[Verse 1]
There is no political solution
To our troubled evolution
Have no faith in constitution
There is no bloody revolution

[Chorus]
We are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world[x2]

[Verse 2]
Our so-called leaders speak
With words they try to jail you
They subjugate the meek
But it’s the rhetoric of failure

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
Where does the answer lie?
Living from day to day
If it’s something we can’t buy
There must be another way

[Outro]
We are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world

“Spirits in the Material World” is a song by rock trio The Police, written by Sting. It is the opening track for their 1981 album Ghost in the Machine. The song features bass, guitar, synthesizer, drums, saxophone, and vocals. It has a Jamaican Ska beat which changes to a swaggering rock beat in the chorus. It was released as a single in 1981 and reached No. 12 in the United Kingdom^[1] and No. 11 in the US in early 1982.^[2]

Background

“Spirits in the Material World” was written by Sting on a Casio keyboard while in a truck.^[3] It was his first experience using a synthesizer.^[3]

‘Spirits in the Material World’ was written on one of those Casio keyboards while I was riding in the back of a truck somewhere. I just tap, tap, tap and there it was, just by accident. That was the first time I’d ever touched a synthesizer, that album.

— Sting, Synchronicity Tour Program, 1983^[3]

Andy Summers’ presence on the studio track is considerably less pronounced than on the vast majority of Police songs, and in fact, Sting wanted to record it without him entirely. Having written the song on a synthesizer, he wanted for it to use synthesizer instead of guitar, and to play the synthesizer part himself. Summers thought the synthesizer part should be replaced by guitar, and after considerable argument, they compromised by recording the part on both instruments, with a mix such that the synthesizer drowned out much of Summers’s guitar.^[4] In live performances this part was played on guitar only, with synthesizer used only for background chords.The track was recorded at Air Studios Montserrat.

The lyrics comment on the nature of man’s existence and the failure of his earthly institutions.

“Spirits in the Material World” eventually saw single release in 1981 as the follow-up to “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” making it the third single from Ghost in the Machine in Britain and the second in America. The single, while not as successful as its predecessors, peaked at No. 12 in Britain and No. 11 in America. It was followed up by “Secret Journey” in America.

The UK B-side of “Spirits in the Material World,” “Low Life,” was written by Sting around 1977 in the back of a German tour bus.^[3] Although the band’s drummer Stewart Copeland claimed to have “always loved the song,” guitarist Andy Summers claimed that “Neither Stewart or I liked ‘Low Life.’ I thought the lyric was snobby and it had a kind of corny jazziness to it.”^[3] The American B-Side, an instrumental song titled “Flexible Strategies”, was recorded in Canada while the band jammed for ten minutes while working on Ghost in the Machine, when word came for them to create a B-Side. According to Stewart Copeland, recording this particular song was a disgrace.^{[5] [6]}

Live performances

The band performed the song live during the Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity tours (the latter of which was included on their Live! album) and it was also included on their first North American setlist during their reunion tour.

Since the break-up of the Police, Sting has often performed the song on solo tours.

In all live performances, the song is played in a different key from the studio version. In most live versions of the song, Sting starts playing the original bassline, then switches to a more simplified one to play while singing.^[7]

Personnel

• Sting – bass guitar, synthesizer, saxophone, lead and backing vocals
• Andy Summers – guitar
• Stewart Copeland – drums
• Olaf Kubler – saxophone on “Low Life”^[8]

Track listing

7″: A&M / AMS 8194 (UK)

1. “Spirits in the Material World” – 2:59
2. “Low Life” – 3:45

7″: A&M / AM 2390 (US)

1. “Spirits in the Material World” – 3:01
2. “Flexible Strategies” – 3:44

Charts

Cover versions

• In 1991, Michael Manring did an instrumental version of the song on his album Drastic Measures.
• In 1995, reggae artist Pato Banton covered the song for the soundtrack to Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Sting is featured in the song. The song entered the UK charts at number 36 in January 1996^[9] and stayed there for two weeks. Banton later rerecorded the song (without Sting) for his greatest hits album in 2008.
• The Puerto Rican metal band Puya did a Spanish-language version called “Almas” for the Police tribute album Outlandos d’Americas.
• On the 2007 Six Degrees Records compilation Backspin, A Six Degrees 10 Year Anniversary Project Karsh Kale covered “Spirits in the Material World”.
• In 2006, Q magazine issued a CD “Q Covered – The Eighties” on which Cord covered the song.

End

[Verse 1]
There’s a little black spot on the sun today
It’s the same old thing as yesterday
There’s a black hat caught in a high tree top
There’s a flag pole rag and the wind won’t stop

[Chorus]
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running ’round my brain
I guess I’m always hoping that you’ll end this reign
But it’s my destiny to be the king of pain

[Verse 1]
(That’s my soul up there)

There’s a fossil that’s trapped in a high cliff wall
(That’s my soul up there)
There’s a dead salmon frozen in a waterfall
(That’s my soul up there)
There’s a blue whale beached by a spring tide’s ebb
(That’s my soul up there)
There’s a butterfly trapped in a spider’s web
(That’s my soul up there)

[Chorus]

There’s a king on a throne with his eyes torn out
There’s a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt
There’s a rich man sleeping on a golden bed
There’s a skeleton choking on a crust of bread

[Solo]
King of pain

There’s a red fox torn by a huntsman’s pack
(That’s my soul up there)
There’s a black-winged gull with a broken back
(That’s my soul up there)
There’s a little black spot on the sun today
It’s the same old thing as yesterday

[Chorus]

[Outro]
King of pain
I’ll always be

“King of Pain” is a song by English rock band The Police, released as the final single from their fifth and final studio album Synchronicity (1983). Written by the band’s lead singer and bassist Sting as a post-separation song from his wife, “King of Pain” conjures up symbols of pain and relates them to a man’s soul. A&M Records released “King of Pain” as the album’s fourth single in the UK, while in many other countries it was released as the second single.

The song received acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised Sting’s lyrics and cited the song as a highlight from Synchronicity, reaching number three in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in October 1983, and number one on the Billboard Top Tracks chart for five weeks in August 1983. In the United Kingdom, it reached number 17 in January 1984.

Multiple artists have covered “King of Pain”. Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette covered the track for her MTV Unplugged album (1999) and released it as the second single from the album.

Background and release

“King of Pain” was released as the second single in the US and the fourth single in the UK, taken from their fifth and final album, Synchronicity (1983). The song was released after “Every Breath You Take“‘s eight-week appearance on top of the charts. Sting‘s fascination with Carl Jung and, to a greater extent, Arthur Koestler inspired him to write the track. As a Hungarian-born novelist who resided in England, Koestler was enthralled with parapsychology and the unexplained workings of the mind (he wrote the book titled The Ghost in the Machine in the late ’60s, after which the Police named their fourth album).^[2] A music video was made but only released in Australia.^[3]

Composition and lyrics

“King of Pain” was written by Sting, while production was done by The Police and Hugh Padgham. The song was inspired by his then-recent separation from his first wife. He remarked, “I conjured up symbols of pain and related them to my soul. A black spot on the sun struck me as being a very painful image, and I felt that was my soul up there on there on the sun. It’s just projecting your state into the world of symbolism, which is what poetry’s all about, really.”^[4]

Actually, it was something I said. I’d just left my first wife – a very painful break – and I went to Jamaica to try and pull myself together. I was fortunate to be able to go to Jamaica, I have to say, and stayed at this nice house and was looking at the sun one day. I was with Trudie who is now my current wife and said ‘Look, there’s a little black spot on the sun today’. And there’s a pause. I said, ‘That’s my soul up there’. I was full of hyperbole. I said that! I went back in and wrote it down on a piece of stuff, and wrote some other stuff.

