The song, co-produced by Sting with Hugh Padgham, was released as a single on 7 June 1993 by A&M Records, reaching No.

[3] The music video for the song was directed by Kevin Godley, featuring Sting as a gold silhouette.

"Fields of Gold" and all the other tracks on the album were recorded at Lake House in Wiltshire, mixed at The Townhouse Studio, London, England and mastered at Masterdisk, New York City.

[4]In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called "Fields of Gold" a "peaceful ballad", noting that it ranks as a classic.

He added, "Impeccably produced, it features a strong seductive vocal (and nice harmonica strains) from Sting, as well as lovely harplike acoustic guitar figures from band mate Dominic Miller.

Among the most distinctive and beguiling songs the man has written, it's sure to earn a powerful multiformat reception, and thereby steal a few million hearts.

[9] In a 2015 review, Pop Rescue commented, "This song is so wonderfully mellow, and flows so perfectly, that it’s near impossible to find fault with it.

"[10] Andrew Collins from Select felt the album was at its best with songs like "Fields of Gold", saying it was "massaging the menopause".

[11] In an interview at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Paul McCartney stated that "Fields of Gold" was a song he wished he'd written himself.

The video ends with the camera going into the silhouette and Sting's clothing disappearing, showing a final shot of the village at daylight and with various people.