Sting will release The Last Ship (Expanded Edition), an updated version of his acclaimed album featuring five new recordings, on December 5, 2025, ahead of a series of highly anticipated international performances of his celebrated musical in which he will also star. The production will be staged in Paris, Amsterdam & Brisbane in 2026, with additional cities to soon be announced.
Available in digital and physical formats—including CD and 2-disc vinyl—the forthcoming album release expands upon the original deluxe edition of Sting’s 2013 solo album with the addition of five brand new, never-before-released recordings, with track listing(s) included below:
Island of Souls (2025)
Shipyard (featuring Joe Caffrey, Brian Johnson, and Jo Lawry)
Ship of State (featuring Renée Fleming)
If You Ever See Me Talking to a Sailor (featuring Frances McNamee)
O’Brien’s Hymn
As a collection, these songs underscore the enduring power of The Last Ship’s narrative and Sting’s deeply personal connection to its themes of home, community, and resilience.
Inspired by the shipbuilding community of Sting’s native Wallsend in northeast England, The Last Ship explores the challenges faced by a town grappling with the loss of its historic industry. The musical premiered on Broadway in 2014, earned a TONY Award nomination for Best Original Score and has since been staged to critical acclaim around the world.
“I literally grew up in the shadow of the yard,” Sting says. “I dreamed of escaping – and I succeeded. But later I realised I had to give something back. THE LAST SHIP is my tribute to the people and the place that shaped me.”
With this expanded edition of The Last Ship, including newly penned liner notes by the 2026 stage production’s book writer Barney Norris, Sting, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, invites listeners to rediscover the album that helped inspire the stage production, now enriched with fresh interpretations and collaborations.
Produced by Sting and Rob Mathes, mixed by Donal Hodgson and 4-time Grammy Award winner Robert “Hitmixer” Orton, The Last Ship (Expanded Edition) will be released globally on December 5, 2025.
1-1. Island Of Souls (2025)
1-2. And Yet
1-3. August Winds
1-4. Practical Arrangement
1-5. Shipyard
1-6. Ship Of State
1-7. If You Ever See Me Talking To A Sailor
1-8. Language Of Birds
1-9. Dead Man's Boots
1-10. The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance
1-11. What Have We Got?
1-12. The Last Ship
2-1. It's Not The Same Moon
2-2. So To Speak
2-3. What Say You, Meg?
2-4. I Love Her But She Loves Someone Else
2-5. Hadaway
2-6. Show Some Respect
2-7. The Last Ship (Reprise)
2-8. Ballad Of The Great Eastern
2-9. Sky Hooks And Tartan Paint
2-10. Peggy's Song
2-11. Jock The Singing Welder
2-12. O'Brien's Hymn
