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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
Deathwish
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Headlight pointing through the night
Never thought I'd see the day
Playing with my life this way
Gotta keep my foot right down
If I had wings, I'd leave the ground
Burning in the outside lane
The day I take a bend too fast
Judgment that could be my last
I'll be wiped right off the slate
Don't wait up 'cause I'll be late
I'll be late
The Police's song "Deathwish" is a song that describes a reckless driver who is trying to outrun their own mortality. It expresses the feeling of living life on the edge and taking unnecessary risks, as if they are invincible. The lyrics describe the singer's belief that they have to constantly push themselves and take risks to feel alive, and playing with their life through high-speed driving is their way of doing so. The phrase "Deathwish in the fading light" sets the ominous tone of the song and alludes to the fact that the driver's time may be running out.
The chorus is a warning to the listener that the driver's actions will inevitably lead to their demise. The line "People think that I'm insane, insane" seems to suggest that the driver is fully aware of the reckless behavior they are engaging in but is willing to accept the potential consequences. The last verse is a reflection on death as a finality, and the fact that one's actions have real consequences. The closing line "I'll be late" implies that there is no turning back once the decision to live recklessly has been made.
Overall, "Deathwish" is a poignant reminder that life is fragile and that every action we take has consequences. The song warns against recklessness and is a cautionary tale not just about driving, but about living life in a way that puts oneself in unnecessary danger.
Line by Line Meaning
Deathwish in the fading light
The singer feels like they are risking their life by driving recklessly in the evening
Headlight pointing through the night
The singer is driving in the dark and only relying on their headlights to see the road
Never thought I'd see the day
The singer is surprised at themselves for being so reckless and risking their life
Playing with my life this way
The artist admits that their dangerous driving is like playing a game with their own life
Gotta keep my foot right down
The artist feels the need for speed and can't resist pushing the gas pedal
If I had wings, I'd leave the ground
The singer wishes they could fly instead of driving and risking their life
Burning in the outside lane
The singer is driving aggressively on the fast lane, risking accidents and danger
People think that I'm insane, insane
The artist acknowledges that their reckless driving makes others think they're crazy
The day I take a bend too fast
The artist is aware that one day their reckless driving will catch up to them and cause them harm
Judgment that could be my last
The artist worries that they will end up crashing and may not survive due to their dangerous driving
I'll be wiped right off the slate
The singer is admitting that if they end up getting in an accident, it will be their own fault
Don't wait up 'cause I'll be late
The artist is assuming that they will not make it home, implying that they may die from their dangerous driving
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andy Summers, Gordon Sumner, Stewart Copeland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel
on Roxanne
Algum leitor sabe a letra de Saludos Caballeros ?
Até agora não conseguí !
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