Twitter

Posted by Nolan Dalla on Mar 29, 2023 in Blog , Essays , Music and Concert Reviews | 0 comments

Classic Concert Reviews: The Police (Synchronicity Tour), Reunion Arena, Dallas, 1983

police synchronicity tour 1983

 “Synchronicity is the sound of a band coming together, while dissolving apart.”

On July 23, 1983, the pop-rock trio known as The Police embarked on a punishing nine-month world tour.  It would be among the most successful and lucrative of the entire decade.  Yet, it would also lead to friction and resentment among the three band members stemming from bitter personality clashes that had been brewing for years, ultimately fracturing into the band’s unceremonious break-up.  Synchronicity thus became The Police’s last album, final tour, and for loyal fans, the perfect swan song — effectively saying a long goodbye while on top.

The Police played 105 shows across three continents, consistently selling out every arena and stadium where they performed.  This was a staggering workload to undertake, especially given the group’s inner disharmony, which was certain to gradually grind down and eventually wear out even the most experienced and energetic musicians.  Many cities included on the tour even added second shows because tickets were in such high demand.  Given the group’s tireless work ethic and ceaseless striving for perfection, the trio initially insisted on playing every instrument and singing every note of each show, virtually all of the high-pitched lyrics falling onto the already-strained vocal cords of Sting (a.k.a. Gordon Sumner).

Given the eclectic 21-song setlist, which on most nights resulted in a non-stop, high-energy, two-hour show, The Police realized help was needed, especially with backing vocals.  If Sting’s voice cracked and shows were postponed or canceled, the entire tour might end in disaster.  So, for the first time since their formation, The Police agreed to bring on three female backup singers to take the heavy load off of Sting, the band’s charismatic frontman.  Nonetheless, Sting (on bass), Andy Summers (on lead guitar), and Stewart Copeland (on drums) insisted on maintaining the group’s reputation for authenticity by playing all the music themselves, with no recordings or electronic enhancements.

The Synchronicity album and tour marked a quantum leap forward from the early days of struggling in near obscurity.  Just six years earlier, The Police launched their first North American tour schedule in which the band drove themselves and their equipment around the country in a rented Ford Econoline van. On one humiliating night on that 1978 tour in Poughkeepsie, NY, The Police played to six people. Only three paid. Although the venue looked empty, The Police reportedly were said to have played the show as if they were playing to thousands , true professionals that they were.

By mid-1983, The Police were rock royalty, even though their roots were firmly grounded in alternative sounds of funk, reggae, and jazz.  Their videos were a constant mainstay played on MTV.  They released a string of catchy pop songs, typically with simple but universal themes — one reason why The Police was also widely popular not only in North America and the U.K. but also in non-English speaking countries.  However, critics were in near-unanimous agreement that each of their five successive albums was progressively more ambitious than the next, starting with Outlandos d’Amou r (1978), then Reggatta de Blanc (1979), Zenyatta Mondatta (1980), and Ghost in the Machine (1982).

When released, Synchronicity , the band’s fifth album, quickly rocketed to #1 in both the U.S. and the U.K.  It sold 8 million copies in the United States alone, stayed atop the Billboard charts for a stunning 17 straight weeks, and included the group’s most successful hit single, “Every Breath You Take.”  The song would become one of the most widely-played hits in pop music history.  Sting reportedly earned $2,000 per day from the song just from radio royalties alone, an astronomical sum for any songwriter-musician in the early ’80s.  Yet Copeland, instrumental in the composition as the group’s drummer, hated the final arrangement, especially the percussion, which he described as “all wrong” for the song.

The record-buying public disagreed.

Making the album — later ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the top 100 of all time — took a heavy toll on the group’s cohesiveness.  Recorded in Montserrat, a Caribbean island known for active volcanoes, the studio sessions were hardly unifying, and like the rumbling ground beneath them, at times even explosive.  Sting and Copeland even came to blows at one point.  The producer walked out in the middle of rehearsals.  The band didn’t even record together as “a band” in the usual sense:

An interesting set-up saw each member stationed in individual rooms, with Stewart Copeland and his drums in the dining room, Andy Summers in the studio itself, and Sting in the control room with them all connected via video link. Even though co-producer Hugh Padgham claimed this was for social reasons, this approach didn’t help dispel rumours that the trio were increasingly sick of each other. — Ian Wade ( Classic Pop )

So, going straight out on a world tour soon thereafter was clearly a huge mistake, but also marked the band’s apex of global popularity, culminating in three Grammys. Years later, Sting shared a much clearer perspective of the tour and the imminent end of the group that came afterward. Just a few weeks into their North American schedule, The Police played in front of 67,000 at New York’s Shea Stadium, which looking back, Sting noted was the peak of their career:

“I realized that you can’t get better than this, you can’t climb a mountain higher than this. This is Everest. I made the decision on stage that ok, this is it, this is where this thing stops, right now.”

