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 This criticism has later been withdrawn.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)
Walking In Your Footsteps
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You walked upon the planet so
Lord of all that you could see
Just a little bit like me
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Hey Mr. Dinosaur
You really couldn't ask for more
You were God's favorite creature
But you didn't have a future
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Hey mighty brontosaurus
Don't you have a lesson for us
You thought your rule would always last
There were no lessons in your past
You were built three stories high
They say you would not hurt a fly
If we explode the atom bomb
Would they say that we were dumb
We're
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
They say the meek shall inherit the earth
They say the meek shall inherit the earth
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
The lyrics to The Police's song Walking In Your Footsteps explore the concept of the cyclical nature of time and the idea that all living things, no matter how powerful or dominant in their time, eventually become extinct and are replaced by new life. The lyrics begin by referencing the distant past, 50 million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the earth. The singer acknowledges the similarities between himself and these ancient creatures, reminding us that we are all part of the same history of life on earth.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "Walking in your footsteps" four times, emphasizing the idea that the present is inextricably linked to the past, and that everything we do is influenced by what has come before us. The lyrics go on to address specific dinosaurs, first addressing the mighty T-Rex, and then the brontosaurus. The lyrics suggest that these ancient creatures, despite their immense power and size, were eventually unable to adapt and survive in a changing world, and ultimately became extinct.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of humans being destructive and potentially causing their own extinction, referencing the possibility of exploding an atomic bomb. However, the final lines of the song suggest a message of hope, referencing the biblical quote "they say the meek shall inherit the earth" and potentially implying that even if humanity destroys itself, new life will eventually emerge and take our place.
Overall, Walking In Your Footsteps is a powerful meditation on the concept of time and the interconnectedness of all life on earth, as well as a warning against the dangers of complacency and failure to adapt to changing circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Fifty million years ago
It was a long time ago
You walked upon the planet so
You lived on Earth a long time ago
Lord of all that you could see
You were powerful and in control of your surroundings
Just a little bit like me
In some ways, we are alike
Hey Mr. Dinosaur
Hello, Dinosaur
You really couldn't ask for more
You had everything you needed
You were God's favorite creature
You were highly regarded and cherished by the gods
But you didn't have a future
You didn't survive into the present day
Hey mighty brontosaurus
Hello, powerful dinosaur
Don't you have a lesson for us
Do you have wisdom to teach us?
You thought your rule would always last
You believed that your dominance would endure forever
There were no lessons in your past
The past did not provide any guidance or wisdom for you
You were built three stories high
You were a very large and imposing creature
They say you would not hurt a fly
You were not aggressive despite your size and power
If we explode the atom bomb
If we use a nuclear weapon
Would they say that we were dumb
Would people criticize us for using such a dangerous weapon?
We're
We are
They say the meek shall inherit the earth
Those who are gentle and humble will become the rulers of the world
Walking in your footsteps
Following in the path of those who came before us
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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