— Sting, ‘In The Studio’ Radio Show^[4]

Reception

Critical

The song received acclaim from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic picked the song as a highlight from the album, writing that “King of Pain” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger”, “are devilishly infectious new wave singles.”^[5] Sputnikmusic website picked it as an “essential track”, writing that “King of Pain”, “Every Breath You Take” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger”, “rely on gorgeous, understated melodies, embracing the primary sonic overtones encompassing the record.”^[6] Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound chose the track as “one of his personal favorite Sting-led tracks,” pairing it next to his other works like “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” or “Fields of Gold“.^[7]

Commercial

The song was a success in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Mainstream Rock chart, while also reaching number 33 on the Adult Contemporary chart.^[8] “King of Pain” entered Canada’s RPM chart at number 48, on the edition of 20 August 1983.^[9] The song climbed to number-one on the edition of 15 October 1983.^[10]

Elsewhere, the song performed moderately. In the United Kingdom, the song only reached number 17; one of the lowest charting-singles, since their first single, “Fall Out” (1979).^[11] In Ireland, the song proved to be more successful, reaching number seven, becoming their third top-ten single.^[12] In Belgium (Flanders) and Germany, the song became their lowest charting-single.^[13][14]

Track listing

7″: A&M / AM 176 (UK)

1. “King of Pain” – 4:59
2. “Tea in the Sahara” (Live) – 5:05

7″: A&M / AM-2569 (US)

1. “King of Pain” – 4:59
2. “Someone to Talk To” – 3:08

12″: A&M / AMX 176 (UK)

1. “King of Pain” – 4:59
2. “Tea in the Sahara” (Live) – 5:05

Personnel

• Sting – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, piano, synthesizers
• Andy Summers – electric guitars
• Stewart Copeland – drums, marimba, percussion

Charts

Alanis Morissette version

Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette covered “King of Pain” for her MTV Unplugged album, on 18 September 1999. The song was released as the album’s second single on 19 April 2000. Morissette shifted the word “king” to “queen” towards the end of the track. Critics gave the track favourable reviews, with some calling a “tender” ballad, and others naming it outstanding. The song only managed to chart in Brazil and Netherlands.

Background and writing

“King of Pain” was one of the songs Alanis selected to perform on her MTV Unplugged special on 18 September 1999. “King of Pain” was released as the second single from the album on 19 April 2000.^[16] The CD Single features “King of Pain” and three songs recorded for the Unplugged special, but not included on the album: “Thank U“, “Baba” and “Your House”.^[17]

Critical reception

Neva Chonin of Rolling Stone wrote that “songs with lusher orchestral backdrops – “You Oughta Know,” “Uninvited” and the Police’s “King of Pain” – still carry lengthy, vocalcentric intros.”^[18] Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly called it ” a tender cover”.^[19] Chris Massey of PopMatters called it a “folksy cover which comes across exceedingly well.” Massey commented that, “Sting’s haunting vocals on the original song by The Police are almost overshadowed by the similarly chilling vocals of Alanis herself —almost. When the band kicks in – the bass is almost overpowering – and Alanis belts out the familiar chorus ‘I have stood here before inside the pouring rain / With the world turning circles, running around my brain,’ the power is outstanding.”^[20]

Track listing

1. “King of Pain” (MTV Unplugged) – 4:05
2. Thank U (MTV Unplugged) – 4:11
3. Baba (MTV Unplugged) – 5:11
4. Your House (MTV Unplugged) – 4:37

Charts

Other cover versions

American rock band Mudvayne released the track on their album “By the People, for the People” in 2007. American recording artist Lady Gaga performed the track along with Sting at iHeart Radio Festival in 2011; they also performed the track “Stand by Me“. Their rendition of “King of Pain” was lauded by critics. Louis Virtel of The Backlot called it “the best version of the song you’ll ever hear,” praising Gaga for “sporting teal streaks and some Stevie Nicks drapery, and Sting is (of course) wearing Underarmour, basically. Excellent performance.”^[23]

“Weird Al” Yankovic parodied the song as “King of Suede” in his 1984 album “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D.

End

[Verse 1]
You consider me the young apprentice
Caught between the Scylla and Charibdis
Hypnotized by you if I should linger
Staring at the ring around your finger

I have only come here seeking knowledge
Things they would not teach me of in college
I can see the destiny you sold
Turn into a shining band of gold

[Chorus]
I’ll be wrapped around your finger
I’ll be wrapped around your finger

[Verse 2]
Mephistopheles is not your name
But I know what you’re up to just the same
I will listen hard to your tuition
And you will see it come to its fruition

[Chorus]
I’ll be wrapped around your finger
I’ll be wrapped around your finger

[Verse 3]
Devil and the deep blue sea behind me
Vanish in the air you’ll never find me
I will turn your flesh to alabaster
When you find your servant is your master

[Outro]
And you’ll be wrapped around my finger

“Wrapped Around Your Finger” is the second UK single (and fourth US single) from the Police‘s 1983 album Synchronicity. Written by Sting, it was released worldwide by A&M Records and featured the non-album track “Someone to Talk To” as a B-side in the UK, while a live version of “Tea in the Sahara” was the US B-side.

Background

Like other tracks on Synchronicity, such as “Every Breath You Take” and “King of Pain,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger” was a personal song for Sting. He said in an interview, “‘Every Breath You Take,’ ‘Wrapped Around Your Finger’ were all about my life.”^[2]

Sting described “Wrapped Around Your Finger” as “a spiteful song about turning the tables on someone who had been in charge.”^[2] Like other Police songs from this period, it features mythological and literary references, including the Scylla and Charybdis monsters of Greek mythology, and the German legend of Faust. It has a relatively slow, almost foreboding feel in the beginning verses, modulating to evoke a lighter, triumphant feel during the chorus.

This song is vaguely alchemical and probably about a friend of mine, a professional psychic and my tutor in tarot, with bits of Doctor Faustus and ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ thrown into the pot for good measure.

— Sting, Lyrics By Sting^[3]

“Wrapped Around Your Finger” was released as the follow-up to the worldwide hit “Every Breath You Take.” In Britain, it reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1983,^[4] and in the US, it was instead released as the fourth single from Synchronicity (after “Every Breath You Take,” “King of Pain,” and “Synchronicity II“). The single reached No. 8 on the Billboard chart in March 1984.

The British picture sleeve for “Wrapped Around Your Finger” was released in three colour variations: blue, red, and yellow.^[2] The single was also released on a picture disc, each featuring the face of Sting, Andy Summers, or Stewart Copeland.^[2] Out of the twelve thousand copies released, however, ten thousand had Sting’s face on it, while Summers and Copeland appeared on one thousand each (making the latter two variations somewhat rare.)^[2]

The B-side of the song in Britain, “Someone to Talk To,” was written by guitarist Andy Summers. Sting refused to provide vocals, leaving Summers to sing. Summers expressed disappointment at this, saying, “Maybe I had just split up from my wife. It was a nice thing I had on the guitar and I was disappointed that Sting wouldn’t sing it. That would have given it more of an official stamp.”^[2] Drummer Stewart Copeland said of this conflict, “Andy did his best on vocals but I too was disappointed that Sting didn’t sing it. He was very touchy about lyrics.”^[2] The American B-side, “Tea in the Sahara” (live), comes from the Synchronicity Tour.

Music video

The music video, directed by Godley & Creme (who directed the videos for “Every Breath You Take” and “Synchronicity II”), furthers the ethereal feeling the song gives off, by having footage of the band performing in a candle-lit, gloomy room, interspersed with scenes of Sting running among tall candlesticks arranged in a sort of maze. Andy Summers is shown playing an acoustic guitar, an instrument not used in any of the Police’s recordings.

The music on the recording of the video was played fast and the “singing” was mimed fast. When the music was slowed down to normal speed, the members of the band appear to be moving in slow motion. Drummer Stewart Copeland claimed that he used a similar method for a solo video (performing under the alias of “Klark Kent”), only he “had the music run slowly, so that [he] mimed in slow motion, and then when they synched it up to the music, [he] had this herky-jerky, kinda ‘fast-mo’ movement, that was still in time with the music, only it was sort of jerky and strange body movements.”^[3]

Sting praised the video, saying:

It’s incredibly atmospheric, and I think the set design is brilliant – there’s nothing but all those candles, yet it conjures up so many different feelings and possibilities about the song. When Kevin (Godley) and Lol (Creme) came to me with the idea, I got very excited because I realised that they really understood the imagistic approach I wanted. The whole concept is fairly esoteric – it’s really a “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” type of idea. The song is cunningly being shot at high speed in order to achieve a special effect when it’s eventually played back at normal speed. At least, that’s the theory…

— Sting, Playgirl, 10/1983^[2]

Andy Summers, however, was critical of Sting’s overacting in the video.

I never much liked the idea for “Wrapped Around Your Finger.” No, I was kind of pissed off about that one. I’ve never been much of a fan of that song, actually. Sting got to shoot his part last in that video and made a meal of knocking all the candles out. Fuck him.

— Andy Summers, I Want My MTV^[5][3]

In a promotional video tied in with the release of The Muppets Take Manhattan, “I’m Gonna Always Love You” from the movie featured lead vocals by Miss Piggy and had her imitating parts of the “candle labyrinth” prominently showcased in the Police video. Incidentally, the song later gave rise to the creation of Muppet Babies.