The problem was — after the group’s Shea Stadium pinnacle, The Police still had another 90, or so, tour dates ahead.  They were expected to bring music and energy to every show.  Every night.  For the once tight-knit group, the repetitive routine of performing and traveling together constantly with few breaks became like living under the same roof when divorce is imminent.

Then again, singing and performing the insufferable “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” 105 times would probably drive anyone over the edge.

police synchronicity tour 1983

Reunion Arena , awkwardly cross-blocked on the western edge of downtown Dallas, seemed obsolete from the first day it opened.  It housed the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks for 25 inglorious years.  But Reunion Arena, even with its drab demur and impersonal lack of character, was an excellent venue for live concerts.  I saw at least a dozen shows there.  Reunion Arena didn’t have a bad seat in the house.

By the Fall of ’83, Synchronicity had already been out for five months.  The album spawned three Top-10 hits.  Every American FM radio station, including Dallas’ two premier rock stations, KZEW (the Zoo) and Q-102 wore out the vinyl, even playing the album’s non-hits.  Locally, tickets to the first show were snapped up within a few hours.  So, a second show was added.  Their Texas swing of the North American tour included six shows in eight nights — played in four different cities.  Houston also included a second show, at the Summit.  For the group, adding more shows meant fewer days off, less rest, and predictably, more tension.

The Police’s first of two dates in Dallas began on Sunday night, November 13th.  UB40, the British reggae band was the opener.  I have no recollection of UB40’s performance.  Perhaps I arrived close to showtime and missed it.  I can’t remember.

From the opening note when they took the stage, what I do remember from The Police was a stunning transformation of sight and sound.  It was an overwhelming experience.  The set began with the album’s title track, “Synchronicity,” a blistering wave of raw energy fueled by a thundering bass, amped to the gills by Sting.  Indeed, it was synchronic.  The opener established a hopelessly high bar that was nearly impossible to sustain over the next full 120 minutes, though The Police for the most part delivered with a tight, if time-clock-punching concert, which for all its audio and visual grandeur lacked spontaneity.  But we didn’t come that night to see The Police jam or go off on Grateful Dead-like tangents.  Well into the tour by this time, this was a well-oiled rock machine at the height of the influence.  Like the tension on a tightly-strung Fender, everything was pushed nearly to a breaking point, but the strings somehow held.  How could just three musicians put out a sound like that?  They were a rock orchestra.

The pulsating light show and tricolor backdrop of bright blue, red, and yellow replicated the album’s attractive cover.  Sting’s multi-colored jacket, bookended with giant shoulder pads that were then such a fad, made it clear who the star of this show was.  Summers and Copeland, though superbly talented and accomplished musicians in their own right (while on tour, Copeland had been commissioned to do the soundtrack to the Francis Ford Coppola film, Rumblefish ), seemed reduced to Sting’s session players and sidemen.  Sting handled every vocal and led the wall of sound like a conductor.  As for singing and small talk between numbers, Summers and Copeland stayed muted and glued to their instruments throughout.

The band played all their hits — including “Walking in Your Footsteps,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Demolition Man,” “Walking on the Moon,” “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” “Spirits in the Material World,” “King of Pain,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” and “Every Breath You Take.”  The 20-minute encore included songs from the band’s earlier days — including “Roxanne” and “Can’t Stand Losing You.”  One interesting take from seeing The Police live is — their best songs in the studio are actually the least compelling inside a vast arena.  High-energy songs like “Demolition Man” were the biggest crowd-pleasers.

The audience of 17,000 left happy and satisfied.  I counted hundreds of unisex mullet haircuts.

By the duo of Dallas dates, each member of The Police was well aware that this was their final touring act, well, at least until the money and temptation to do it all over again simply became too great to resist.  They would reunite nearly 25 years later for a “30th Anniversary Tour.”  Incredibly, that brutal workload was even more of a strain than the Synchronicity tour, which included 151 shows in 2007-08.  By the conclusion of that one-year reunion run, it became the (then) third highest-grossing tour of all time.

The Police were a combustible clash of headstrong personalities and perfectionists, who even in their dissolution, always delivered for their audiences — both inside the studio and onstage.  As the song goes, every little thing they did was magic.

police synchronicity tour 1983

Read other articles in this “Classic Concert Reviews” series:

Jim Croce, Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, TX, 1973

Charley Pride, Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM, 1971

Tony Orlando and Dawn, Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX, 1973

Share this:

Post a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Please support this blog with your donation.

