I Can't Stop Thinking About You

Sting's song 'I Can't Stop Thinking About You' delves into the depths of obsession and longing, painting a vivid picture of a relentless search for a lost love. The lyrics are rich with imagery, starting with a 'white page, an empty field of snow,' symbolizing a blank slate or a void in the narrator's life. The coldness described throughout the song, such as 'my room is 25 below' and 'these hands are frozen fists,' reflects the emotional numbness and isolation the narrator feels in the absence of their beloved.

The song's narrative is driven by a sense of urgency and desperation. The narrator is depicted as a 'cold man chasing ghosts,' suggesting that the object of his obsession may no longer be present or may never have existed in the first place. This is further emphasized by the line 'I don't care if you exist,' indicating that the narrator's fixation has transcended reality. The repeated imagery of searching—'dogs search the under forest,' 'we scour the empty streets'—highlights the relentless and perhaps futile nature of this quest.

The recurring motif of winter and coldness serves as a metaphor for the narrator's emotional state. The 'frozen heart of winter' and 'midnight church bell tolls' evoke a sense of desolation and timelessness, as if the narrator is trapped in an endless cycle of longing. Despite the bleakness, there is a glimmer of hope in the lines 'I know you're close, your scent's still warm,' suggesting that the narrator occasionally feels a fleeting connection to the lost love. However, this hope is quickly dashed as 'the trail turns cold, cold, cold,' reinforcing the theme of unattainable desire.