Reception

In a positive retrospective review of the song, AllMusic journalist Steve Huey described “Wrapped Around Your Finger” as “a complex take on power dynamics in relationships.” He suggested that “the complexity of its jumpy rhythms mirrors that of its emotional psychology.”^[6]

AllMusic colleague Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as “a devilishly infectious new wave single.”^[7]

Personnel

• Sting – bass guitar, keyboards, lead and backing vocals
• Andy Summers – guitar, effects
• Stewart Copeland – drums

Track listing

7-inch single: A&M UK (AM 127)

1. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” – 5:07
2. “Someone to Talk To” – 3:08

• also released on picture disc (AMP127). One per member.

7-inch single: A&M US (AM-2614)

1. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” – 5:07
2. “Tea in the Sahara (live)” – 5:03

12-inch single: A&M UK (AMX 127)

1. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” – 5:07
2. “Someone to Talk To” – 3:08
3. “Message in a Bottle” (live) – 4:52
4. “I Burn for You” – 4:50

12-inch single: A&M US promo (SP17264)

1. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” – 5:07
2. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” (live) – 5:21
3. “Murder by Numbers” – 4:37
4. “Someone to Talk To” – 3:08

Charts

End

[Verse 1]
Though I’ve tried before to tell her
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her
I just lose my nerve as I’ve done from the start

[Chorus]
Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on

[Verse 2]
Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days since we first met
It’s a big enough umbrella
But it’s always me that ends up getting wet

[Chorus]
Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on

[Bridge]
I resolved to call her up
A thousand times a day
Ask her if she’ll marry me
In some old fashioned way
But my silent fears have gripped me
Long before I reach the phone
Long before my tongue has tripped me
Must I always be alone

[Chorus]
Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on
Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on

[Outro]
Every little thing, every little thing
Every, every little thing
Every little, every little, every little
Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
That she does is magic
Eee oh oh, eee oh oh, eee oh oh, eee oh oh
Eee oh oh, eee oh oh, eee oh oh, eee oh oh
Eee oh oh, eee oh oh, eee oh oh, eee oh oh
Eee oh oh, eee oh oh, eee oh oh, eee oh oh
Every little thing
Every little thing
Every little thing, she does is magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic
Ey oh, yo oh
Eee oh oh oh oh oh
Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days since we first met
It’s a big enough umbrella
But it’s always me that ends up getting wet

“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” is a song by British rock group The Police from their fourth album Ghost in the Machine. The song, notable for featuring a pianist (uncommon in Police songs), dates back to a demo recorded in the house of Mike Howlett in the fall of 1976. It was also a hit single that reached the top of the charts in the United Kingdom (topping its predecessor, “Invisible Sun“) in November 1981^[1] and hit number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year.^[2]

Background

Although recorded in 1981, Sting wrote the song as early as 1976.^[3] An early (1976) demo of the song can be heard on the Strontium 90 album Strontium 90: Police Academy. A good ear will detect that the vocals are set back from the music on this track. This was either due to the mastering feel, or the overdub from the demo.

This was first recorded as a demo, with the piano figure, in a studio in Montreal. I had written the song long before the Police were successful, but it seemed a bit soft for the band at first. But the demo was really great. It sounded like a No 1 song to me. I took it to the band, who were reticent, still thinking it was soft. I was saying, “But listen, it’s a hit.” We tried to do it from scratch as the Police, but it didn’t have the same energy as the demo. After a degree of hair-pulling and torturing on my part, I got the band to play over the top of my demo.

— Sting, The Independent, September 1993^[4]

The piano part was added by session keyboardist Jean Roussel, whom Sting invited to play on the track against the wishes of his bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland.^[5] Summers did not approve of Roussel’s inclusion in the track, claiming that he was “incredibly pushy” and that “there wasn’t room for him. He must have played 12 piano parts on that song alone.”^[6] Copeland, however, said that Roussel “wasn’t pushy … He was just like us actually.”^[6]

Feeling that the arrangement of the track was not enough like The Police style, Summers (who recalled, “as the guitar player I was saying, ‘What the fuck is this? This is not the Police sound'”) and Copeland attempted to change the track.^[6] However, as Copeland remembers:

“I remember saying, ‘Okay put up Sting’s original demo and I’ll show you how crummy it is.’ So Sting stood over me and waved me through all the changes. I did just one take, and that became the record. Then Andy did the same thing on the guitar. We just faced the music, bit the bullet, and used Sting’s arrangements and demo. Damn.”^[6]

— Stewart Copeland, Revolver, 2000

In the chorus, Sting, not knowing any other word which would rhyme with “magic,” used the word “tragic.” Copeland said of this moment, “I remember Sting for years trying to think of a rhyme for ‘magic’, as in ‘Every Little Things She Does Is Magic.’ I think the only word he could come up with, apart from ‘tragic’, was ‘pelagic’, which means ‘ocean going’. There I was in my leather pants and punk hairdo, pondering the distinction between ocean-going and river-going fish.”^[6]

Release and reception

“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” was released as the second single from Ghost in the Machine in UK and Ireland, while in most other parts of the world it was the debut single from the album. The song outperformed its predecessor in Britain, where it topped the charts. The song also hit No. 1 in Canada, Ireland and the Netherlands, No. 2 in Australia, and No. 5 in Norway. It reached No. 3 in America, making it and “King of Pain” the band’s second-best-performing single there, after its No. 1 hit “Every Breath You Take“.

The lyrics of the second verse, “Do I have to tell the story / Of a thousand rainy days since we first met? / It’s a big enough umbrella / But it’s always me that ends up getting wet,” were reprised by Sting at the end of the song “O My God” issued on the band’s next album. These lyrics were repeated once more in “Seven Days” on Sting’s solo album Ten Summoner’s Tales. He later re-recorded the song in an orchestral version for his album Symphonicities.

The song has received a highly positive retrospective review from Allmusic journalist Chris True, who praised the lyrics and described the song as “pop brilliance”.^[7]

The song’s B-side, “Flexible Strategies,” was reportedly an improvised jam that was created in response to the record company’s demand for a B-side. Stewart Copeland claims, “Word came down from the marketing machine ‘Create a b-side – today! We walked over to the gear, strapped on, and played for ten minutes. A disgrace.”^[4][8]

Personnel

• Sting – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals
• Andy Summers – guitars
• Stewart Copeland – drums
• Jean Roussel – piano, synthesizer

Track listing

7″: A&M / AMS 8174 (UK)

1. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – 3:58
2. “Flexible Strategies” – 3:44

7″: A&M / AMS 9170 (NL)

1. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – 4:05
2. “Shambelle” – 5:10

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Use in other media

• This song played in the 1st episode of the BBC One British medical soap Casualty on 6th September 1986.
• This song played in the 2005 American comedy movie Bewitched.
• This song played in the 2005 British comedy family fantasy movie The Magic Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.
• This song played in the 2006 Disney movie Herbie: Fully Loaded.
• This song played in the 2009 American comedy family fantasy movie Shorts.
• This song played in the 2009 music game Lego Rock Band.
• This song played in the trailer 2006 American comedy fantasy movie Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.
• This song played in an episode of the Israeli comedy series HaShminiya on 25th January 2006.
• This song played in an episode of the Australian documentary tv series 20 to One on 21st July 2010.
• This song played in an episode of the British game show Who’s Doing the Dishes? on 7th September 2016.