Facing the Firing Squad

police synchronicity tour 1983

Marieta Dalla

police synchronicity tour 1983

Most Popular Tags

  • Personal (444)
  • Political Analysis (353)
  • General Poker (298)
  • Progressive Politics (264)
  • Political Opinions (237)
  • Rants and Raves (225)
  • Las Vegas Lifestyle (221)
  • Movie Reviews (185)
  • Travel (182)
  • Sports (158)
  • World History (158)
  • Interesting People (158)
  • World Series of Poker (WSOP) (157)
  • Sports Betting (146)
  • Restaurant Reviews (143)
  • My Years as WSOP Media Director (130)
  • Music and Concert Reviews (129)
  • Donald Trump and the Deplorables (112)
  • Law and Order (109)
  • R.I.P. (107)
  • Hope and Inspiration (106)
  • Writers and Writing (105)
  • Humor and Satire (104)
  • Television and Netflix Reviews (99)
  • American History (97)
  • Crime and Punishment (95)
  • Living at The Lakes (Las Vegas) (94)
  • Casino Articles and Reviews (86)
  • Religion Spirituality Superstition (86)
  • Off the Wall (86)
  • Best and Worst Lists (84)
  • Social Media (83)
  • My YouTube Videos (79)
  • What's Happening in Europe (77)
  • Media Matters (73)
  • Online Poker (71)
  • My Views on Foreign Policy (67)
  • Why I'm a Socialist (66)
  • Las Vegas (63)
  • Science and Technology (61)
  • Las Vegas History (60)
  • Economics (59)
  • Book Reviews (56)
  • Health and Physical Fitness (56)
  • Philosophy (54)
  • Wine Reviews (53)
  • Poker Night in America (52)
  • Nolan Dalla Biography (50)
  • My Years at Binion's Horseshoe (49)
  • Dallas (45)

Supporters Emeritus

Arthur Reber

E.Dieter Martin

John Caldwell

Kevin Mathers

Linda Johnson

Matt Lessinger

Rich Korbin

Anonymous Eccentric

Matt Showell

Patti Beadles

Melissa Hayden

Paul Harris

Chuck Weinstock

Andy Hughes

Dan Goldman

Todd Anderson

Stevan Goldman

Tim Lavalli

Jennifer Winter

Robbie Strazynski

Eric Rosenberger

Alan Fowler

Charlie Ciresi

Eric Schneller

Tanya Devenport

Peter Secor

Scott Wilson

Gareth Edwards

police synchronicity tour 1983

Billy the Greek

police synchronicity tour 1983

Linda Keenan

police synchronicity tour 1983

Sue Schneider

police synchronicity tour 1983

Tom Oldcroft

  • Brad Willis (Poker and Life)
  • Braindump v1.0
  • Card Player Magazine
  • Cardplayer Lifestyle Poker Blog
  • Casino City Times
  • Casino Death Watch (Las Vegas Casinos)
  • Crooks and Liars (Politics and Current Events)
  • Dr. Arthur Reber (Gambling and Psychology)
  • Earl Burton Website
  • Food and Loathing
  • James Randi Educational Foundation (James Randi and Skepticism)
  • Keeping Your Head In (All) The Games()
  • Mad Jack Sports (Sports Betting)
  • Matthew Showell / Poker Listings (Poker)
  • One of a Kind (Book)
  • OnlineGambling.com
  • Philly Gambles (Philadelphia and Atlantic City Gambling Scene)
  • Pointspreads Canada
  • Poker Listings
  • Pokerati (Poker)
  • Politico (Politics)
  • The Daily Kos (Politics)
  • The Hitchens Zone (Christopher Hitchens)
  • The Onion (Satire)
  • Van Morrison Official Website (Van Morrison)

Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress

css.php

setlist.fm logo

  • Statistics Stats
  • You are here:

Setlist History: The Police Kick Off of the Synchronicity Tour

  • Setlist History
  • On Tour Now
  • Last updated: 22 Jul 2023, 15:20:18
  • Published: 21 Jul 2023, 21:01:37
  • Written by: Tony Pierce
  • Photography by: Ebet Roberts
  • Categories: Setlist History On Tour Now Tagged: The Police

When The Police kicked off their most successful tour for their most successful album, they were fighting and their dashing singer Sting was clearly looking for a way to dash into a solo career.

Between 1978 and 1983, Stewart Copeland (drums), Andy Summers (guitar) and Sting (bass) had reeled off a remarkable string of five catchy, yet original albums, of increasing popularity culminating with Synchronicity.

Their sound was unique, the lyrics were often deep, their sex appeal was undeniable, and they had somehow moved popular music to come to them instead of the other way around.

police synchronicity tour 1983

Plus these handsome blonde devils had MTV completely in love with them and their videos were played in heavy rotation.

