10. The Instrumentals: Reggatta De Blanc (Regatta; Sting/Andy/Stewart)/Behind My Camel (Zenyata; Andy). Pop bands are usually known for songs with words, and Sting of course enjoys showing off his eloquence (except where he can display his erudition in other ways, such as playing classical lute), but these two gems show off The Police’s instrumental chops. I especially like the latter, penned by Andy Summers. Sting apparently disagreed: He hated the song so much he refused to play it. Andy and Stewart recorded it, and Andy later overdubbed the bass part. The song subsequently won the Best Rock Instrumental Performance Grammy.
9. The Break-Up Songs: Can't Stand Losing You (Outlandos; Sting)/So Lonely (Outlandos; Sting)/The Bed's Too Big Without You (Regatta; Sting). These three songs show that The Police knew a thing or two about breaking up long before Sting went solo. In just minutes, “Can’t Stand Losing You” runs the gamut from the fazed stupor of realization (“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”) to the bottomless pit of despair (“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.”). For better or worse, the band focused on the latter; the single’s cover featured a picture of Stewart hanging himself, and BBC consequently banned the song.
8. Rehumanize Yourself (Ghost; Sting/Stewart). I like this song because it’s fast and fun. I like it because it takes aim at right-wing hooligan thugs. I like it because it effectively summarizes Das Kapital in a matter of minutes. But most of all, I like it because The Police get away with dropping the c-bomb while maintaining their intellectual cred.7. Secret Journey (Ghost; Sting). I have nothing profound to say about this, and the “all you need is love” message is hardly new. But it’s a fun song, and an early manifestation of Sting’s ongoing fascination with the intersection between romantic love and spiritual grace – a fascination that culminates (for now, at least) in his most recent pop album, “Sacred Love.” Also, when I’m having trouble interpreting the world around me, I often find myself singing “You will see light in the darkness/you will make some sense of this.” Corny but true.
6. Walking in Your Footsteps (Synchronicity; Sting). Who else in 1983 was producing songs about the Darwinian implications of nuclear war? “Hey mighty brontosaurus/Don't you have a message for us/You thought your rule would always last/There were no lessons in your past/You were built three stories high/They say you would not hurt a fly/If we explode the atom bomb/Would they say that we were dumb?” A clear predecessor to the more direct “Russians.” Plus: Panflute!
5. Bring On The Night (Regatta; Sting). There are two versions of this song that I prefer over the Regatta version – the live solo version on Sting’s two-disc set of the same name, and Bim Sherman’s version on Police Reggae tribute album “Regatta Mondatta Vol. 2” – but this song may be the band’s most successful experiment with Reggae, and I just love the bass line. Also, I’m just one of those people for whom the day really begins at dusk.
4. Spirits in the Material World (Ghost; Sting). “Our so-called leaders speak/With words they try to jail ya/They subjugate the meek/But it’s the rhetoric of failure.” Nuff said. Except for this: If you can, get the Synchronicity concert version (from the two-disc “Live!” album). Sting’s derisive grunt after the first line quoted above is sublime.
3. Someone to Talk To (Message in a Box; Andy). I never heard this song until receiving the box set, but it’s now one of my very favorite tracks on the four discs. Another great, perceptive break-up song: “I love you, why didn't I say that before/I guess that it's safe now she's walked through the door…. I didn't see her I only felt me/And one day I'll learn just which part of me bleeds/Now that she's gone I know she was great/But I f***ed it up and now it's too late.” When was the last time you heard a man be so honest about the end of his relationship?
2. No Time This Time (Regatta; Sting). Probably my favorite “Police song that could never be confused with a song from Sting’s solo albums.” Relentlessly frenetic, an angrier precursor to “Synchronicity II,” and a brilliant merging of form and substance. Young Sting (intentionally, I assume) struggles to keep up with the tempo, singing/screaming what might be a modern professional’s anthem: “If I could/I'd slow the whole world down/I'd bring it to its knees/I'd stop it spinning round/But as it is/I'm climbing up an endless wall/No time at all/No time this time.” Google the lyrics; I dare any of the professional parents here not to relate.
1. “Everyone Stares.” Not to be confused with the band’s song “Does Everyone Stare?” This is the Stewart Copeland documentary that occasioned the recent thaw in relations among The Police men and rumors of a reunion tour (apparently, Stewart was tickled that Sting attended a showing at Cannes or Sundance or somewhere, and things took off from there). In short, Copeland gets video camera, takes cool footage chronicling the band’s rise and fall, and sets it against innovative remixes of the band’s songs. There’s not a lot of analysis in here – just fun candid footage and the odd mix of excitement and horror as these guys go from playing small clubs in the UK to topping the charts internationally. Andy’s genuinely strange sense of humor in particular is a real treat. Also, one more (interestingly placed) c-bomb, which might give one pause about Stewart.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say a word about my hopes for the Grammys. Clearly, they need to perform a big hit. This is harder for The Police than for some bands, because if you think about it, their biggest hits mostly address topics like prostitution, pedophilia, stalking, Carl Jung, and the mind-numbing routines of workaday life in the middle class. (Fun!) My “big hit” choice for Sunday would be “Message in a Bottle,” a song that would let The Police be The Police (as opposed to being Sting with more notable back-ups than usual) while pleasing the crowd. If they get to do two songs, the second will probably be another hit (“Every Breath You Take” or “Roxanne” seem likely). But if I had my way, it would be something directed more squarely at the fans. The Synchronicity concert included great versions of “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “So Lonely”; I guess I’m hoping for one of those.
Well, I’ve surely overstayed my welcome. I’d love to chat more in the comments.
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