Rock’n Me 21: Talking About Western Music - The Police

Hello! I’m Joshua, and I love talking about Western music. In this 21st installment, I’ll be discussing The Police. If I had to sum them up in one sentence: “An unprecedented ensemble that made use of space, a sexy singing voice, and choruses filled with ‘Yo-oh, Yo-oh.’” Their active years were relatively short, and they released only five original albums between 1978 and 1983. However, their works continue to have a massive influence. Their final album, Synchronicity (1983), featured the smash hit single “Every Breath You Take”, a song you’ve almost certainly heard before. In fact, it holds the title of the most-played song in American radio history.

■ The Police - “Every Breath You Take”

The Police were formed in the UK. In 1977, they solidified their lineup as a trio: Sting (vocals, bass), Andy Summers (guitar, vocals), and Stewart Copeland (drums, vocals). They debuted in 1978 with Outlandos d’Amour. Sting came from a jazz background, Stewart from progressive rock, and Andy from blues rock. However, at the time, the UK music scene was in the early stages of punk rock, and anything that wasn’t punk was often dismissed. To survive, they deliberately pretended to be a punk band, hiding their true musical nature. Andy even admitted in later interviews that they were ‘fake punks.’ But their talent was impossible to conceal—their sound was far too unique to be classified as punk.

● Too Good at Singing
Sting’s high-pitched vocals were remarkable. Whether he was shouting, whispering, or fully singing, he excelled at it all—something that set him apart from most punk bands, which were all about aggressive shouting. Add to that his movie-star good looks, and it was no surprise that rock-loving girls were completely captivated. The Police also made frequent use of their signature “Yo-oh, Yo-oh” chorus, a phrase so addictive that once you heard it, you couldn’t get it out of your head.

● Too Unique a Sound
The Police had a completely original sound—there was no band like them before they arrived, yet after their emergence, many bands claimed them as an influence. If we had to describe their style briefly, it was like “a mix of rock, punk, reggae, and ska, blended together and launched into space.” Their debut album still retained some punk-like aggressiveness and explosiveness, but it was just a façade. Their singles “Roxanne” and “Can’t Stand Losing You” already showcased reggae-influenced rhythms, clean guitar chord strumming, and a rhythm section that skipped the downbeat—a groove nobody had heard before.

■ The Police - “Roxanne”

● Too Amazing Drumming by Stewart
One of the biggest factors behind The Police’s unique sound was Stewart Copeland’s unconventional drumming. He didn’t always hit the bass drum or crash cymbals on the downbeat, nor did he necessarily play the snare on the 2nd and 4th beats. Instead, he would unleash rapid-fire hi-hat patterns and rim shots, creating an entirely unique sonic world. His drumming could be lightning-fast, filling with single-stroke rolls, yet he could also transform a song’s dynamics with a single snare flam before the chorus. His impact wasn’t just in playing style—he revived the use of splash cymbals in rock (which had been forgotten since the 1920s-30s jazz era) and popularized Octobans (aka cannon toms). His signature high-pitched snare and tom tuning? That’s pure Stewart.

■ The Police - “Driven To Tears”

● Too Brilliant Guitar by Andy
Andy Summers’ main guitar during The Police era was a Fender Telecaster with a Gibson humbucker in the neck position. His tone, shaped by compression, modulation effects (phaser and flanger in the early days, chorus later), and tape echo through a Marshall amp, was completely distinct from the heavy sounds of hard rock and metal. He mastered the art of space, embracing the beauty of minimalism in his playing. Before The Police, few guitarists played like him, but after The Police, everyone did. In fact, as soon as multi-effects processors for guitars became available, they always included an Andy Summers sound preset.

● Too Genius Bass by Sting
Coming from a jazz background, Sting initially played a fretless bass with a pick. If you listen closely, his intonation was sometimes off, but that raw imperfection gave his playing character. Later on, he transitioned to a simplistic, repetitive, minimalist approach, switching to a fretted bass for live performances. Singing while playing those bass lines? Almost impossible for a normal person.

● Too Clever Lyrics
The lyrics of The Police are full of twists and clever storytelling, setting them apart from the raw anger and frustration often found in punk music at the time. Their debut single, “Roxanne”, tells the story of a man who falls in love with a prostitute, while their second single, “Can’t Stand Losing You”, depicts a man driven to suicide after being dumped. Unsurprisingly, both songs were banned by the BBC. However, the band turned this setback into an opportunity, taking their promotion efforts to the States instead—a rather shrewd move. They also have an oddball track called “Be My Girl”, which is about a man falling in love with a life-sized adult toy.

On the other hand, some of their lyrics are simply too brilliant. Take “Message in a Bottle”, the opening track of their second album Reggatta de Blanc. The song tells this story:
A man stranded on a deserted island → He writes an SOS message, puts it in a bottle, and sends it out to sea, hoping for rescue → A year passes, but no help arrives → One morning, he walks to the shore and is shocked to find a billion bottles just like his scattered across the beach. (And that’s where we are now.)

■ The Police - “Message in a Bottle”

The lyrics of their iconic song “Every Breath You Take” are also quite intense. It’s actually a song about a stalker-like man obsessively watching over his ex-lover, telling her, “I’ll be watching you forever.” Ironically, many fans—without considering the meaning—have told Sting, “We used this song as our wedding theme!” In response, Sting jokingly remarked in an interview, “What an unhealthy relationship!”

● An Unbelievably Great Band
When you bring together three incredibly skilled musicians, write great songs, have good looks, and even have the confidence to pretend to be a punk band, the result is pure chaos—in the best way possible. The following video captures a moment from their 1980 tour in Japan, filmed at Kyoto University’s Seibu Auditorium. The sheer presence of the band and the audience’s energy are simply out of this world.

■ The Police - “Walking on the Moon”

The sound of The Police evolved with each album, particularly with Sting’s growing songwriting abilities. By the time of their fourth album, Ghost In The Machine, and Synchronicity, Andy and Stewart sometimes sounded like Sting’s backup musicians—though the best backup musicians! The success of Synchronicity surpassed all their previous works, and their subsequent tour was a massive hit, with stadium shows selling out instantly. This tour was also captured in the live video Synchronicity Concert, allowing fans to still experience the excitement of that time. The next video is the opening track, “Synchronicity I”. With such a powerful song as the first track, it’s a bit overwhelming, especially since it’s in a 6/4 time signature!

■ The Police - “Synchronicity I”

Unfortunately, alongside the band’s success, tensions among the members reached a peak, and after their tour, The Police went on hiatus. Sting, seemingly cutting off any path back to the band, put down his bass, picked up a guitar, and began his solo career (though he picked up the bass again on his second solo album). It took over 20 years of the three members confronting their personal relationships before they reunited for a world tour in 2007-2008.

A personal memory: when Synchronicity was released, I was attending middle school in America. “Every Breath You Take” dominated MTV and radio, and it held the #1 spot on the Billboard charts for eight consecutive weeks. (By the way, that same year, Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” were also charting—what a great time!) When they came to town on their tour, it was like a circus. The next day, everyone was wearing the band’s tour t-shirts and proudly reminiscing about the concert. How lucky I was to experience the “Yo-oh, Yo-oh” chant as a middle schooler!

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