Of course the first show of the tour would be at the old Comiskey Park baseball stadium on the South Side of Chicago. And of course they'd break up at the end of the year-long world tour, on top.

police synchronicity tour 1983

How popular were they? The first single, the creepy love song told from a stalker's point of view, "Every Breath You Take," became the most-played song on U.S. radio in the history of U.S. radio.

The album was #1 in both the US and UK, remaining on top for an ungodly 17 cumulative weeks. How? Besides the unlikely ballad, "O My God" could easily be assumed to be straight up blasphemous,

"Wrapped Around My Finger" is about a dangerous dance the protagonist has with the Devil himself,

"Mother" has Summers complaining about his mom while crazy Indian-inspired melodies play behind him, "King of Pain" is Sting in full Emo mode: "there's a little black spot on the sun today, that's my soul up there,"

and "Walking in Your Footsteps" is how humans are just as doomed as the dinosaurs. Run to Licorice Pizza and buy this record? Run and buy it they did. They played air drums to Copeland's intricately awkward beats, Summers' melodies swirled in their heads, and Sting's lyrics fed their soul.

Gwen Stefani not only ran to the record shop, but at 14 found her way backstage at the Synchronicity Tour when it got to LA and got Sting to sign it.

That summer kickoff 40 years ago this weekend was heavily promoted on MTV who were cosponsors of the gig. So naturally MTV's first VJ, Martha Quinn interviewing the band backstage who naturally ended the chat with an impromptu (?) food fight.

Other MTV faves Joan Jett, The Fixx, and the Flock of Seagulls opened for a full day of straight up '80s new wave pop rock featuring day glo, sleeveless shirts, poofy hair, and baseball-sleeved concert tees. What is rarely talked about is Simple Minds had to cancel that night and were replaced by the much darker, more aggressive, Ministry.

Other openers for the Synchronicity tour ranged from James Brown to Stevie Ray Vaughn to Bryan Adams to REM to Oingo Boingo. It was The tour for The album for The band. Perhaps the most talked about moment of the tour, outside of the Comiskey kickoff was the time Sting and Copeland were roughhousing in NYC before they were to play Shea Stadium and one of the singer's ribs was "broken."

Copeland explained, "everyone saw we were horsing around. Sting grabbed my copy of The New York Times and wouldn't let go. I wanted my New York Times back. I did put my knee in his rib cage, and he did [receive] a hairline fracture of one rib, but it became this story about how we hated each other."

The influential drummer swears the Police love each other when music isn't involved.

police synchronicity tour 1983

For many reasons the Police's setlist for the tour was heavy on Synchronicity.

All of the songs on the album except two (the aforementioned "Mother" and what can only be assumed as filler, "Miss Gradenko") were played at almost every show on the tour .

police synchronicity tour 1983

Ironically the tune that resonated the most in the set be it in a baseball stadium like Comiskey Park or a cozy theatre: "Every Breath You Take," which almost never became a song if it wasn't for Summers who originally saw nothing special about the diddy. According to the guitarist who previously to the Police studied Classical Guitar at Cal State Northridge, neither Sting nor Copeland could agree on a way to craft the song. So Sting asked Summers to make it his own.

Summers went into the room , thought about the chords, which he says weren't complicated, but instead of strumming them, finger picked it. He laid down his version of the melody in one take and saw those in the booth standing and applauding. And the hit was made.

Would the Grammys feel the way about the Police as the world had? In a way, yes. Synchronicity received several Grammy noms including Album of the Year but that trophy went to an obscure release called Thriller .

The Police did go home with three statuettes: the single "Synchronicity II" won for Best Rock Performance By A Duo or Group with Vocal, the single "Every Breath You Take" won for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, and Sting won for Song Of The Year for composing "Every Breath You Take."

In 2007 the band reunited for a reunion tour with over 150 dates. They played with even more energy than in the '80s, but the gentlemen decided it was not a permanent thing and have never recorded an album together since their 1983 hit. The Police are all on tour, but of course, separately.

police synchronicity tour 1983

Beginning tonight in Massachusetts, Summers sets off on a US tour where he not only shows off his guitar skills but his work as an accomplished photographer. Tickets available on his website .

Stewart Copeland has rearranged the songs he helped make famous and this spring released Police Deranged For Orchestra , and is currently on tour in Europe. He brings his massive drum set, singers, and orchestra to the US in the fall. Tickets available on his website .

police synchronicity tour 1983

In 2019 Sting re-recorded and re-arranged 14 of his favorite compositions from his illustrious career. The plague put a halt to the tour but he was able to eventually get it going. Right now he is in the midst of a world tour that will not only bring him to the Hollywood Bowl but will reunite him to his unlikely cohort, Shaggy, in Philly. Tickets are on Sting's website .