Cover versions

• The Shadows covered the song on their 1990 album Reflection.
• The American rock band Ra covered the song on their 2005 album Duality.
• Shawn Colvin recorded the song (with a pronoun change) on her 1994 Grammy-nominated album Cover Girl.
• John Mayer included the first few lines of the song while playing his hit “Your Body Is a Wonderland” on the live compilation Live in the X Lounge IV.
• American soul pianist John Legend borrowed the instrumentation from the verses on his collaboration, “Around My Way” with Brooklyn MC Talib Kweli.
• Harlem rapper Jim Jones sampled the instrumentation to make his own version of “Around My Way” with Max B.
• John Barrowman covered the song on his album, Another Side, in 2007.
• The Nylons covered the song on their a cappella album, Play On, released in 2002.
• Julie Collings released the song on her Don’t EP in 2007, and her version was featured on Coverville episode 325.
• Filipino acoustic band MYMP covered the song in 2003, retitled “Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic”, on their album Soulful Acoustic.
• Mashup artist Girl Talk used a sample from this song in his 2008 CD Feed the Animals.
• Mitchel Musso covered the song for Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place soundtrack.
• The song appears on ¡Policia! – A Tribute to the Police, released by The Militia Group in 2005. It was performed by Anadivine.
• Jazz fusion guitarist Lee Ritenour covered the song from the 2005 album “Rit’s House.”^[21][22]
• A version, called Magic, by the Black Eyed Peas was done for Legally Blonde and can be found on the movie’s soundtrack.
• Chaka Demus covered the song on the Police Tribute 1997 album Reggatta Mondatta: Reggae Tribute to the Police.
• Ja Rule, sampled the song on his 2009 album The Mirror, on the song “Free”, with help from Ashely Joi.
• Gloria Estefan & Joe Jonas teamed up for a salsa-version of the song performed in the music talent show, The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep.
• Dream pop music group Memoryhouse performed a version of the song in March 2012 for The A.V. Club‘s A.V. Undercover series.^[23]
• Sleeping at Last covered the song for the television series Grey’s Anatomy in 2014; this cover was again featured on Supergirl (TV series) (Season 2 Episode 13 “Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk”).
• Petula Clark covered the song as “Every Little Thing You Do Is Magic” on her album An Hour in Concert in 1983.
• The Blow extensively used portions from the song on “Come On Petunia”, a track on their 2007 EP Poor Aim: Love Songs.

End

[Verse 1]
Young teacher, the subject
Of schoolgirl fantasy
She wants him so badly
Knows what she wants to be
Inside her there’s longing
This girl’s an open page
Book marking, she’s so close now
This girl is half his age

[Chorus]
Don’t stand, don’t stand so
Don’t stand so close to me
Don’t stand, don’t stand so
Don’t stand so close to me

[Verse 2]
Her friends are so jealous
You know how bad girls get
Sometimes it’s not so easy
To be the teacher’s pet
Temptation, frustration
So bad it makes him cry
Wet bus stop, she’s waiting
His car is warm and dry

[Chorus]
Don’t stand, don’t stand so
Don’t stand so close to me
Don’t stand, don’t stand so
Don’t stand so close to me

[Verse 3]
Loose talk in the classroom
To hurt they try and try
Strong words in the staffroom
The accusations fly
It’s no use, he sees her
He starts to shake and cough
Just like the old man in
That book by Nabokov

[Outro]
Don’t stand so close to me
Please don’t stand so close to me

“Don’t Stand So Close to Me” is a hit single by the British rock band The Police, released in September 1980 as the lead single from their third album Zenyatta Mondatta. It concerns a schoolgirl’s crush on her teacher which leads to an affair, which in turn is discovered.

The band’s third number one on the UK Singles Chart, it was also the best selling single of 1980 in the UK. The song also charted in the top ten in Australia, Canada and the US. The Police won the 1982 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for this song.

Background

The music and lyrics of the song were written by the lead singer of The Police, Sting. The song deals with the mixed feelings of lust, fear and guilt that a female student has for a school teacher and vice versa, and inappropriateness leading to confrontation which is unravelled later on in the song. The line “Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov” alludes to Vladimir Nabokov‘s novel Lolita, which covers somewhat similar issues.^[2] After being criticised for rhyming “cough” with “Nabokov,” Sting replied, “I’ve used that terrible, terrible rhyme technique a few times. Technically, it’s called a feminine rhyme – where it’s so appalling it’s almost humorous. You don’t normally get those type of rhymes in pop music and I’m glad!”^[3]

Before joining The Police, Sting had previously worked as an English teacher. Sting said of the song in 1981:

I wanted to write a song about sexuality in the classroom. I’d done teaching practice at secondary schools and been through the business of having 15-year-old girls fancying me – and me really fancying them! How I kept my hands off them I don’t know… Then there was my love for Lolita which I think is a brilliant novel. But I was looking for the key for eighteen months and suddenly there it was. That opened the gates and out it came: the teacher, the open page, the virgin, the rape in the car, getting the sack, Nabokov, all that.^[3]

— Sting, L’Historia Bandido, 1981^[3]

In 1993, however, he said of the song’s inspiration, “You have to remember we were blond bombshells at the time and most of our fans were young girls so I started role playing a bit. Let’s exploit that.”^[3] in a 2001 interview for the concert DVD …All This Time, Sting denied that the song is autobiographical.

“Don’t Stand So Close to Me” appeared on The Police’s album Zenyatta Mondatta (A&M), and became a hit No. 1 UK single,^[4] along with a corresponding music video. In the US, it reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 10. In the UK, the track was confirmed by the end of 1980 to have been the biggest selling single of that year.

The B-side, “Friends”, was written by Andy Summers and is inspired by Stranger in a Strange Land, a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein.^[3] Summers described the track as “Very quirky. A touch of Long John Silver on Acid.”^[3]

Sting was asked to perform on Mark Knopfler‘s “Money for Nothing” as he was in Montserrat at the time, and reused a melody from “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” in the counterpoint lyric “I want my MTV.” It was only after this story was related to reporters during promotions for the Brothers in Arms album that lawyers for Sting became involved, and later copies of the album co-credit the song to Sting. The initial pressings list only Knopfler. It is one of only two shared songwriting credits on any Dire Straits album.

Composition

“Don’t Stand So Close to Me” features Sting on lead vocals. Like many Police songs, the verses are more subdued, while the chorus is bolder and louder. The song also bears a reggae style, yet another common trait in Police songs. Thematically, the “wet bus stop” idea invites comparison with the 1966 hit song “Bus Stop” by another English group, The Hollies.

The track uses a guitar synthesizer in the middle of the song, which was used by guitarist Andy Summers. Summers said, “After Sting had put the vocals on ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’ we looked for something to lift the middle of the song. I came up with a guitar synthesiser. It was the first time we’d used it. I felt it worked really well.”^[3] The verses and choruses do not feature this effect.^[3]

Personnel

• Sting – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar
• Andy Summers – guitars, guitar synthesizer
• Stewart Copeland – drums

Track listing

7-inch – A&M / AMS 7564 (UK)

1. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” – 4:03
2. “Friends” – 3:37

7-inch – A&M / AMS 2301 (US)

1. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” – 4:03
2. “A Sermon” – 2:34

Charts

“Don’t Stand So Close to Me ’86”

The song was re-recorded in 1986 with a new, brooding arrangement, a different chorus and a more opulent production. The new version appeared as “Don’t Stand So Close to Me ’86” on the album Every Breath You Take: The Singles, and was released as a single, reaching number 24 in the British charts.^[4] It also reached number 11 in Ireland, number 14 in New Zealand, number 19 on the Netherlands MegaCharts Singles Chart (number 20 on Dutch Top 40), number 27 in Canada^[6] and number 46 on Billboard Hot 100 (number 10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks).

Because of the decrease in tempo, a slight lyric change is found in the line “Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov” (the word ‘famous’ was added). A new music video was produced for the reworked song by Godley and Creme, notable for its early use of animated computer graphics.

Because drummer Stewart Copeland had broken his collarbone and was unable to drum, he opted to use his Fairlight CMI to program the drum track for the single. While singer/bassist Sting pushed to use the drums on his Synclavier instead, the group’s engineer found the Synclavier’s programming interface difficult—and it ended up taking him two days to complete the task. Copeland ultimately finished the drum programming and claimed that the Fairlight’s then-legendary “Page R” (the device’s sequencing page) saved his life and put him on the map as a composer. In a Qantas inflight radio program named “Reeling in the Years”, Copeland was quoted as saying that the argument over Synclavier versus Fairlight drums was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” and that this led to the group’s unravelling.

As the Police had already disbanded by the time the 1986 single was released, this, aside from the then-unreleased “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da ’86,” was the last recording before the band’s reunion and the most recent studio recording the band has released.

Track listing

7-inch – A&M / AM 354 (UK)

1. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me ’86” – 4:47
2. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” (live) – 3:40

12-inch – A&M / AMY 354 (UK)

1. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me ’86” (dance mix) – 6:32
2. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me ’86” – 4:47
3. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” (original version) – 4:03
4. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” (live) – 3:40

Charts

Glee cover

The song was covered in the episode “Ballad” of the American television series Glee in 2009. It was performed by the character Will Schuester (played by Matthew Morrison) as a musical mashup with “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. It was included on the second soundtrack album from the series.

The single version charted at number 67 in Canada, number 64 in the United States and number 50 in Ireland.

In other media

The song was featured in “Mars vs. Mars“, an episode of the American television series Veronica Mars.^[7]

During several parts of Zoolander 2, Sting calls Hansel (who is established as Hansel’s biological father) on numerous occasions, often quoting songs such as “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”, and “Spirits in the Material World“.

