The lyrics themselves, about someone who is lonely after getting his heart broken, were thought to be "ironic" to large audiences. Sting denied this claim, however, saying, "No, there's no irony whatsoever.
The perception of the song's lyrics as ironic stemmed from their theme of someone experiencing loneliness following a breakup. Nevertheless, Sting refuted this claim, saying that there was no irony present in the lyrics whatsoever.