10
'Synchronicity II'
One of the Police's most straight-ahead rock songs, 'Synchronicity II' and its keyboard-heavy little brother bookend the conceptual first side of the band's 1983 album 'Synchronicity.' The term, Synchronicity, is defined as the experience of two or more events that are causally unrelated, but occur together in a meaningful manner. But, only Sting knows for sure how the song's protagonist is connected to the re-awakening of the Loch Ness Monster.
09
'Can't Stand Losing You'
Off 1978's'Outlandos d'Amour' album, the song was originally banned by the BBC due to it's controversial cover, depicting drummer Stewart Copeland in the midst of the world's slowest suicide attempt: He's standing on a block of ice with a noose around his neck, waiting for the ice to melt. Luckily, he had plenty of time to realize he was about to be the drummer in a hugely popular rock band, untie himself and draw a warm bath for his frozen feet.
08
'Walking on the Moon'
Sting coined the phrase 'Walking on the Moon' -- for this hit single from 1979's 'Regatta De Blanc' -- to describe the wonderful feeling you get after a terrific date leaves you, well, moonstruck. For the video they took a more literal approach, performing at NASA's Kennedy Space center, playing guitars in front of the computer monitors and banging on rockets with drum sticks, which ... doesn't seem all that safe, does it?
07
'King of Pain'
'King of Pain' is one of four songs from the ballad-heavy second side of 1983's 'Synchronicity' featured on our best Police songs list -- which shows how far their reggae-influenced punk rock music had evolved in just six short years. Their touring lives had also changed in that time: Prior to their first album release, the band traveled across America in a low-budgeted, rented van. Following the release of this, their final album, they were headlining stadiums across the world, including the world-famous Shea Stadium in NYC.
06
'Roxanne'
An Englishman goes to Paris while on tour, gazes upon a prostitute near the band's cheap hotel and writes a song fantasizing about rescuing her from that life. The song gets the band a manager, a record deal and their first hit single -- becoming the band's signature song and earning them rock band status. The question is, what did she ever get out of it all?
05
'Message in a Bottle'
'Regatta De Blanc' -- translated, very loosely, as "white reggae" -- continued the band's rapid rise to the top of the rock world with a quickly recorded, surprisingly sophisticated set of songs highlighted by 'Message in a Bottle,' in which a man casts his lonely plea for love into the ocean only to find out that he's hardly alone.
04
'Wrapped Around Your Finger'
Yet another refined, pop masterpiece from 1983's 'Synchronicity.' Sting's lyrics tell another tale filled with references to classic books and mythology. This time, the story concerns a young man who starts as an older lover's plaything -- but through careful observation and icy detachment, learns how to turn the tables and become the one in charge. Think of 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' as a more literate version of the Rolling Stones' classic 'Under My Thumb.'
03
'Don't Stand So Close to Me'
All three band members agree that 1980's 'Zenyatta Mondatta' is their least favorite Police album, largely due to rushed production before embarking on another world tour. Perhaps that's why they attempted to re-record this haunting lolita track for their 1986 singles collection. Only problem is, the new version was almost universally panned as an overproduced, leaden mess that added nothing to the magic of the original. Are you listening, George Lucas?
02
'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic'
1981's 'Ghost in the Machine' album found the Police moving away from their raw punk-reggae sound into a more refined, jazz-influenced style -- adding keyboards, horns and layered production to create infectiously catchy pop songs like this massive hit single. This album pointed the way to both the unparalleled artistic and commercial success of 'Synchronicity' and the band's ultimate demise, as guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland started to feel like Sting's backing musicians.
01
'Every Breath You Take'
From 1983's 'Synchronicity,' 'Every Breath You Take' held onto the No. 1 spot on the Billboard singles charts for eight straight weeks. Sting, the song's composer, has frequently expressed surprise that a chronicle of the jealousy he dealt with during his divorce from a previous wife is frequently chosen by young couples as their wedding theme.
1. Nice list, even if Walking On The Moon Didn't Make it. LOL
Posted at 3:17PM on Jun 22nd 2010 by daonerado