End

[Verse 1]
I’ve called you so many times today
And I guess it’s all true what your girlfriends say
That you don’t ever want to see me again
And your brother’s gonna kill me and he’s six feet ten
I guess you’d call it cowardice
But I’m not prepared to go on like this

[Chorus]
I can’t, I can’t
I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t
I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t
I can’t
I can’t stand losing you
I can’t stand losing you
I can’t stand losing you
I can’t stand losing you

[Verse 2]
I see you’ve sent my letters back
And my LP records and they’re all scratched
I can’t see the point in another day
When nobody listens to a word I say
You can call it lack of confidence
But to carry on living doesn’t make no sense

[Chorus]
I can’t, I can’t
I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t
I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t
I can’t
I can’t stand losing you
I can’t stand losing you
I can’t stand losing you
I can’t stand losing you

[Bridge]
I guess this is our last goodbye
And you don’t care so I won’t cry
But you’ll be sorry when I’m dead
And all this guilt will be on your head
I guess you’d call it suicide
But I’m too full to swallow my pride

[Outro]
I can’t, I can’t
I can’t stand losing [x10]

“Can’t Stand Losing You” is a song by English rock band The Police, released from their debut album Outlandos d’Amour, both in 1978. The song also was released as the follow-up single to “Roxanne“, reaching number 2 in the UK Singles Chart on a re-release in 1979. It was written by the band’s lead singer and bassist Sting as a song about suicide.

The song also gained controversy for its single cover art, featuring Stewart Copeland hanging himself.

Background

“Can’t Stand Losing You” features lyrics which, according to Sting, is “about a teenage suicide, which is always a bit of a joke.” Sting also claimed that the lyrics took him only five minutes to write.^[4]

The original single was banned by the BBC because of the controversial cover (an alternative cover was released in some places). As Sting described: “The reason they [the BBC] had a problem with “Can’t Stand Losing You” was because the photo on the cover of the single had Stewart standing on a block of ice with a noose around his neck, waiting for the ice to melt.”^[5] Despite this, or perhaps because of the extra attention from the controversy, it became the group’s first single to break the charts,^[6] and has held a spot in their live sets ever since it was written. The photography on the controversial cover was by Peter Gravelle.

The original single capped at number 42 in late 1978,^[6] but the June 1979 reissue nearly topped the UK Singles charts, held off only by “I Don’t Like Mondays” by The Boomtown Rats.^[7] “Can’t Stand Losing You” also appeared on the UK singles charts in 1980, as part of the Six Pack singles compilation set. The package (consisting of six 7″ vinyl singles) peaked at number 17 on the UK charts in June 1980. In 1995, a live version of the song was released as a single and reached number 27 in the charts.^[6]

“Dead End Job”, the B-side of “Can’t Stand Losing You”, is based on a riff Copeland wrote in high school.^[8] Sting’s lyrics mention being a teacher as a dead-end job, which was his job before joining The Police. The song was only available on vinyl until the release of 1993’s Message in a Box.

The instrumental track “Reggatta de Blanc” from the album of the same name originated from an improvisational stage jam played during live performances of “Can’t Stand Losing You”. This instrumental track went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1981.

The Police performed the song on the BBC2 television show The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978, which was their first performance on television. Sting wore a pair of oversized sunglasses as a result of a mishap with a can of hairspray during makeup, which required a trip to the hospital.^[9]

Two music videos exist for the song. One features the group playing the song on a stage with Sting wearing huge glasses. Slow motion shots of the group live appear as well. The second features the group performing the song in front of a red backdrop. This was filmed on the same day as the red backdropped version of “Roxanne“.

Composition

“Can’t Stand Losing You” is musically similar to “Roxanne”, with both songs bearing a reggae influence and a rock chorus. The song also makes use of the Echoplex. Sting sings lead vocals on the song, which he described as “up and down, strange, high-pitched singing.”^[4]

Personnel

• Sting – bass, lead and backing vocals
• Andy Summers – guitar
• Stewart Copeland – drums

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Cover versions and appearances

• In 1999, Novastar covered the song on The Best Is Yet to Come.
• Feeder covered the track on their 2001 single Just a Day E.P., and it was later included on the compilation Picture of Perfect Youth in 2004.
• In 2007, Mika and Armand Van Helden collaborated on a cover version of the song for the Radio 1 Established 1967 CD, which was issued to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of BBC Radio One.
• In 2013, Rx Bandits covered the track on their release, Covers.
• “Can’t Stand Losing You” has appeared as downloadable content in the music video game series Rock Band as in a 3-song pack along with The Police’s other songs “Synchronicity II” and “Roxanne“.

End

[Opening instrumental and main riff]

[Verse 1]
Giant steps are what you take
Walking on the moon
I hope my legs don’t break
Walking on the moon
We could walk forever
Walking on the moon
We could live together
Walking on, walking on the moon

Walking back from your house
Walking on the moon
Walking back from your house
Walking on the moon
Feet they hardly touch the ground
Walking on the moon
My feet don’t hardly make no sound
Walking on, walking on the moon

[Chorus]
Some may say
I’m wishing my days away
No way
And if it’s the price I pay
Some say
Tomorrow’s another day
You stay
I may as well play

[Verse 1]
Giant steps are what you take
Walking on the moon
I hope my legs don’t break
Walking on the moon
We could walk forever
Walking on the moon
We could live together
Walking on, walking on the moon

[Chorus]
Some may say
I’m wishing my days away
No way
And if it’s the price I pay
Some say
Tomorrow’s another day
You stay
I may as well play

[Outro]
Keep it up, keep it up
Yo yo yo yo

“Walking on the Moon” is a song by English rock band The Police, released as the second single from their second studio album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979). The song was written by the band’s lead vocalist and bassist Sting when he was drunk. It went on to become the band’s second number one hit in the UK.

Background

Sting said that he wrote the song when he was drunk one night after a concert in Munich. That following morning, he remembered the song and wrote it down.^[1][2]

I was drunk in a hotel room in Munich, slumped on the bed with the whirling pit when this riff came into my head. I got up and started walking round the room, singing ‘Walking round the room, ya, ya, walking round the room’. That was all. In the cool light of morning I remembered what had happened and I wrote the riff down. But ‘Walking Round the Room’ was a stupid title so I thought of something even more stupid which was ‘Walking on the Moon’.

— Sting, L’Historia Bandido, 1981^[2]

In his autobiography, Sting alludes that the song was partially inspired by an early girlfriend:^[3]

Deborah Anderson was my first real girlfriend…walking back from Deborah’s house in those early days would eventually become a song, for being in love is to be relieved of gravity.

— Sting, 2003^[2]

According to Sting, the song was originally recorded “as a rocker” in early versions, but it was reworked.^[2] The riff, which is played on the bass, was described as “weird” and “jazzy” by Sting.^[2] Guitarist Andy Summers came up with the chord “which hits after the bass notes” throughout the song.^[2]

“Walking on the Moon” was released as the follow-up single to the British number one single, “Message in a Bottle,” in late 1979. The song was The Police’s second number-one hit single in the United Kingdom.^[4] It also reached number one in Ireland and number nine in Australia but the single didn’t chart in the United States.

The B-side to the song, “Visions of the Night,” was written by Sting. Sting said of the song, “This was the first song I wrote after going to London. It was hard to be serious about the whole thing. I was bemused, much to Stewart [Copeland]‘s disgust.”^[2] According to Copeland, the song was “too cerebral for [the band’s] early audiences,” so Sting would call it ‘Three O’Clock Shit’, the title of a rejected Police song that appears as ‘Three O’Clock Shot’ on Strontium 90: Police Academy.^[2]

A music video for the song was shot at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 23 October 1979. It features the band members miming to the track amidst spacecraft displays, interspersed with NASA footage. Both Sting and Andy Summers strum guitars (not bass) in the video, and Stewart Copeland strikes his drumsticks on a Saturn V moon rocket.

Composition

“Walking on the Moon” has a “sparse” arrangement, centred around a three-note bass riff.^[2] Sting performs lead vocals on the song. It is one of The Police’s more reggae-influenced songs.