Latest News

police synchronicity tour 1983

Hatebreed Announces 30th Anniversary 2024 North American Tour

police synchronicity tour 1983

Kings of Leon Live Debut "Mustang" At Vive Latino

police synchronicity tour 1983

Weezer Plays Blue Album From Front-to-Back with A Wrinkle

police synchronicity tour 1983

+LIVE+ and Stone Temple Pilots Announce Jubilee Tour

Most played songs.

  • Roxanne ( 569 )
  • Message in a Bottle ( 493 )
  • So Lonely ( 462 )
  • Walking on the Moon ( 441 )
  • Don't Stand So Close to Me ( 388 )

More The Police statistics

Gigs seen live by

6,478 people have seen The Police live.

gehenna13x shelldonbtand x0mlevi dkolosek charliebecause pdxracer dietbatz omahattan tomaswaker12 badjack amykw33 Dmck erickaye floydwaters1979 ScottBrianB vonorati stannc petec YesSir83 makiko xmb76x concertaholic fb:1495605893 citybug gehenna ikirudennis fb:740939537 zincanij 3po1nt0 samwilbur dfrydlewicz RedJLAH amoonday syedk dstanton5150 lfcboy15 masmacho vmartell31 goobozzy erd11704 skyway7 samburu GarageGirl BillyZCBB keithp2112 onlynolan syngenor nothimagen craigcin78 djfrohman

Showing only 50 most recent

The Police setlists

More from this Artist

  • More Setlists
  • Artist Statistics
  • Add setlist
  • Setlist Insider See the artists dive into their own setlist data.
  • Live Debuts Witness the first time a song is performed live.
  • Setlist.fm Exclusives Videos, photos and interviews - see it here first.
  • Covers Better than the original? You decide.
  • Guest Appearances Keeping track of the on-stage cameos.
  • Setlist History Looking back on moments in music history.
  • Tour Dates How to catch your faves: The who, what, where and when.
  • Festivals News about the multi-artist, multi-day extravaganzas.
  • General News Other music-related news.
  • Mar 17, 2024
  • Mar 16, 2024
  • Mar 15, 2024
  • Mar 14, 2024
  • Mar 13, 2024
  • Mar 12, 2024
  • FAQ | Help | About
  • Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices | Privacy Policy
  • Feature requests
  • Songtexte.com

police synchronicity tour 1983

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

police synchronicity tour 1983

  • This Just In
  • Grateful Dead
  • Old Time Radio
  • 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
  • Audio Books & Poetry
  • Computers, Technology and Science
  • Music, Arts & Culture
  • News & Public Affairs
  • Spirituality & Religion
  • Radio News Archive

police synchronicity tour 1983

  • Flickr Commons
  • Occupy Wall Street Flickr
  • NASA Images
  • Solar System Collection
  • Ames Research Center

police synchronicity tour 1983

  • All Software
  • Old School Emulation
  • MS-DOS Games
  • Historical Software
  • Classic PC Games
  • Software Library
  • Kodi Archive and Support File
  • Vintage Software
  • CD-ROM Software
  • CD-ROM Software Library
  • Software Sites
  • Tucows Software Library
  • Shareware CD-ROMs
  • Software Capsules Compilation
  • CD-ROM Images
  • ZX Spectrum
  • DOOM Level CD

police synchronicity tour 1983

  • Smithsonian Libraries
  • FEDLINK (US)
  • Lincoln Collection
  • American Libraries
  • Canadian Libraries
  • Universal Library
  • Project Gutenberg
  • Children's Library
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Books by Language
  • Additional Collections

police synchronicity tour 1983

  • Prelinger Archives
  • Democracy Now!
  • Occupy Wall Street
  • TV NSA Clip Library
  • Animation & Cartoons
  • Arts & Music
  • Computers & Technology
  • Cultural & Academic Films
  • Ephemeral Films
  • Sports Videos
  • Videogame Videos
  • Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

  • Wayback Machine (iOS)
  • Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

  • Explore the Collections
  • Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

  • Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

The Police Synchronicity Concert: Live At The Omni, Atlanta, GA (1983)

Video item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

  • Graphic Violence
  • Explicit Sexual Content
  • Hate Speech
  • Misinformation/Disinformation
  • Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
  • Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

4 Favorites

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

In collections.

Uploaded by Newnes946 on August 27, 2023

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

search

Be the first to find out about GRAMMY nominees, winners, important news, and events.

police synchronicity tour 1983

Join us on Social

police synchronicity tour 1983

Photo: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

Why The Police’s 'Synchronicity' — Their Final, Fraught Masterpiece — Still Resonates After 40 Years

Released on June 17, 1983, 'Synchronicity' became the band’s biggest commercial success. It was also the Police's final album. Forty years since its release, the "dream-like musical tour" remains a culturally significant sonic exploration.

