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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
ROXANNE
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't have to put on the red light
Those days are over
You don't have to sell your body to the night
Roxanne
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right
Roxanne
You don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne
You don't have to put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
Oh
I loved you since I knew ya
I wouldn't talk down to ya
I have to tell you just how I feel
I won't share you with another boy
I know my mind is made up
So put away your make-up
Told you once, I won't tell you again it's a bad way
Roxanne
You don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne
You don't have to put on the red light
You don't (Roxanne) have to put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
You don't (Roxanne) have to put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
You don't (Roxanne) have to put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
"Roxanne" by The Police is a classic song about a man pleading with a prostitute to leave her difficult lifestyle and embrace a better life with him. It encourages her to stop putting on the red light, to stop walking the streets for money and selling her body for sex. The first verse focuses on the idea that the days of prostitution are over, and she does not have to sell herself in that way. The second verse is the man professing his love for Roxanne, saying he knows his mind is made up, and she does not have to share herself with other men.
The song conveys the message that prostitution is not a good way to live one's life and that anyone in that lifestyle can choose to leave it and pursue something better. The lyrics suggest that Roxanne is trapped in this lifestyle that she may not want to be in, and this man loves her enough to want her to leave it behind.
"Roxanne" was inspired by Sting, the band's lead singer, seeing a Parisian prostitute in 1977 who was soliciting outside the band's hotel. Sting later referred to the song as more complicated than just an anti-prostitution song, with the second verse being about either the jealousy of a lover or Satan’s obsession with a woman's soul.
Line by Line Meaning
Roxanne
Directly addressing a woman named Roxanne
You don't have to put on the red light
You don't need to engage in sex work and advertise with a red light
Those days are over
The past era of needing to do sex work to survive is no longer necessary
You don't have to sell your body to the night
You don't have to engage in prostitution and give up your physical body to the night
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
You don't have to wear revealing clothing to attract clients tonight
Walk the streets for money
You don't have to walk the streets and solicit clients for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right
You don't care about the moral implications of engaging in sex work
(Roxanne) Put on the red light
Repeatedly questioning why Roxanne continues to advertise her services with a red light
Oh
Expression of frustration or sadness
I loved you since I knew ya
Expressing long-lasting romantic feelings for Roxanne
I wouldn't talk down to ya
Asserting that he wouldn't treat Roxanne with condescension or disrespect
I have to tell you just how I feel
Expressing the need to be honest about feelings towards Roxanne
I won't share you with another boy
Asserting the desire to have exclusive romantic relations with Roxanne
I know my mind is made up
Confident that the decision to pursue Roxanne romantically is final
So put away your make-up
Not wanting Roxanne to have to advertise her services anymore
Told you once, I won't tell you again it's a bad way
Stating that he has expressed his opinion on sex work and won't repeat himself
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gordon Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel
Algum leitor sabe a letra de Saludos Caballeros ?
Até agora não conseguí !
daprendiz1@gmail.com
@redrickschuhart3836
My old man named me after this song :D!!
My name is Youdon'thavetoputontheredlight
@souhung69
Underrated comment
@trapboyjohn9306
I’m dead😭
@littlelamb2112
This. This is why I still look at the comments. Thank you youdon’thavetoputontheredlight.
@meganmerrells2942
Omg lol
@crazytime9773
XD
@usedtampon_
Can we just have a moment of silence for the ones that searched “Rock Sand”
@josecarlosalbarracinsato9504
its a horse btw
@lansalotmailys6495
Omg do people really do that🤦