Track listing

7″ A&M / AMS 7494 (UK)

1. “Walking on the Moon” (Edit) – 3:59 (This edit has yet to appear on CD anywhere)
2. “Visions of the Night” – 3:05

12″ A&M / AMSP 7494 (UK)

1. “Walking on the Moon” – 4:59
2. “Visions of the Night” – 3:05

Charts

Personnel

• Sting – Lead and backing vocals, bass guitar
• Andy Summers – Guitar, synthesizer
• Stewart Copeland – Drums

End

[Opening instrumental]

[Verse 1]
Just a castaway
An island lost at sea
Another lonely day
With no one here but me
More loneliness
Than any man could bear
Rescue me before I fall into despair

[Chorus]
I’ll send an SOS to the world
I’ll send an SOS to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle

[Verse 2]
A year has passed since I wrote my note
But I should have known this right from the start
Only hope can keep me together
Love can mend your life
But love can break your heart

[Chorus]
I’ll send an SOS to the world
I’ll send an SOS to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle

[Verse 3]
Walked out this morning
Don’t believe what I saw
A hundred billion bottles
Washed up on the shore
Seems I’m not alone at being alone
A hundred billion castaways
Looking for a home

[Chorus]
I’ll send an SOS to the world
I’ll send an SOS to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle

[Outro]
Sending out an SOS…

“Message in a Bottle” is a song by English rock band The Police. It was released as the lead single from their second studio album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979). Written by the band’s lead singer and bassist Sting, the song is ostensibly about a story of a castaway on an island, who sends out a message in a bottle to seek love. A year later, he has not received any sort of response, and despairs, thinking he is destined to be alone. The next day, he sees “a hundred billion bottles” on the shore, finding out that there are more people like him out there.

The song was the first of their five UK number one singles.^[1] Rolling Stone ranked it number 65 on its list of the “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time”.

Background

According to the band’s guitarist, Andy Summers, the guitar riff that “Message in a Bottle” is centred around was originally used for a different song.^[2] During the band’s first American tour, however, he reworked the song and slightly altered the riff, becoming the final version of the song. In addition to the core riff, Summers came up with, as Sting described, “lovely arpeggiated shiver” during the break prior to the third verse.^[2] Sting praised this addition saying, “He’d [Summers] do that – the song would be quite raw and he’d just add these lovely colours.”^[2] The song was recorded at Surrey Sound Studios as part of the sessions for the Reggatta de Blanc album. Stewart Copeland‘s drumming, praised as his “finest drum track” by Summers, was “overdubbed [from] about six different parts.”^[2]

The Police debuted the song on live television on the BBC’s Rock Goes to College, filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire, England.^[3] The Police donated all money earned from the show to the college.

The song was released as the first single from Reggatta de Blanc in September 1979. The song was a massive success in Britain, becoming The Police’s first number one hit in the UK Singles Chart.^[4] The song also topped the charts in Ireland and reached number 5 in Australia. Despite its popularity in the UK, the single only reached number 74 in the United States. An alternative “classic rock” mix is available on Every Breath You Take: The Classics.

The song’s B-side, “Landlord”, was written by Sting (lyrics) and Copeland (music). Sting said of its inspiration, “I wrote that after Frances and I were thrown out of the house we were renting in London. I hated the idea of somebody fucking my life up like that. Stewart [Copeland] wrote the music.”^[2] The song originally featured lyrics by Copeland, but they were replaced by Sting’s.^[2]

“Message in a Bottle” is also a personal favourite of the members of the band. In addition to saying it was his favourite song in an interview with Jools Holland of the BBC, Sting described it as a “good song”, and also said that he was “very proud” of it.^[2][5] Copeland said it was “one of our [The Police’s] best moments in the studio and always great on stage.”^[2] Summers described the track as a personal favourite in his book One Train Later, and said, “For me, it’s still the best song Sting ever came up with and the best Police track.”^[2]

‘Message in a Bottle’ is a good song. That can move me. I like the idea that while it’s about loneliness and alienation it’s also about finding solace and other people going through the same thing. The guy’s on a desert island and throws a bottle out to sea saying he’s alone and all these millions of bottles come back saying, So what So am I! I like the fact that the whole deal is clinched by the third verse. It makes a journey.

— Sting, Q, November 1993^[2]

The Police performed at Live Earth, a 2007 charity concert to raise awareness of global warming and other environmental hazards, and performed “Message in a Bottle” as the US finale, with John Mayer playing guitar with Andy Summers and Kanye West performing a rap verse over the chorus of the song.

Composition

The song exemplifies the reggae/post-punk style of early Police. It is composed in the key of C♯ minor with a chord progression of C#m9-Amaj9–B7–F#m. The song’s structure is verse-chorus-verse-chorus-outro.

Personnel

• Stewart Copeland – drums
• Sting – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals
• Andy Summers – guitar

Track listing

A&M / AMS 7474

1. “Message in a Bottle” (edit) – 3:50 (This edit has yet to appear on CD anywhere)
2. “Landlord” – 3:09

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

End

Ah ha ha ha

[Verse 1]
Roxanne
You don’t have to put on the red light
Those days are over
You don’t have to sell your body to the night
Roxanne
You don’t have to wear that dress tonight
Walk the streets for money
You don’t care if it’s wrong or if it’s right

[Pre-Chorus]
Roxanne
You don’t have to put on the red light
Roxanne
You don’t have to put on the red light

[Chorus]
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
Oh

[Verse 2]
I loved you since I knew ya
I wouldn’t talk down to ya
I have to tell you just how I feel
I won’t share you with another boy
I know my mind is made up
So put away your make up
Told you once I won’t tell you again it’s a bad way

[Pre-Chorus]
Roxanne
You don’t have to put on the red light
Roxanne
You don’t have to put on the red light

[Chorus]
(Roxanne) You don’t have to put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) You don’t have to put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light

“Roxanne” is a song by English rock band The Police. Written by lead singer and bassist Sting, the song was released in April 1978 as a single from their debut album Outlandos d’Amour. It was written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute. On re-release in 1979, the song peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

The song ranked No. 388 on the Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time“^[4] and was voted No. 85 by VH1 on its list of the “100 Greatest Rock Songs”.

In 2008, “Roxanne” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.^[5]

Background

Police lead singer Sting wrote the song, inspired by the prostitutes he saw near the band’s seedy hotel in Paris, France, where the Police were lodged in October 1977 to perform at the Nashville Club. The song’s title comes from the name of the character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, an old poster of which was hanging in the hotel foyer.^[6]

Sting had originally conceived the song as a bossa nova, although he credits Police drummer Stewart Copeland for suggesting its final rhythmic form as a tango. During recording, Sting accidentally sat down on a piano keyboard in the studio, resulting in the atonal piano chord and laughter preserved at the beginning of the track.^[7] The Police were initially diffident about the song, but Miles Copeland III was immediately enthusiastic after hearing it; he became their manager and got them their first record deal with A&M Records.

We went into Surrey Sound Studios and it was working pretty well. We recorded a few tracks, one of which I wrote more or less as a throwaway. That was ‘Roxanne’, I didn’t think much more about it until we played the album to Miles Copeland who is, of course, Stewart’s brother and a bit of an entrepreneur, though he’d never been particularly interested in The Police. In fact, he’d kept away from it to say the least. He did come along to the sessions while we were putting the first album together but more or less just to offer brotherly advice to Stewart. He heard the album and quite liked it. When we got to Roxanne, we were a bit embarrassed because the song was a bit of an anachronism, because compared with our usual material it was slow, quiet and melodic. Far from saying he thought it was a piece of shit, he said it was amazing. I thought, ‘He likes this song. This is fantastic!

— Sting, A Visual Documentary, 1978^[8]

According to Andy Summers:

Sting played it for me in my living room early on. He was very shy at first bringing in his songs. But it was brilliant, and later on we all worked it out in a damp basement in North London. I remember Stewart telling Sting where to place the bass notes, which was a bit tricky. Miles Copeland came down to hear us and we were kind of embarrassed to play it for him, because Miles had blinders on and was into fast and furious punk. But much to his credit, he said, ‘This is great, a knockout!’ I was really surprised. And he took it to A&M and got a contract for one single. I don’t think it ever broke the Top 40 in America, but eventually it became the Police signature tune.

— Andy Summers, Guitar World, 1/94^[9]

“Roxanne” became the band’s debut single for A&M Records. However, despite the praise given by Miles Copeland, the single did not chart upon its initial release.

The band released two further singles in the UK that year: “Can’t Stand Losing You”, which charted at number 42, and “So Lonely”, which did not chart. Then, in early 1979, “Roxanne” was issued in North America as the group’s first single there. In the US, “Roxanne” entered the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1979 and peaked at number 32 in April. In Canada, the single placed one rung higher on the charts, peaking at number 31.