Flash back to December 1982: A band on the brink of breakup arrives on the volcanic island of Montserrat for six weeks to record what would become their final album. 

This six-week sojourn was bittersweet for the Police , whose days and nights spent holed up in George Martin’s AIR Studios resulted in Synchronicity . The British rock trio's fifth album took its title from a word coined by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who speculated that paranormal events had a basis in physical nature; its themes nodded to Arthur Koestler’s 1972 book The Roots of Confidence .

This Caribbean retreat proved to be a reflective, if not fortuitous setting — while the volcano was inactive during their sessions, there certainly were a lot of eruptions and hot heads between members. By the time the band arrived on Montserrat, frontman and chief songwriter Sting had outgrown the Police in stature; the trio had also taken a sabbatical to pursue solo projects following the release of 1981's Ghost in the Machine . While recording "Every Breath You Take," Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland came to fisticuffs. No one doubted the end was nigh. 

This underlying tension shapes the mood of Synchronicity , and its songs are like a weed in your garden. Even after you pull it out, it always returns to remind you that the struggle is real. Despite these conflicts and the unraveling of the band in real-time, the resulting record was well-received by critics and the public.     

Released on June 17, 1983, Synchronicity became the band’s biggest commercial success. The record hit No. 1 on both the U.S. and the U.K. Billboard 200 charts and spent 17 nonconsecutive weeks in the top spot — selling more than eight million copies in the U.S. alone. At the 26th GRAMMY awards, Synchronicity received five nominations and took home three golden gramophones: Best Rock Performance by a Group or Duo with Vocal for "Synchronicity II"; Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Every Breath You Take"; Sting also took home a GRAMMY for Song of the Year for composing this megahit. 

This success vaulted the trio to "biggest band in the world" status. But, due to infighting, their domination did not last long. After a world tour throughout 1984 to promote Synchronicity , Sting officially left the band. 

Adding to the growing tension, both lead vocalist Sting and guitarist Andy Summers ' marriages were collapsing during this period. Betrayal and suffering hang heavy throughout Synchronicity . This is best illustrated in "King of Pain," the final single released from the album, where the imagery of "a little black spot on the sun today" captures Sting’s temporal malaise but remains resonant.

Lyrically, Synchronicity is a final document, even a legacy, made amid creative conflicts and tumultuous times. Yet what makes the record still resonate after four decades is its dense sonic layers and the trio’s musical experimentation that influenced future artists and recordings. 

Synchronicity also endures for the way it stands apart from other 1980s modern rock albums. It mingles musical styles — new wave, post-punk, reggae, jazz-fusion, rock, and what, at the time, was labeled world music. The Police had a firm grasp on melodic theory, harmony and were well-versed in the history of the popular song book; these influences all appear and fuse on their collective coda. 

Synchronicity is a culmination of all the musical styles that the Police had previously experimented with, plus the addition of many new textures. While their first four studio records fused their reggae and jazz influences with a new wave sound, Synchronicity saw the band generally moving beyond these staccato rhythms, off-beats and improvisations. 

Side one opens with the title track and sets the tone for what follows: a musical journey marked by fractured friendships playing out in the atmospheric melodies and the diverse soundscapes that the album travels over a relatively tight 39.5 minutes. Drop the needle on side two, and the first song you hear is the wistful "Every Breath You Take" — one of the most played in radio history, with more than 15 million plays . Many still consider this Sting composition as one of the greatest pop songs ever written. 

Lyrically, Sting’s songs are the most cerebral; they are filled with rich imagery and references to literature from past and present. "Tea in the Sahara '' includes nods to American expat Paul Bowles’ "The Sheltering Sky" while "Wrapped Around Your Finger" alludes to Greek mythological creatures. Irish poet William Butler Yeats finds his way on the record too; "Synchronicity II" that closes Side One was inspired by his famous modernist poem "The Second Coming." The mood of the melodies in these tracks reflects the band’s sonic shift. In other songs, the influence of diverse musical styles from world regions beyond North America are also apparent — a territory Sting continued to explore in his career as a solo artist after the Police disbanded.  

Synchronicity was also one of the first to see the other two band members contribute a composition  — a parting gift of sorts from Sting to his bandmates; a chance to show their songwriting chops. 

