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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
08-De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Words are hard to find
The only checks I've left unsigned
From the banks of chaos in my mind
And when their eloquence escapes me
Their logic ties me up and rapes me
De do do do, de da da da
De do do do, de da da da
Their innocence will pull me through
De do do do, de da da da
Is all I want to say to you
De do do do, de da da da
They're meaningless and all that's true
Poets, priests and politicians
Have words to thank for their positions
Words that scream for your submission
And no one's jamming their transmission
'Cause when their eloquence escapes you
Their logic ties you up and rapes you
De do do do, de da da da
Is all I want to say to you
De do do do, de da da da
Their innocence will pull me through
De do do do, de da da da
Is all I want to say to you
De do do do, de da da da
They're meaningless and all that's true
De do do do, de da da da
Is all I want to say to you
De do do do, de da da da
Their innocence will pull me through
De do do do, de da da da
Is all I want to say to you
De do do do, de da da da
They're meaningless and all that's true
The song Police / De do do do de da da Da by The Police is a commentary on the power of words and how they can be both meaningless and yet hold great power. The lyrics open with Sting admitting that he is struggling to find the right words to express himself, and that his thoughts are often chaotic and difficult to articulate. He alludes to the fact that even when he does manage to find the words he needs, they can be used against him in a way that feels violent and oppressive.
The chorus of the song is deliberately simplistic and relies on nonsensical sounds rather than any concrete meaning. This is a deliberate contrast to the verses, which are longer and more considered. The repetition of "de do do do, de da da da" is designed to highlight the fact that words do not always need to have a clear meaning in order to be effective. Sometimes it is the rhythm and flow of language that can be the most powerful thing of all. The innocence of these simple sounds is what pulls Sting through the darkness of the rest of the song.
The second verse of the song takes a more political turn, with Sting commenting on the language used by those in positions of power. He suggests that words can be used to manipulate and subjugate people, and that those who are not careful with language can become victims of their own eloquence. The reference to "jamming their transmission" is a nod to the fact that sometimes it is the silencing of words that can be most effective.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't think me unkind
Please don't take offense to what I'm about to say
Words are hard to find
I struggle to find the right words to express myself
The only checks I've left unsigned
I have unfinished business that I'm neglecting
From the banks of chaos in my mind
My thoughts are disorganized and overwhelming
And when their eloquence escapes me
I struggle to understand their arguments and articulate my own thoughts
Their logic ties me up and rapes me
Their persuasive arguments and reasoning makes me feel trapped and powerless
De do do do, de da da da
Simple sounds and meaningless words
Is all I want to say to you
Sometimes it's easier to communicate with simple, meaningless sounds than to articulate complex thoughts
Their innocence will pull me through
The simple, innocent nature of these sounds can be comforting and help me cope with difficult situations
They're meaningless and all that's true
The simplicity and lack of meaning of these sounds is a reflection of the chaos and confusion in life
Poets, priests and politicians
People in positions of power and influence
Have words to thank for their positions
Their ability to communicate persuasively helped them attain their power and influence
Words that scream for your submission
Their words often create a sense of urgency and pressure for people to comply with their demands
And no one's jamming their transmission
No one is effectively challenging their messages or preventing them from disseminating their ideas
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GORDON SUMNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel
on Roxanne
Algum leitor sabe a letra de Saludos Caballeros ?
Até agora não conseguí !
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