‘It’s Probably Me’: When Sting and Eric Clapton teamed up for a slick, soulful duet

29 January 2025, 11:46

They're two of rock music's most recognisable stars.

But Sting and Eric Clapton were much more than that - they are also two of contemporary music's greatest talents over the past fifty years.

Stellar musicians are never shy when it comes to collaborations, often finding an excuse to work alongside fellow greats that they admire.

Clapton was renowned for playing in a variety of groups before he pursued solo success, similarly to Sting who disbanded The Police in favour of doing things his own way.

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That didn't mean either artist refused to work on the level alongside other musicians, however. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Over the decades, during their years as solo stars, Sting and Eric have collectively collaborated with a range of icons such as Aretha Franklin, Tracy Chapman, Glen Campbell, Annie Lennox, Mary J. Blige, Zucchero and many more.

But in 1992, they both manoeuvred the opportunity to get in the studio, to write a slick and soulful duet for cop action thriller Lethal Weapon 3.

Clapton originally contributed his guitar to the first in the film series, 1987's Lethal Weapon, setting the tone for the movie's drama and overall mood.

A huge success after its release, the film series famously starred Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as lead characters Martin Riggs and Richard Murtaugh.

By the time the third film was edging into cinemas, Clapton and composer Michael Kamen thought to rework some of the musical motifs from the original into a new song.

Together with saxophonist David Sanborn, the trio wrote a super smooth and effortlessly cool-sounding instrumental track.

But they needed lyrics if they were going to transform it into a proper single. That's where Sting came in.

Despite not even being a fan of the film series, Sting agreed to write the lyrics for their track, which became 'It's Probably Me'.

Sting - It's Probably Me (feat. Eric Clapton) (Original Promo)

"I was intrigued by the 'brief' that the producers wanted a 'buddy' song, and nothing too sappy," Sting later recalled in Lyrics By Sting.

"I came up with the phrase "it's probably me" and began to work backward from the title to create a song where two men can express their love for each other while retaining their macho credentials through the veiled reticence of the title phrase.

"We men are strangely contradictory creatures: 'Too proud to beg, too dumb to steal'," he continued.

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It must have been an interesting dynamic for the pair, who have made a career out of pursuing their own vision, and in this case, sharing that vision.

There's no doubt that it also must've been quite an attractive prospect for Sting to work alongside Eric Clapton in the studio for the first time, who were already friends that had performed together live.

Their time working together in the studio was where the accompanying music video took place, with Eric providing the song's main rhythm by clicking his Zippo lighter, as show at the beginning.

Actor Danny Glover even makes an appearance - not just in the snippets from the film - as he takes a trip to the studio to meet the songwriters.

Gregory Porter performs It's Probably Me at the Polar Music Prize Ceremony 2017

Whilst Lethal Weapon 3 was a major commercial success, 'It's Probably Me' didn't fare as well in the US, only reaching No.47 in the US Adult Contemporary chart, despite being embraced more warmly across Europe.

That didn't halt the song's critical acclaim however, seeing Sting and Eric receive a Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television at the 1993 ceremony.

Sting himself was evidently fond of 'It's Probably Me', and revisited the song again a year later, re-recording it as a solo version.

His own version featured on his now-classic 1993 album Ten Summoner's Tales, which produced iconic singles such as 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You' and, of course, 'Fields Of Gold'.

Sadly the pair never performed live together, though when Sting was honoured with the Polar Music Prize in 2017, soul crooner Gregory Porter performed a gorgeously gritty rendition of 'It's Probably Me' in honour of the jazz-rock legend.