Summers’ "Mother," — written in 7/4 time signature that is more common in classical music — is not a great song lyrically or musically, but the short and repetitive track somehow fits. Although the guitarist is singing about the troubled relationship he had with his mum, the song’s frenzied pace and his manic screams match the anger and growing animosity between him and Sting, while also alluding to the end of his marriage. Copeland’s "Miss Gradenko" is slightly better than Summers’ song. Lyrically, the two-minute track speaks to Russian repression during the Cold War; musically it features some fine guitar work.     

While Copeland and Summers' participation created a bit of inconsistency, particularly when compared to previous releases, their unique approaches and more direct lyrics make the album even more interesting.

Despite these two songs, which beyond adding to the music publishing coffers of Sting’s bandmates, are forgettable, the album is a reverie deserving of repeated listens to uncover all the subtle soundscapes. The National Recording Registry described Synchronicity as "a dream-like musical tour" and the band's sound as "represented, not a pastiche, but a stylistic ethos." 

The album was also musically groundbreaking in terms of the tools and toys used in the studio. Just like the addition of keyboards and horns on Ghost in the Machine , this time around it was the first time Sting had used a sequencer ("Walking in Your Footsteps" and "Synchronicity II"). In Stephen Holden’s 4.5 star Rolling Stone review of the album upon its release, the critic summarized the cohesiveness of the record and its songs like this, "each cut on Synchronicity is not simply a song but a miniature, discrete soundtrack," and "Synchronicity is work of dazzling surfaces and glacial shadows." In a RS reader poll later that same year of the greatest records of 1983, the album topped the list.

Synchronicity also captured the zeitgeist. In 1983, unemployment was at a record high and the Cold War lingered, causing global worries of what these superpowers might do next. For many Gen Xers, this LP was one of the first records they purchased at their local shop. And, for many musicians, it meant "everything." The record remains a masterwork and meaningful document.     

In 2009, Synchronicity was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame . And, in 2023, the Library of Congress selected the album as one of the newest to be included in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Exclusive: Stewart Copeland Premieres First Single From 'Police Deranged For Orchestra'

10 Love Songs That Have Nothing to Do With Love: From "Every Breath You Take" To "Baby It's Cold Outside"

Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic / Getty Images

10 Love Songs That Have Nothing to Do With Love: From "Every Breath You Take" To "Baby It's Cold Outside"

Don't let the song titles fool you. From misogynist attitudes to tales of coercion and even a secret pregnancy, many popular love songs aren't about love at all.

Many studies on love have proven that it seems to be a trait present throughout species. Although it's undeniable that the capacity for love is universal, evidence suggests love manifests differently across individuals. That is why, for many people, love is undefinable, with the word meaning something for one and something else for another. 

This point has never been proven more true than in love songs. Numerous musicians and bands have sung about love, but their definition or meaning of the word and yours might be wholly different. You would be surprised to learn how many love songs have absolutely nothing to do with emotional or physical love.

When you delve beneath the surface, "love" songs are sometimes twisted, uncomfortable, sadistic, and unsavory. So, let's look at 10 love songs with nothing to do with love and everything to do with what they shouldn’t. 

"Every Breath You Take" - the Police 

When the Police released "Every Breath You Take" in 1983, it immediately became a huge hit, reaching No.1 on U.S., UK, Canadian, Irish, and South African charts. On the surface, this song seems romantic, which is why it made its way into numerous movie scenes and weddings, but the lyrics are uncomfortable and prove the song is not actually about love. 

Frontman Sting sings, "I'll be watching you," and, "Oh, can't you see, you belong to me?" about the song's object of affection. Rather than lyrics about a lover, it's believed that the song is about a stalker. At the time Sting was suffering a mental breakdown, making the verses infinitely more evil.

In fact, Sting himself said : "I think it's a nasty little song, really rather evil. It's about jealousy and surveillance and ownership."

"Rollercoaster of Love" - Ohio Players 

On the surface, the lyrics "It's a rollercoaster ride/we're on top for the moment/ and then we'll take that dive" seem to describe a relationship's exhilarating ups and downs. However, there has been much debate over the years about the true meaning behind the Ohio Players ' staple. 

The most popular theory is that the song is about life's ups and downs, not love, but we'll never know. According to late frontman Leroy Bronner who wrote the tune, "To this day, I don't know what I wrote." He continued, "The words didn't make sense to me. But it was a hit."

The song also has a much darker recording humor, which further alienates it from the genre of love songs. According to the rumor to which the band responded "No comment," the scream on the track was the sound of a woman being murdered in the recording studio. 

The woman's death is an urban legend, but the band decided to leave it in as a joke and as a way to create buzz for the song, with the actual scream belonging to keyboard player Billy Beck. 

"Can't Feel My Face" - the Weeknd  

The Weeknd is well known for penning lyrics that have multiple meanings, so it's not surprising that his hit track "Can't Feel My Face" isn't really about love. 