The song’s international success spurred a UK re-release of “Roxanne” in April 1979. This re-release of the song was a hit, reaching number 12 in the UK Singles Chart.^[10] A live solo version performed by Sting from the 1982 album The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball received moderate airplay on album-oriented rock radio and reached number 28 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart.^[11] The song went on to become a staple of Sting’s performances during his solo career, and it was performed when The Police reunited in 2003 for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Acclaim

“Roxanne” has appeared on all of the Police’s greatest hits albums. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 388 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.^[12]

In 2000, VH1 ranked the song at number 85 on its list of the “100 Greatest Rock Songs” while in 2003 it was ranked number 90 on their list of the “100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 years”.

It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2008, “Roxanne” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.^[5]

This was the first song the band performed live at the 2007 Grammy Awards to kick off their 30th Anniversary Reunion Tour.

Music video

Two different music videos were released for “Roxanne”. The first shows the band performing the song on a stage on what is perhaps a sound check to a show. Many slow motion shots of the group live appear here as well. The second version was shot on a soundstage and shows the band performing before a red backdrop.^{[citation needed]}

Chart performance

Weekly charts

¹Roxanne ’97 (Puff Daddy Remix)

Year-end charts

Personnel

• Sting – bass, lead vocals, backing vocals, piano
• Andy Summers – guitar, backing vocals
• Stewart Copeland – drums, backing vocals

Track listing

7″: A&M / AMS 7348 (UK)

1. “Roxanne” – 3:00 (Sting)
2. “Peanuts” (single edit) – 2:52 (Stewart Copeland, Sting)

Cover versions and samples

• In 1997, Sting re-recorded the song with music impresario Puff Daddy as “Roxanne ’97 (Puff Daddy Remix)” for the compilation album The Very Best of Sting & The Police. Only the 1997 and 1998 A&M/PolyGram releases have this song, as it is omitted in the 2002 A&M/Universal re-release. Sting also recorded an orchestral version of the song for his 2010 album Symphonicities.
• In 1997, Michael Franti & Spearhead covered the song in the film Good Burger during the introduction of a female character with the same name.
• In 1997, British reggae group Aswad covered the song on its album Big Up.
• In 1997, saxophonist Warren Hill covered the song on his album Shelter.^[30]
• In 1999, George Michael covered the song on his album Songs from the Last Century.^[31]
• In 2000, rapper Cam’ron sampled “Roxanne” for his single “What Means The World to You?”.
• In 2001, the song was one of the many remixed covers in the film Moulin Rouge!, named “El Tango de Roxanne”, which was combined with the tango composition “Tanguera” by Mariano Mores.
• In 2003, Fall Out Boy covered the song in the deluxe version of Take This to Your Grave.
• In 2003, Sherbert covered the song with Matt Lightbourn on vocals.
• In 2004, Incubus performed a version of the song on the occasion of its semi-acoustic live set at KROQ with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers as guests.
• In 2005, British group The Flying Pickets delivered an a cappella version of the song on its album “Everyday”.
• In 2006, British band Arctic Monkeys referenced the character of “Roxanne” in a lyric of their single “When the Sun Goes Down“.
• In 2007, Kate Ceberano recorded a version for her Nine Lime Avenue album.
• In 2008, Idina Menzel covered the song on her “I Stand” Summer Tour. She also performed the song on her 2010–2011 Symphony Tour as a mashup with Cole Porter‘s Love For Sale, which appears on her live album “Live: Barefoot at the Symphony.”
• In 2009, the song was parodied by Flight of the Conchords in You Don’t Have to be a Prostitute, in episode 2 of its second television series.
• In 2011, the song was featured on the Community episode, “Remedial Chaos Theory“.
• In 2012, the song was covered by singer Juliet Simms for the reality television show, The Voice. Her cover reached number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• In 2014, Nadia Ali did an acoustic cover of the song that was released as a free download.
• In 2015, Royal Blood covered the song in BBC Radio 1‘s Live Lounge.
• In 2016, Lacey Sturm covered the song on her album Life Screams.

End

[Intro]

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I’ll be watching you

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I’ll be watching you

[Pre-Verse 3]
Oh can’t you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches with every step you take

[Verse 3]
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I’ll be watching you

Since you’ve gone I’ve been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around, but it’s you I can’t replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby please

[Middle-eight]
Ooh…

[Pre-Verse 3]
Oh can’t you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches with every step you take

Every move you make
And every vow you break

Every smile you fake, every claim you stake
I’ll be watching you

Every move you make, every step you take
I’ll be watching you

I’ll be watching you
(Every breath you take, every move you make)
(Every bond you break, every step you take)
I’ll be watching you
(Every single day, every word you say)
(Every game you play, every night you stay)

I’ll be watching you
(Every move you make, every vow you break)
(Every smile you fake, every claim you stake)
I’ll be watching you
(Every single day, every word you say)
(Every game you play, every night you stay)

I’ll be watching you
(Every breath you take, every move you make)
(Every bond you break, every step you take)
I’ll be watching you
(Every single day, every word you say)
(Every game you play, every night you stay)

I’ll be watching you
(Every move you make, every vow you break)
(Every smile you fake, every claim you stake)
I’ll be watching you
I’ll be watching you
(Every single day, every word you say)
(Every game you play, every night you stay)
I’ll be watching you

Listen to more from The Police: https://ThePolice.lnk.to/Essentials
Discover more about this track here: http://playlists.udiscovermusic.com/playlist/the-police-best-of

Listen to The Police playlists here: http://playlists.udiscovermusic.com/playlist/the-police-best-of

Discover more about this track and what made it one of the defining pop singles of the 1980s:
http://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-police-and-americas-favourite-hit-of-1983

Experience The Police on Half Speed Mastered Vinyl LP: https://lnk.to/CfAvq

Music video by The Police performing Every Breath You Take (Black and White Version). (C) 1983 A&M Records Ltd.

“Every Breath You Take” is a song by English rock band The Police from their 1983 album Synchronicity. Written by Sting, the single was the biggest US and UK hit of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks (the band’s only number-one hit on that chart), and the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the Billboard Top Tracks chart for nine weeks.

At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards the song was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Record of the Year, winning in the first two categories. For the song, Sting received the 1983 British Academy’s Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.^[4]

The song is considered to be both The Police’s and Sting’s signature song, and in 2010 was estimated to generate between a quarter and a third of Sting’s music publishing income.^[5] In the 1983 Rolling Stone critics and readers poll, it was voted “Song of the Year”. In the US, it was the best-selling single of 1983 and fifth-best-selling single of the decade. Billboard ranked it as the number-one song for 1983.^[6]

The song ranked number 84 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.^[7] It also ranked number 25 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.^[8] In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation’s favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.^[9]

Origins and songwriting

Sting wrote the song in 1982 in the aftermath of his separation from Frances Tomelty and the beginning of his relationship with Trudie Styler. Their split was controversial. As The Independent reported in 2006, “The problem was, he was already married – to actress Frances Tomelty, who just happened to be Trudie’s best friend (Sting and Frances lived next door to Trudie in Bayswater, west London, for several years before the two of them became lovers). The affair was widely condemned.” In order to escape from the public eye, Sting retreated in the Caribbean where he started writing the song.^[10] The lyrics are the words of a possessive lover who is watching “every breath you take; every move you make”.

I woke up in the middle of the night with that line in my head, sat down at the piano and had written it in half an hour. The tune itself is generic, an aggregate of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control.

— Sting^[11]

Sting later said he was disconcerted by how many people think the song is more positive than it is. He insists it is about the obsession with a lost lover, and the jealousy and surveillance that follow. “One couple told me ‘Oh we love that song; it was the main song played at our wedding!’ I thought, ‘Well, good luck.'”^[12] When asked why he appears angry in the music video, Sting told BBC Radio 2, “I think the song is very, very sinister and ugly and people have actually misinterpreted it as being a gentle little love song, when it’s quite the opposite.”^[13]

According to the Back to Mono box-set book, “Every Breath You Take” is influenced by a Gene Pitney song titled “Every Breath I Take”. Led Zeppelin‘s song, “D’Yer Mak’er” (1973), also contains the words “every breath I take; every move I make”. The song has an AABACABA structure.

