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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
Fallout
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got my own machine
And I've paid my dues all along
All set for breaking
When I missed those other people
Cause I knew that I was really alone
Fall out
Fall out
Fall out with all the leaders and gangs
I saw my education
It was my indoctrination
Just to be another parking machine
All my sense was breaking
When I missed those other people
Cause I knew that I was not very clean
Fall out
Fall out with all the leaders and gangs
Fall out
Fall out with all the leaders and gangs
Fall out
Fall out with all the leaders and gangs
Fall out
Fall out with all the leaders and gangs
Fall out!
The Police's song "Fallout" is a critique of conformity, indoctrination, and the feeling of being a "machine" made to serve society's needs. The lyrics reflect the struggle of an individual who feels alienated and trapped by the societal structure. The singer "never thought of leading," indicating a passive acceptance of their role in society. However, they realize that they are alone and that they have missed out on connecting with others who have not conformed. The line "All my sense was breaking" indicates a loss of self-identity and individuality. The chorus "Fall out with all the leaders and gangs" expresses the singer's desire to break free from the constraints of societal expectations and not be a part of any group or gang.
The lyrics in "Fallout" reflect the punk rock ethos of rejecting authority and conformity, which was prevalent in the late 70s when the song was released. The song's rebellious theme was further emphasized by the harsh, driving sound of the drums and guitars, which helped to convey the song's urgency and anger. The song also has a frenetic energy that captures the feeling of being trapped in a system one does not believe in.
Line by Line Meaning
I never thought of leading
I never considered being a leader
I've got my own machine
I have my own way of doing things
And I've paid my dues all along
I have worked hard to get where I am
All set for breaking
Ready for a major change
When I missed those other people
When I realized I was alone
Cause I knew that I was really alone
I was aware that I was alone and there was no one else like me
I saw my education
I realized the type of education I received
It was my indoctrination
It was a process of teaching me to accept certain beliefs
Just to be another parking machine
Just to be another conformist
All my sense was breaking
All my senses were overwhelmed
Cause I knew that I was not very clean
Because I knew I was not pure and had accepted the beliefs of the leaders and gangs
Fall out with all the leaders and gangs
Separate from all the leaders and gangs
Fall out!
Disassociate and break away from the conformity imposed by leaders and gangs
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEWART ARMSTRONG COPELAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pedrojoaopereira1111
"Fall Out"
I never thought of leading
I've got my own machine
And I've paid my dues all along
All set for breaking
When I missed those other people
Cause I knew that I was really alone
Fall out
Fall out with all the leaders and gangs
Fall out
Fall out with all the leaders and gangs
I saw my education
It was my indoctrination
Just to be another parking machine
All my sense was breaking
When I missed those other people
Cause I knew that I was not very clean
Fall out
Fall out with all the leaders and gangs
Fall out
@TheKinoEye
January 1977: Sting was playing vague jazz, fusion, funk, in Newcastle, with his band Last Exit. In February 1977 the band moved to London to play some gigs and hopefully get some recognition. That same month Sting joined The Police and recorded this. Wow, what a leap he endured!!
@chevken1831
Nothing like a power trio.
@itsMrNoble
This is the first song I ever played live when I was in my early teens and still have a really intense Pavlovian response whenever I hear it.
@mugrex
i learned the bassline to this one when i was 15 and felt so proud that i could keep up hahaha
@mrmoparrr
Pavlovian response? = ?
@jrmbb2320
@@mrmoparrr WOOF ! WOOF !
@hunterkarr5618
Or a Padovani response
@m3mefeo_
Padovanian Response
@jody8526937
All of a sudden one of my favorite Police songs. So good to hear this.
@elbettto
It sounds really cool, even without Andy, Henry Padovani was a good guitar player, but next to the amazingly talented Sting and Copeland they needed an out of the charts guitar player like Summers... Good that Sting insisted to S.Copeland to have Andy as the only one on guitar... One of the best bands of all times. And for me SC. one of the three best drummers of the 80's era!