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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
Driven To Tears
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What does it have to do with me?
What is my reaction, what should it be?
Confronted by this latest atrocity
Driven to tears
Driven to tears
Driven to tears
Hide my face in my hands, shame wells in my throat
My comfortable existence is reduced to a shallow meaningless party
Seems that when some innocent die
All we can offer them is a page in a some magazine
Too many cameras and not enough food
'Cause this is what we've seen
Driven to tears
Driven to tears
Driven to tears
Protest is futile, nothing seems to get through
What's to become of our world, who knows what to do
Driven to tears
Driven to tears
Driven to tears
Driven to tears
Driven to tears
Driven to tears, driven to tears
The lyrics of "Driven to Tears" touch on the issue of societal responsibility and complacency in the face of global suffering. The first verse is a direct challenge to those who refuse to acknowledge their own responsibility in the world's problems. The second verse speaks to the singer's personal reaction to the atrocities he sees around him, as well as the lack of meaningful response from society as a whole. The chorus, which repeats three times, uses the repetition of the phrase "driven to tears" as a way to emphasize the deep sadness and frustration felt by those who care about the state of the world.
The bridge following the first chorus speaks to the helplessness felt by many who care deeply about the world but feel powerless to effect any real change. The second verse then returns to the theme of societal complacency, with a particular focus on the dehumanization of those who suffer. The final chorus then repeats the earlier verses, ending the song on a note of bitter desperation.
Overall, the song is a powerful commentary on the need for individuals and society as a whole to take responsibility for global issues and to work towards meaningful change. The repetition of the phrase "driven to tears" throughout the song emphasizes the deep emotional impact of these issues on those who care about them.
Line by Line Meaning
How can you say that you're not responsible?
I can't believe you're trying to avoid taking responsibility for what has happened.
What does it have to do with me?
Why are you involving me in something that has nothing to do with me?
What is my reaction, what should it be?
I don't know how I should feel or react to this event.
Confronted by this latest atrocity
This horrible situation is difficult to face and deal with.
Driven to tears
I am overwhelmed with emotion and can't help but be moved to tears.
Hide my face in my hands, shame wells in my throat
I am so ashamed and upset that I can't even show my face and tears well up in my throat.
My comfortable existence is reduced to a shallow meaningless party
This event has made me realize how insignificant my life really is and how meaningless my lifestyle is.
Seems that when some innocent die
It's tragic that innocent people have to suffer and undergo such terrible things.
All we can offer them is a page in a some magazine
All we can do to recognize them is put their photo in a magazine, which is not enough.
Too many cameras and not enough food
There are too many people focused on capturing events on film and not enough people who are trying to help those who don't have enough food.
'Cause this is what we've seen
Unfortunately, this is the reality that we have been exposed to.
Protest is futile, nothing seems to get through
It seems like protesting is pointless because no one is listening or willing to take action.
What's to become of our world, who knows what to do
It's difficult to know what we should do or what fate will befall our world in the future.
Driven to tears
The emotions I feel are overwhelming and I can't help but cry.
Driven to tears
The situation at hand is so emotional and heartbreaking that I am driven to tears.
Driven to tears
The pain and sadness that this event has caused is so great that I can't help but be overwhelmed with emotion and cry.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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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