The demo of the song was recorded in an eight-track suite in North London’s Utopia studios and featured Sting singing over a Hammond organ.^[1] A few months later he presented the song to the other band members when they reconvened at George Martin‘s AIR Studios in Montserrat to work on the Synchronicity album. While recording, Summers came up with a guitar part inspired by Béla Bartók that would later become a trademark lick, and played it straight through in one take. He was asked to put guitar onto a simple backing track of bass, drums, and a single vocal, with Sting offering no directive beyond “make it your own.”^[14] Summers remembers:

This was a difficult one to get, because Sting wrote a very good song, but there was no guitar on it. He had this Hammond organ thing that sounded like Billy Preston. It certainly didn’t sound like the Police, with that big, rolling synthesiser part. We spent about six weeks recording just the snare drums and the bass. It was a simple, classic chord sequence, but we couldn’t agree how to do it. I’d been making an album with Robert Fripp, and I was kind of experimenting with playing Bartok violin duets and had worked up a new riff. When Sting said ‘go and make it your own’, I went and stuck that lick on it, and immediately we knew we had something special.

— Andy Summers^[15]

The recording process was fraught with difficulties as personal tensions between the band members, particularly Sting and Stewart Copeland, came to the fore.^[1] Producer Hugh Padgham claimed that by the time of the recording sessions, Sting and Copeland “hated each other”, with verbal and physical fights in the studio common.^[1] The tensions almost led to the recording sessions being cancelled until a meeting involving the band and the group’s manager, Miles Copeland (Stewart’s brother), resulted in an agreement to continue.^[1] Keyboard parts were added from Roland guitar synthesizers, a Prophet-5 and an Oberheim synthesiser.^[1] The single-note piano in the middle eight was recommended by Padgham, inspired by similar work that he had done with the group XTC.^[1] The drum track was largely created through separate overdubs of each percussive instrument, with the main backbeat created by simultaneously playing a snare and a gong drum.^[1] To give the song more liveliness, Padgham asked Copeland to record his drum part in the studio’s dining room in order to achieve some “special sound effects”. The room was so hot, that his drum sticks had to be taped to Copeland’s hands to make sure they didn’t fly off.^[1] According to Stewart Copeland:

In my humble opinion, this is Sting’s best song with the worst arrangement. I think Sting could have had any other group do this song and it would have been better than our version — except for Andy’s brilliant guitar part. Basically, there’s an utter lack of groove. It’s a totally wasted opportunity for our band. Even though we made gazillions off of it, and it’s the biggest hit we ever had.

— Stewart Copeland^[15]

Music video

The song had a music video (directed by duo Godley & Creme) loosely based on Gjon Mili‘s 1944 short film Jammin’ the Blues. Shot in black-and-white, the video depicts the band, accompanied by a pianist and string section, performing the song in a darkened ballroom as a man washes the floor-to-ceiling window behind them. Sting performs his part on upright bass rather than bass guitar.

The video was praised for its cinematography; MTV (1999), Rolling Stone (1993), and VH1 (2002) named it as one of the best music videos ever, placing it 16th, 61st, & 33rd in their respective top 100 lists. Daniel Pearl won the first MTV cinematography award for his work on the video.^[16] Released in the early days of MTV, Every Breath You Take was one of the earliest videos to enter heavy rotation, a fact that significantly contributed to the popularity of the song. Pop star Richard Marx remembers that “The first video I watched over and over was Every Breath You Take. It was like seeing a Bergman film. Directors usually spelled out every word of the lyrics in a video, but this was the first video I knew that didn’t do that. It was abstract.” According to A&M co-founder Jeff Ayeroff, “[The video for] Every Breath You Take probably cost $75,000 to $100,000, and we sold over 5 million albums. With a good video, the return on your investment was phenomenal.”^[17]

Impact

“Every Breath You Take” was released as a single in 1983, with “Murder by Numbers”, a composition by Andy Summers and Sting, on the B-side. “Every Breath You Take” reached the No. 1 spot in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Israel, Ireland, and South Africa. In the 1983 Rolling Stone critics and readers poll, it was voted “Song of the Year”.

Legacy

“Every Breath You Take” quickly established itself as one of the most popular songs in The Police’s repertoire, closing the band’s performances before the encores in the Synchronicity Tour (1983–84) and later in The Police Reunion Tour (2007–08).

Sting performed the song at Live Aid at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1985, with Phil Collins providing additional vocals, to an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion people watching the live broadcast. Sting performed it again, 20 years later, at Live 8.

In 1999, “Every Breath You Take” was listed as one of the Top 100 Songs of the Century by BMI.^[18][19] In 2003, VH1 ranked the song the No. 2 greatest Break-up song of all time. And also as of 2003, Sting was still taking in an average of $2000 per day in royalties for the then 20-year-old song.^[20]

The Police performed the song at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 with Gwen Stefani, Steven Tyler and John Mayer on backing vocals.

In 2007 Andy Summers called his photography book I’ll Be Watching You: Inside The Police 1980–1983 after the lyrics of the song.

In October 2007, Sting was awarded a Million-Air certificate for 9 million airplays of “Every Breath You Take” at the BMI Awards show in London, with only Van Morrison‘s “Brown Eyed Girl” a close second at 8 million air plays.^[21]

In October 2017 the song was featured at the end of Season 2 of the Netflix thriller Stranger Things during the Snowball dance and also appears on the Sony Music soundtrack that features songs that were used in both season 1 and 2

Accolades

• “Every Breath You Take” has been ranked as the 94th best song of all time, as well as the third best song of 1983, in an aggregation of critics’ lists at acclaimedmusic.net.
• Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time placed it at No. 84.
• It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.^[22]
• It ranked No. 25 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.^[8]
• In 1989, “Every Breath You Take” was voted No. 95 by Rolling Stone on its list of the “100 Best Singles of the Last 25 Years”.
• In 2001, the RIAA‘s Songs of the Century placed the song 44th (out of 365).
• The song came in at No. 424 in Q‘s list of the “1001 Greatest Songs Ever” in 2003.
• In 2004, “Every Breath You Take” was ranked No. 216 in WXPN‘s list of The 885 All-Time Greatest Songs.
• In 2005, Blender ranked the song at No. 315 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born”.
• In 2000, the song appeared at No. 42 on Rolling Stone’s list of “100 Greatest Pop Songs”, compiled by Rolling Stone and MTV music critics to rank songs released since The Beatles’ breakthrough.
• In 2015 “Every Breath You Take” topped the poll in ITV‘s “The Nation’s Favourite 80s Number One” show.
• VH1 ranked the song No. 46 on the “100 Greatest Songs of the 80s” countdown in its series The Greatest.

Track listing

7″: A&M / AM 117

1. “Every Breath You Take” – 4:13
2. “Murder by Numbers” – 4:31

2×7″: A&M / AM 117

1. “Every Breath You Take” – 4:13
2. “Murder by Numbers” – 4:31

1. “Man in a Suitcase” (Live) – 2:18
2. “Truth Hits Everybody ’83” – 3:34

• Rare 2×7″ single

Personnel

• Sting – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, synthesizers
• Andy Summers – guitars, piano
• Stewart Copeland – drums

Charts and certifications

End-of-decade charts

Certifications

Samples, cover versions, and in popular culture

• Six months after the release of “Every Breath You Take”, singer Ray Parker, Jr. released the single “I Still Can’t Get Over Loving You“, the lyrics of which bore a striking similarity to “Every Breath You Take”, even including the lines “Every breath you take, I’ll be watching you.”^[67]
• Sting also riffs on the lyrics in his song “Love Is the Seventh Wave“, singing “Every breath you take/every move you make/every cake you bake/every leg you break…”
• The Shadows did an instrumental version on Moonlight Shadows (1986).
• The Puff Daddy song “I’ll Be Missing You” (1997) samples the guitar, drum, and bass parts of the song, and the chorus is an interpolation of the lyrics.
• American Punk Rock band Strung Out covered the song for a collection entitled Before You Were Punk 2, released in 1999.
• Swirlies alias group The Yes Girls covered the song on Casio keyboard and guitar on their 2000 album.
• Juliana Hatfield covered the song for her album “Gold Stars 1992-2002: The Juliana Hatfield Collection“.
• The soundtrack in 2004 from 50 First Dates cover version with UB40 closing credits with Adam Sandler.
• The “woo-hoo” line in the song’s closing adlib is sampled in the chorus of The Black Eyed Peas‘ 2009 song “I Gotta Feeling“.
• In 2011 episode of Skins, a character references lyrics by quoting to his son, “Every move you make, every step you take, I’ll be watching you.”
• In 2012 soundtrack of Every Breath U Take film soundtrack cover of Piolo Pascual.
• In 2016, a cover by Denmark & Winter appeared on season 7, episode 1 of Pretty Little Liars.
• In 2016 Cassetteboy used the music with edited videos of David Cameron and Theresa May as part of protests against the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill.^[68]
• In 2017, the song was featured in the ending sequence of the second season of the Netflix original series Stranger Things.