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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
09. Wrapped Around Your Finger
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Caught between the Scylla and Charibdes
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 turned into a shining band of gold
I'll be wrapped around your finger
I'll be wrapped around your finger
Mephistopheles is not your name
I know what you're up to just the same
I will listen hard to your tuition
You will see it come to its fruition
I'll be wrapped around your finger
I'll be wrapped around your finger
Devil and the deep blue sea behind me
Vanish in the air you'll never find me
I will turn your face to alabaster
When you'll find your servant is your master
You'll be wrapped around my finger
You'll be wrapped around my finger
You'll be wrapped around my finger
The Police's song "Wrapped Around Your Finger" is a complex and poetic exploration of the power dynamics in a relationship. The song is told from the perspective of a young apprentice who is deeply enamored and caught up in the web of their partner’s mysterious and manipulative ways. The opening lines of the song set the scene for this dynamic - the singer is caught between the Scylla and Charybdis, two mythical sea monsters who represent the hazards of navigating treacherous waters.
The singer is hypnotized by their partner, who they metaphorically describe as a ring around their finger. They are willing to sacrifice their own desires and needs to be enveloped in their partner's spell. The singer is seeking knowledge and wisdom from their partner, but eventually realizes that what they thought was a partnership is actually a one-sided power dynamic. They recognize that they are not in control, but rather their partner has sold them a false destiny, which has led them down a path they did not want to take.
The singer is aware of the danger they are in, and they use imagery of the devil and the deep blue sea to describe the sense of unease they feel. Despite this, they are still willing to listen to their partner and do their bidding, even if it means becoming their servant rather than their equal. The song builds to a powerful climax, where the roles are reversed, and the singer declares that their partner will be wrapped around their finger, indicating a newfound sense of power and control in the relationship.
Overall, the song is a meditation on the complexities of relationships and the power dynamics that are often present, even when we don't realize it.
Line by Line Meaning
You consider me the young apprentice
You see me as inexperienced and naïve
Caught between the Scylla and Charibdes
Trapped between two dangerous and conflicting situations
Hypnotized by you if I should linger
When I spend time with you, I am mesmerized by your charm
Staring at the ring around your finger
More specifically, I am entranced by the symbolism of the wedding band on your left hand
I have only come here seeking knowledge
My initial intention in all of this was merely to gain insight
Things they would not teach me of in college
I had hoped to learn things that could not be found in textbooks or the classroom
I can see the destiny you sold turned into a shining band of gold
I am now cognizant of the fact that you have convinced me to turn my fate over to you, and it is now as if I am handcuffed to you, or married to you, represented by the golden wedding band, so to speak
I'll be wrapped around your finger
I am now completely under your control, and will do whatever you say or want
Mephistopheles is not your name
You are not who I originally thought you were, a purely evil being, yet I still see your devilish nature now
I know what you're up to just the same
Despite my realization of your cunning, I cannot help but covertly admire and be drawn to you, even falling victim to your machinations
I will listen hard to your tuition
I will actively try and learn and absorb any wisdom or advice that you, seemingly the mastermind, will impart upon me
You will see it come to its fruition
Despite the fact that all that I now believe in and am striving towards is engineered by you and ultimately benefits you, I still view my accomplishments as a professional and living up to my potential as an achievement in itself, even if they align with your own interests
Devil and the deep blue sea behind me
I have left dangerous and unpredictable situations behind, only to find myself stuck in your equally treacherous grasp
Vanish in the air you'll never find me
If I were to break away from you, you would be unable to track me down, as I am now effectively gone from your control
I will turn your face to alabaster
Your own fear and apprehension will be sufficient retribution for the harm and manipulation that you have inflicted upon me
When you'll find your servant is your master
You will one day realize that I have surpassed you in my knowledge and expertise, and that I am now the dominant force in our relationship
You'll be wrapped around my finger
You will now be forced to endure the same sort of subjugation and loss of control that I had once experienced myself
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gordon Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CelestJackson
Who’s listening in 2024?
@nicolasfalcon5632
Hasta que muera 🤟🏽
@user-vz7zu5ov4f
Right now
@petelawn
Yes im in bed. And its still amazing
@amitambienmeduele.
Mephistopholes
@jasonhale4639
I am and I was back in the early 80's too, I remember listening to this on my dad's old motorola B100W tube stereo that we had in the hallway of our farm house growing up. I used to listen to that radio alot when I was very young. That radio always had awesome base sound and was just good sounding radio all around.
@JupiterFloyd000
songs like this only come once in a lifetime
@Townsendcat2
I agree but I think it would still have done good even in 2024 just because this band did things very different and different is so awesome and still worth doing!!!!!
@robertmoses5451
Facts
@nlopez4978
My absolute favorite song from the police. A masterpiece 🖤