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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
Don't Stand So Close To Me '86
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of schoolgirl fantasy
She wants him so badly
Knows what she wants to be
Inside her there's longing
This girl's an open page
Book marking she's so close now
This girl is half his age
Don't stand so close to me
Don't stand so close to me
Her friends are so jealous
You know how bad girls get
Sometimes it's not so easy
To be the teacher's pet
Temptation, frustration
So bad it makes him cry
Wet bus stop, she's waiting
His car is warm and dry
Don't stand so close to me
Don't stand so close to me (don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so close to me (don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so close to me (don't stand so close to me)
Loose talk in the classroom
To hurt they try and try
Strong words in the staffroom
The accusations fly
It's no use
He sees her
He starts to shake he starts to cough
Just like the old man in
That famous book by Nabakov
Don't stand so close to me (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so close to me (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so close to me (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so close to me (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so close to me (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so close to me (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so close to me (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so close to me (please don't stand so close to me)
Don't stand so (please don't stand so close to me)
The lyrics of "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" by The Police explore a taboo and controversial relationship between a young teacher and a schoolgirl. The girl fantasizes about the teacher, wanting him so badly, and knows what she wants to be. However, she is just half his age, and inside her, there is a longing that she cannot fulfill.
The girl's friends are jealous, and it's not easy to be the teacher's pet. The temptation and frustration of the situation are so bad that it makes the teacher cry. As they wait at a wet bus stop, the girl is waiting for him, but he drives her home in his car, which is warm and dry. The lyrics also mention "that famous book by Nabakov," which is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita," a novel about a middle-aged man's relationship with a young girl.
The chorus of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is a warning from the teacher to the schoolgirl, telling her not to stand so close to him. The lyrics depict how the situation is difficult for both of them, and there is a sense of tension throughout the song.
Overall, the song highlights taboo relationships and how difficult they can be for both parties involved. It also touches on the societal norms and expectations that can make such relationships difficult and controversial.
Line by Line Meaning
Young teacher the subject
There's a young teacher at the center of this story
Of schoolgirl fantasy
He is the object of desire for many of his female students
She wants him so badly
One student in particular is deeply attracted to him
Knows what she wants to be
She sees herself as being in love with the teacher and wants to be with him
Inside her there's longing
Her desire for him is strong and intense
This girl's an open page
Her feelings are obvious and on display
Book marking she's so close now
She is eagerly anticipating something significant happening with the teacher
This girl is half his age
The student is significantly younger than the teacher
Don't stand so close to me
The teacher is conflicted and wants to distance himself from the student's advances
Her friends are so jealous
Other students are envious of the attention the girl is receiving from the teacher
You know how bad girls get
The teacher is aware of the potential consequences of an inappropriate relationship with a student
Sometimes it's not so easy
The teacher is struggling with his feelings and the potential consequences of acting on them
To be the teacher's pet
The student's desire for the teacher gives her a sense of status and importance
Temptation, frustration
The teacher is feeling pulled in two different directions, between his desire and his duty
So bad it makes him cry
He is deeply conflicted and upset about the situation
Wet bus stop, she's waiting
The student is waiting for the teacher in a vulnerable and exposed location
His car is warm and dry
The teacher is able to provide comfort and safety for the student
Loose talk in the classroom
Other students are gossiping and spreading rumors in the classroom
To hurt they try and try
The rumors are intended to damage the reputations of both the teacher and the student
Strong words in the staffroom
Other teachers are also discussing the situation and making accusations
The accusations fly
There is conflict and tension in the academic community due to this situation
It's no use
The teacher is resigned to the fact that he cannot act on his feelings
He sees her
The teacher cannot avoid being in the presence of the student
He starts to shake he starts to cough
The teacher is experiencing physical symptoms of distress due to the situation
Just like the old man in
The teacher is feeling like he is being compared to a character in literature who is also struggling with inappropriate feelings for a younger person
That famous book by Nabakov
The reference is to the novel 'Lolita', which deals with a similar subject matter
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gordon Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dr.Ken Mansukhani
Most definitely the best version of all "dont stand so close to me" versions of all time. Period.
Zed Zee
This is indeed on the 12" single of this song. It was released in '86 for a greatest hits album. I also read somewhere that after the release of the greatest hits album, The Police actually were interested in recording new material again, but the usual problems didn't take very long to surface, as they went into a studio and shortly after, the project was abandoned and so was the group. I absolutely love this song and I prefer this mix, over the 7" version and I prefer this over the original.
Jeferson ricardo Camargo
Um dos melhores remix feitos , saudades dessa época 86 ,87
Luciano
Ficou ótimo a versão Dance Mix intuitivo a uma Discoteca .
Mikey_Suze Four
Buddies, congrats on this Police extended dance mix reaching 14 years on Tube!
Luiz Carlos Silva
Wonderful version! The 86’s in the memory forever!
Mikey_Suze Four
I turned 21 in 1986 and was still upset when they separated until getting their greatest hits album with this song on there...Patience waiting for them to reunite paid off when I went to their live Reunion tour in Phoenix, Arizona during 2007-08!
Marcelo Dell'Orto
faboulous!! wonderful version . I remember this song in a am radio in the '80s decade from Argentina.
GJ1998ARG
Marcelo Dell'Orto que radio????
Mikey_Suze Four
@GJ1998ARG Que' estacion?