Englishman in New York

"Englishman in New York" is a song by English artist Sting, from his second studio album. The "Englishman" in question is the famous eccentric and gay icon Quentin Crisp, a British writer. Sting wrote the song not long after Crisp moved from London to an apartment in Manhattan. "Quentin's a friend of mine and someone I admire greatly because I think he's one of the most courageous people I've ever met. He has lived his life in an individual way in a society that is vicious and malevolent. But he is a hero in a feminine way. So that's a song about the feminine qualities than can exist in man without being negative." Sting, October 1987