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 bass 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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
Secret Journey
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met a holy man
His blindness was his wisdom
I'm such a lonely man
And as the world was turning
It rolled itself in pain
This does not seem to touch youHe pointed to the rain
You will see light in the darkness
You will make some sense of this
And when you've made your secret journey
You will find this love you miss
And on the days that followed
I listened to his words
I strained to understand him
I chased his thoughts like birds
You will see light in the darkness
You will make some sense of this
And when you've made your secret journey
You will find this love you miss
You will see light in the darkness
You will make some sense of this
You will see joy in this sadness
You will find this love you miss
And when you've made your secret journey
You will be a holy man
When you've made your secret journey
You will be a holy manWhen you've made your secret journey
You will be a holy man
When you've made your secret journey
You will be a holy man
The lyrics to The Police's song Secret Journey describe a transformative experience in which the singer goes on a secret journey and meets a holy man who is blind. The singer describes himself as a lonely man, suggesting that he is on this journey in search of something more in his life. As "the world was turning," the singer and the holy man observe the pain that seems to envelop it. However, the holy man tells the singer that he will "see light in the darkness" and "make sense of this." The journey will lead the singer to find the love he misses.
In subsequent days, the singer listens to the holy man's words and tries to understand him, "chasing his thoughts like birds." The singer is hopeful that, through this journey, he will find light in the darkness and joy in sadness. The repeating phrase, "When you've made your secret journey, you will be a holy man," suggests that the journey will have a transformative effect on the singer, culminating in a state of holiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Upon a secret journey
I embarked on a mysterious path
I met a holy man
I encountered a spiritual figure
His blindness was his wisdom
His lack of sight gave him insight
I'm such a lonely man
I feel isolated and alone
And as the world was turning
As time passed by
It rolled itself in pain
The world was suffering
This does not seem to touch you
You appear unaffected by it
He pointed to the rain
He gestured towards a symbol of sadness
You will see light in the darkness
You will find hope in despair
You will make some sense of this
You will comprehend it better
And when you've made your secret journey
Once you've completed your personal quest
You will find this love you miss
You will discover the affection you long for
And on the days that followed
In the subsequent moments
I listened to his words
I paid attention to his teachings
I strained to understand him
I struggled to comprehend his message
I chased his thoughts like birds
I pursued his ideas vigorously
You will see joy in this sadness
You will discover happiness amidst the sorrow
When you've made your secret journey
Once you've completed your personal quest
You will be a holy man
You will have achieved enlightenment
When you've made your secret journey
Once you've completed your personal quest
You will be a holy man
You will have achieved enlightenment
When you've made your secret journey
Once you've completed your personal quest
You will be a holy man
You will have achieved enlightenment
When you've made your secret journey
Once you've completed your personal quest
You will be a holy man
You will have achieved enlightenment
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gordon Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vincenza
on Wrapped Around Your Finger
You consider me the young apprentice
You view me as inexperienced and naive.
Caught between the Scylla and Charibdes
Trapped between two equally difficult and dangerous situations.
Hypnotized by you if I should linger
If I spend enough time with you, I become entranced by your charm and allure.
Staring at the ring around your finger
Fixating on the fact that you are already in a committed relationship.
I have only come here seeking knowledge
My intentions were purely to gain insight and understanding.
Things they would not teach me of in college
Subjects beyond typical education, particularly pertaining to relationships and seduction.
I can see the destiny you sold turned into a shining band of gold
I can see you devoted your life and heart to another through marriage vows
I'll be wrapped around your finger
I will be entirely under your control and influence.
Mephistopheles is not your name
You are not the devil, but you have a similar power and influence over me.
I know what you're up to just the same
I understand your motives and intentions, even if they are not explicitly stated.
I will listen hard to your tuition
I will pay close attention to your teachings and guidance regarding seduction and relationships.
You will see it come to its fruition
You will witness the success of your efforts to control and mold me.
Devil and the deep blue sea behind me
I made the decision to avoid the trap of temptation and turn away from this sin.
Vanish in the air you'll never find me
I will end our relationship and disappear into the background.
I will turn your face to alabaster
I will reveal the truth about your manipulative actions, leaving you pale and guilty.
When you'll find your servant is your master
You will find that I taught you a hard lesson about love and relationships.
You'll be wrapped around my finger
You will realize that I meant more to you than you thought when you had me under your influence.
Daniel
on Roxanne
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