"Englishman in New York" was written by Sting (Gordon Sumner), who wrote both the music and the lyrics. Sting recorded it for his 1987 album ...Nothing Like the Sun, released in October 1987 and produced by Sting and Neil Dorfsman. A&M Records issued it as a single in February 1988, the third from the album. Music & Media made it single of the week. It reached No. 51 in the UK in 1988, and a 1990 remix by Ben Liebrand reached No. 15 there. In the US it charted at No. 84 on the Hot 100, and it reached No. 9 in South Africa. The music video was directed by David Fincher and features Quentin Crisp. Later covers include versions by Cris Cab (2015), by Shinehead as "Jamaican in New York" (1993), and by Otto Waalkes as "Friesenjung" (1993).
