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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
6.DE DO DO DODE DA DA DA
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Words are hard to find
They're only cheques 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
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
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 lyrics of "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" by The Police seem to be conveying frustration towards the power of words and language. Sting, the lead singer of the band, sings that words are hard to find, and that sometimes they can be seen as useless in expressing what you want to say. In the opening lines, he sings that he may come off as unkind because he struggles to express himself with words, which are like "cheques" that he hasn't signed yet, meaning that he hasn't found the right ones yet.
The chorus line where he repeats "De do do do, de da da da" is his way of saying that sometimes, all that needs to be said is simple and doesn't require complicated language. This is emphasized in the third verse where he criticizes poets, priests, and politicians for using words to gain power over others, calling them out for their manipulation of language to advance their own careers or agendas.
Overall, the song seems to be about the limitations of words and how frustrating it can be to try and express oneself fully, while also critiquing those who use language to control others.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't think me unkind
Please don't interpret my lack of words as me being rude or uninterested
Words are hard to find
Expressing myself verbally is difficult and sometimes impossible
They're only cheques I've left unsigned
My thoughts and feelings are like uncashed cheques that I haven't been able to put into words
From the banks of chaos in my mind
My mind is a place of disarray and confusion, making it hard to articulate myself
And when their eloquence escapes me
Sometimes when I do find the right words, I still struggle to convey my message effectively
Their logic ties me up and rapes me
The pressures of articulating myself in a structured, logical way often feels like an assault on my natural thought processes
De do do do de da da da
Sometimes words fail me and all I can say is nonsense syllables
Is all I want to say to you
Sometimes nonsense syllables are all I have to offer as a way of showing affection or connection
Their innocence will pull me through
The simplicity and purity of these nonsensical sounds can still bring comfort and solace
They're meaningless and all that's true
Even though these sounds lack any real meaning, their significance lies in their lack of substance - an honest reflection of my sincere emotion
Poets priests and politicians
Those in positions of power and influence often use language to their advantage
Have words to thank for their positions
These people have used their eloquent speech to amass power and influence
Words that scream for your submission
Sometimes words can be used as manipulative tools to control or coerce
And no-one's jamming their transmission
No one is stopping them from using their words to dominate
De do do do de da da da
The simplicity of my nonsense syllables is a refreshing alternative to the manipulative language used by people in power
They're meaningless and all that's true
My nonsense syllables may lack any real meaning, but they are a true reflection of my genuine emotion
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GORDON SUMNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MicheaI_Jordan
This song is actually a carnivorous living creature
@Jojo-uc9or
It'll build a catapult and fling a sushi mat part at you.
@blu2954
That looks like a crane made out of popsicle sticks
@dukep9750
It looks like it creature uses asbestos
@Genjuanpa
😂
@yuyu-tp9mx
They're coming...
@honeymummies2304
one could say they’re pursuing…
@DanielLopez-dm6fg
Classic
@dredvax
They're here!!!
@myjapanaccount914
And they’re coming in waves!!