and "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying"—were hits across all regions, although the former two did perform well in the UK and especially Canada, where both reached the top 10. The album has been certified Platinum in three different countries (US, UK and Canada) and Gold in nine others. In 1997, the album earned Sting two Grammy Awards nominations—Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot".
"I Hung My Head" is one of many songs on the album to be played in an odd time signature, in this case . Johnny Cash performed a cover of the song on , his final studio album released during his lifetime. "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" displays a significant soul music influence; Sting has stated that the music of artists such as Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin heavily inspired the track. Expanding on this theme, the Memphis Horns were brought in to play on the track. The lyrics were inspired by a friend who was suffering from AIDS, and how such an event can affect someone's outlook on life. Sting described the song as "a song about death, or dealing with death in a way that offers some sort of hope. I actually think it's quite an uplifting song - the intent is for it to be uplifting."
"I Was Brought to My Senses" is a song about gaining a greater appreciation for nature. It starts off as a folk music ballad in , before transitioning to the main part of the song, which features what Sting called "a Brazilian vibe" and is played in .
The track "Twenty Five to Midnight" was excluded from the American and Canadian releases. It was included in the CD-Maxi Single of "You Still Touch Me", as the 4th track. "La Belle Dame sans regrets" is sung entirely in French; its title translates to "the beautiful lady with no regrets". The song was co-written with Sting's guitarist Dominic Miller. Miller wrote the song's music as a tribute to Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Jobim, composing it in his hotel room the day he heard about Jobim's death. Relevant content occurs at 1:29:08-1:29:59. Sting had guested on Jobim's album Antônio Brasileiro, which was released posthumously in 1994. "Valparaiso" was used during the closing credits of the 1996 film White Squall.
"Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" was released as the album's first single on 19 February 1996. It became a top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 15, but stalled at number 86 in the US. It did, however, reach number 3 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart. The single was most successful in Canada, where it peaked at number 7. "You Still Touch Me", the album's second single, reached number 27 in the UK. In the US, it was more successful than its predecessor, peaking at number 60. The song matched the previous single's chart placement in Canada, giving Sting yet another number 7 hit. A remixed version of "I Was Brought to My Senses", done by Stephen Lipson, served at the album's third single. It barely missed the top 30 in the UK and failed to chart in the US. "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" was the album's final single. Toby Keith released a cover of the song as a single from his album Dream Walkin', Sting guested on the track which gave him his only country hit.
| "The Bed's Too Big Without You" | "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" |
| "Lullaby to An Anxious Child" | "You Still Touch Me" |
| "Beneath a Desert Moon" | |
| "Twenty Five to Midnight" | |
| "This Was Never Meant to Be" | "I Was Brought to My Senses" |
| "The Pirate's Bride" | |
| "Giacomo's Blues" | "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" |
| "Moonlight" | |
| ARIA Charts | 14 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 7 |
| Ultratop | 4 |
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2012 | 8 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 7 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 3 |
| European Albums Chart | 1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 1 |
| SNEP | 3 |
| Media Control | 2 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 4 |
| RIANZ | 7 |
| VG-lista | 4 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart | 9 |
| Scottish Albums Chart | 7 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 6 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 2 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart | 4 |
| US Billboard 200 | 5 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 24 |
| RPM Year-End | 43 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 37 |
| French Albums Chart | 66 |
| German Albums Chart | 27 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 10 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 118 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 43 |
| UK Albums Chart | 50 |
| US Billboard 200 | 80 |
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