Music fans continue to rave about Robert Downey Jr.’s remarkable performance at Sting’s 60th birthday party. Many fans expressed disbelief, asking: “Iron Man can sing like that?!” Downey Jr. remains humble about his friendship with Sting. He fondly recalls their first meeting in his mid-twenties, when he was eager to share his own music. After a Sting concert, Downey tried to hand the musician a demo tape and surprised him in the process.
Trudy Styler, Sting’s wife and a fan of the film Less Than Zero, recognized Downey and greeted him with the words: “How nice of you to come”. For the next 25 years, neither Sting nor Trudy mentioned the tape until they finally returned it to Downey. Downey humorously suggested that they could rewind the cassette and seal it if they wanted. Thankfully, this little incident did not stop Downey from attending Sting’s 2011 birthday fundraiser.
When Downey performs, his voice is often reminiscent of legendary rock singer Nils Lofgren, formerly of the E-Street Band, or even Robert Palmer. The fans’ reactions are enthusiastic: Geena 99 exclaims: “Wow! That’s absolutely amazing!” and 850thx wonders: “I’ve heard this song countless times; what can’t this man do?” Miles simply says: “Speechless!” It shows the amazement that Downey’s performance inspires.
In a 2016 interview with Howard Stern, Downey revealed that Sting was deeply impressed by his rendition of the Police song “Driven to Tears” from their 1980 album Zenyatta Mondatta. Sting, described by Downey as a “practically perfect” artist, played a crucial role in mentoring him during rehearsals. This was not the first time Downey had worked with Sting; their previous work together appeared on Ally McBeal.
Their unforgettable duet was featured in the Ally McBeal episode “Cloudy Skies, Chance of Parade”, which aired on April 30, 2001. In this episode, Downey’s character Larry represents Paul Sting, who is in town for the episode. To make up for missing Ally’s birthday party, Larry convinces Sting to perform with him, resulting in an extraordinary musical moment on screen.
Downey’s musical endeavors extend beyond this duet. His film soundtrack contributions include Chaplin (1992), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), and The Singing Detective (2003). His 2004 solo album, The Futurist, which contained eight original songs, received mixed reviews and a 3.5/5 rating on Allmusic. Downey declared it his last solo project, citing the personal time commitment it required. In particular, his cover of Joni Mitchell’s “The River” from the Christmas episode of Ally McBeal remains his most commercially successful recording. Fans of Music Man may want to give it a listen.