Who's Simon Defending Now?: The Police

Everyone has a point in their life when “Every Breath You Take” was irrevocably renamed “The Stalker Song”. Mention the Police to anybody and that song is usually what comes to mind. However, I no longer feel I can stand by and let one of the greatest bands of the early 80s have their legacy reduced to one melodramatic hit single. This week, I defend the Police!

People have amazing connotations attached to the Police: 80s, schlock, pretentious, MOR, overrated and generally lame. The general consensus among modern listeners is that they were a dumbed-down, accessible New Wave band that pandered to people’s love of catchy tunes. 1983’s Synchronicity is their only album that ever gets mentioned in “Best Albums Of Whatever” lists, mostly because it has two of their most famous singles (“Every Breath” and “King Of Pain”). However, the reality of the Police is infinitely more complicated. I maintain that they were one of the finest and most innovative bands operating between 1978 and 1985. The Police were the bridge connecting the visceral lessons of punk to the mainstream acceptance of New Wave. So much time has passed that people have forgotten that the Police were controversial once upon a time.

Back in 1979, the Police were Public Enemy No. 1. The world has accepted “Roxanne” as a staple of radio rock and 80s nostalgia, but back then, all anybody saw was a band that released a song about a prostitute as their second single. They followed that with “Can’t Stand Losing You”, a song that directly alluded to suicide. The single’s cover featured drummer Stewart Copeland hanging from a noose while standing on a block of melting ice. England was in an uproar about this horrible, offensive new punk band. The BBC even pressured them into changing the offending album cover. Clearly, the controversial roots of the Police cannot be questioned. This kind of provocation was certainly tempered down as their career went on, but you can still hear traces of it in the unsettling narrative of “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and, yes, even everyone’s favorite stalker anthem.

Another strength of the Police was their incredible consistency. For such a famous band, it’s important to remember that they only existed for seven years. In that time, they recorded five incredible albums, each building and expanding on the strengths of the last. The earliest albums, Outlandos D’Amour (1978) and Reggatta De Blanc (1979), capture the band in their rawest, most punk phase, while their final two, Ghost In The Machine (1981) and the aforementioned Synchronicity, are more polished but showcase some of the best songwriting of the band’s career. Sandwiched between the two is my personal favorite, their transitional Zenyatta Mondatta from 1980. It has just enough reckless energy to be thrilling, while hinting at the glistening pop mastery that was to come. All these albums, however, are very strong. Most bands would kill for this level of consistency.

Finally, the aspect of the band that I feel goes most overlooked is their mind-blowing instrumental abilities. Copeland’s drumming is some of the most dexterous and mobile I’ve ever heard. Whether it’s the crisp, sharp snare hits of “Spirits In The Material World” or the absolutely insane scattershot of rhythm on “Walking On The Moon”, he executes everything perfectly. Guitarist Andy Summers is equally talented, although in considerably more subtle ways. His shimmering chords and arpeggios sound simple, but the chords he’s playing simply don’t make sense. You have to bend your hands into pretzels just to hold them on a guitar neck, let alone play them. Finally, Sting needs to be acknowledged as a great innovator on the bass (and as one of the tragically few bass-playing frontmen). His nimble, soulful basslines do much more than hold the songs together. Often, they function as both the rhythm and melody line, acting as the entire core of the song (ex. “The Bed’s Too Big Without You”). The Police were practically bursting at the seams with musical talent.

I understand that the Police do have their weak points. Sting has never been a great lyricist, especially after he decided yuppies were his target market. Occasionally, the Police’s songs fall a bit too deep into the pool of corniness. However, these moments are mercifully few. Even in the last days of their recording career, they found a way to record the impossibly creepy “Wrapped Around Your Finger” and the blistering “Synchronicity II”, complete with deranged lyrics about the Loch Ness monster. Yes, Nessie’s in a Police song. Awesome, right? I think the biggest testament to my love for this band comes from my senior year in high school. While other kids were asking for cars for graduation, I asked for a ticket to the Police’s reunion show in Seattle. And y’know what? They rocked. To this day, the poster I bought at the concert hangs in my dorm room, proudly proclaiming my love for one of the most underrated bands in history.