The band reunited in January 2007 for a reunion tour that lasted until August 2008.
Biography
The Police formed in early 1977 in London by Stewart Copeland (drums), Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting (bass and lead vocals), and Henry Padovani (guitar). Andy Summers later joined the group, and after a very short stint as a quartet, Padovani left the band. The Police became one of the most popular bands in the late 70s and throughout the 80s.
The Police are notable as one of the first mainstream white pop groups to adopt reggae as a predominant musical form and to score major international hits with reggae-styled material. (The first all-white reggae band with permanent members and frequent recording in Europe was Peps Blodsband, lead by Peps Persson from south Sweden who changed from blues to reggae 1974/75). Although reggae was already very popular in the United Kingdom (due to the large number of Caribbean immigrants) and a number of Western European countries, reggae was little known in the United States and rejected by most black artists in U.S, and prior to the emergence of the Police only a handful of reggae songs had enjoyed any significant chart success. The Police, UB40, The Clash and Bob Marley (Jamaican, partly living in England after being shot in Jamaica, are considered with a number of new wave, rock and ska bands as one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the U.S.
The Police were strongly influenced by reggae (especially reggae drumming and base lines), jazz and, in the beginning, punk rock – something that came to be shifted more and more towards pop during the 80s. Their lyrics also changed from challenging, but yet somewhat politically restrained punk- and new wave lyrics, to after 1982 in some songs emphasize environmental awareness and human oneness. The biggest hits, however, had romantic or sexual themes. The Police met together with other "white" British bands which played reggae, as UB40, criticism from black English rastafarian reggae bands like Aswad (in a BBC documentary on TV) and Steel Pulse, for being accomplices in the music industry of "Babylon", stealing the Caribbean slave descendants' musical treasure. This criticism has later been withdrawn. Aswad has even made the covers of Police songs like "Roxanne".
Tension grew between the band members, because unlike most other bands, they did not share songwriting credits. They released their last album, Synchronicity, in 1983, selling over 8 million copies. Synchronicity is critically regarded as their best album, with hits such as Synchronicity II, King of Pain, and probably their best known song, Every Breath You Take. In 1984, after touring in support of Synchronicity, The Police went on hiatus while Sting pursued his acting and solo music careers. Two years later, The Police reformed and played a few concerts for Amnesty International. Soon after the band went into the studio. Sting wanted to re-record their old songs but Andy and Stewart wanted to leave the originals alone and only two songs were re-recorded during these studio sessions. Although the group is considered to have disbanded in 1984, 1986 was the last time The Police engaged in any musical activity.
In 1992 the band released "Message in a Box", their 4 CD box set, and performed at Sting's wedding to Trudie Styler. A live CD was released in June 1995. On March 10, 2003 The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed Message in a Bottle, Roxanne and Every Breath You Take.
The Police reformed in 2007 and opened the Grammy award ceremony of that year with a performance of Roxanne. Towards the end of May the band began a world tour. In 2008 the tour ended at Madison Square Garden, New York on August 7, and The Police disbanded for good. Sting was quoted towards the end of the tour that he had achieved closure with the band and revealed that The Police would never tour or record again.
Sting has said that the material on the album Ghost in the Machine were inspired by the writings of Arthur Koestler, and that the Police's final studio album Synchronicity was influenced by the writings of Carl Jung. Sting also peppers his songs with literary allusions: the song "Don't Stand So Close to Me" mentions Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita; "Tea in the Sahara" alludes to the novel The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles; and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" refers both to the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis, from Greek mythology, and to Mephistopheles, from the German legend of Faust .
Discography
* Outlandos d'Amour (1978)
* Reggatta de Blanc (1979)
* Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)
* Ghost in the Machine (1981)
* Synchronicity (1983)
.Walking.On.The.Moon
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking on the moon
I hope my leg 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
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
Giant steps are what you take
Walking on the moon
I hope my leg don't break
Walking on the moon
We could walk forever
Walking on the moon
We could be together
Walking on, walking on the moon
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
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
Keep it up, keep it up
The Police's song "Walking on the Moon" is a dreamy and introspective song that features a groovy reggae beat and catchy chorus. The lyrics themselves are about the sensation of walking on the moon, with metaphors of giant steps, weightlessness, and the notion that walking could become eternal. In the first verse, the lyrics touch on the fear of breaking legs while walking on the moon, and the idea that two people could live together and walk forever on the lunar surface.
The second verse focuses more on the actual walking aspect and the feeling of being weightless. The singer notes that their feet hardly make any sound as they walk on the moon's surface, and the lyrics capture the sense of almost gliding across the space rock. The final verse touches on the idea that some may feel they're wishing their days away while others may believe in the promise of another day to come. The song concludes with the upbeat repetition of the chorus, urging the listener to keep moving and "keep it up."
Overall, the song's lyrics are open to interpretation, as they're delivered in a laid-back, seemingly stream-of-consciousness style. However, they also convey a sense of wonder and the desire for something more. The Police's hit song is a timeless classic, evoking images of distant planets and endless possibility.
Line by Line Meaning
Giant steps are what you take
You are making big moves and progress
Walking on the moon
Comparing the great accomplishment of walking on the moon to taking big steps in life
I hope my legs don't break
Despite the risks, I hope to keep moving forward without losing track or giving up
We could walk forever
There is potential for us to continue to grow and progress without stopping
We could live together
The idea that if we continue to work towards progress, we can all coexist peacefully
Walking back from your house
Revisiting the past
Feet they hardly touch the ground
Feeling like you are floating or disconnected from reality
My feet don't hardly make no sound
Feeling like you are not making much of an impact or not being noticed
Some may say
Acknowledging that not everyone will agree with your actions
I'm wishing my days away
Feeling like you are wasting your life or not making the most of it
And if it's the price I pay
Accepting that there may be negative consequences for your actions
Tomorrow's another day
There will always be more opportunities and time to make progress and changes
You stay
Some people may choose to not take action or change
I may as well play
Choosing to keep working towards progress despite obstacles
Keep it up, keep it up
Encouragement to continue working towards progress
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gordon Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@riccardotralli76
Me: What instrument do you play?
Sting: Bass and vocals
Andy: Guitar
Stewart: The Saturn V
@joehynes5452
🤣🤣
@steph8227
Heavy and powerful instrument... Start engine Stewart!
@NormAppleton
Technically the F1 engine of the Saturn V, but I digress....
@MsBellatrixa
It'd be a great pick up line 😂😂
@stiltomonkey6137
The ears
@edmaster6902
These guys were on a whole different level, rock style influenced by punk, reggae and jazz. Absolutely brilliant!
@einarabelc5
One was a jazz/60s rock guitarist and the other two were prog with Egyptian influences and jazz
@jamesbong4928
Yeah I was into these guys, and as a kid, on a couple of occasions, I swore I saw that drummer maestro on the streets.
But I could've been right innit
@russellhamer8690
@@jamesbong4928 Copeland n Sting famously reside in N.Y with Sting openly admitting he would Walk the streets at night looking for coke dealers because he thought it made Him play better... I'm glad he is rid of those Demons these days....