With the lyrics: "I can't feel my face when I'm with you/But I love it" and "And I know she'll be the death of me, at least we'll both be numb/And she'll always get the best of me; the worst is yet to come." It sounds like a dark love song about a man who is so in love that he loses all control, which is plausible, but it's more likely the song is about cocaine. 

According to Billboard , the song is about drug dependency, and the Weeknd is crooning about cocaine and likening it to a bad relationship. The Weeknd had hinted at the song being about drugs when he commented: "I just won a new award for a kids' show, Talking 'bout a face numbing off a bag of blow." Unfortunately, it's not very romantic. 

"Umbrella" - Rihanna

Most believe that one of Rihanna 's most famous songs is about a woman comforting her partner and explaining that she will be there for him through the good and bad times. "Baby 'cause in the dark you can't see shiny cars/And that's when you need me there. With you, I'll always share," she sings.

However, a few people believe "Umbrella" is about the corruption of a person's soul – Rhianna's in this case. Some believe that the 2007 hit is about Rhianna welcoming the devil into her heart, body, and soul. While this is more of a conspiracy theory than anything else,  a pastor recently posted on TikTok that he came back from hell, and "Umbrella" was one of the songs being used to torture individuals. 

"All I Wanna Do is Make Love To You" -  Heart

If you listen carefully to the lyrics in "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You," it's clear that the 1990 song actually about deceit. 

Nancy and Ann Wilson are singing about being in love with another man who cannot provide her with children because he is impotent — so she finds a willing one-night stand. She sings, "I didn't ask him his name, this lonely boy in the rain." When morning comes, the protagonist says "All I left him was a note/ I told him I am the flower; you are the seed. We walked in the garden; we planted a tree."

After some time has passed, she's unnerved to come across his path, presumably pregnant: "You can imagine his surprise when he saw his own eyes/I said please, please understand/I'm in love with another man/And what he couldn't give me was the one little thing that you can."

"Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga

"Bad Romance" was developed as an experimental pop record featuring elements of German techno and house. With more than 184 million YouTube streams, the 2008 track quickly became one of Lady Gaga 's best songs. 

On the surface, "Bad Romance" centers on the pull of a love that's bad for you: "I want your ugly, I want your disease/I want your everything as long as it's free/I want your love." However, it's not so straightforward. 

Gaga said she drew inspiration from the paranoia she experienced while on tour. She also stated the song is about her attraction to unhealthy romantic romances that are not always about love. 

"Young Girl" - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

Not all love is appropriate, as the song "Young Girl" by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap proves. This 1968 single is wholly inappropriate and creepy (and illegal), but it still managed to become one of the band's best-known songs. In fact, despite the lyrics being more about unsavory infatuation than love, it still reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (just behind "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay "). 

Initially, this song doesn't appear inappropriate with lyrics  "Young girl, get out of my mind" possibly referencing the romance of a slight age gap. But the group doubles down: "My love for you is way out of line/ Better run, girl/You're much too young, girl."

If these words aren't enough to prove the song is about being infatuated with an underage girl, you might be convinced by lead singer Gary Puckett singing, "Beneath your perfume and make-up you're just a baby in disguise" and "Get out of here before I have the time to change my mind." 

"Under My Thumb" - by the Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones have had their share of controversy over the years, and it's not hard to see why when you consider the meaning behind many of their big hits. "Under My Thumb" might have been marketed as a love song, but it's about a relationship rooted in hate and control. 

With lyrics such as " Under my thumb/It's a squirmin' dog who's just had her day/Under my thumb/

A girl who has just changed her ways ," it's apparent that Mick Jagger is singing less about heartbreak and more about power. The misogyny is so clear in this song that it made it into the book Under My Thumb: Songs That Hate Women and the Women That Love Them .

"Baby It's Cold Outside" - Dean Martin 

One of the most popular holiday season love songs, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was written by Frank Loessser and performed by Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald . It's difficult to say if these musicians knew the song's sinister and controversial underbelly. 

"Baby It's Cold Outside" is about a man who pressures a woman to stay at his home by any means necessary. The woman in the song tries to give reasons why she cannot stay with lyrics like "My mother will start to worry" and "My father will be pacing the floor." Yet, her concerns are shot down at every turn, with the man using the bad weather outside to keep her captive. Fortunately, the song has been remade with consensual lyrics, thanks to Kelly Clarkson and John Legend . 

"You're Gorgeous" - Babybird

This song may have a happy rhythm, but if you pay attention to the lyrics, there is much more to this song than meets the eye. Although the song appears to be about a man who would do anything for his lady love, it is about exploitation. 

This song — the British group's biggest hit, from 1996 — is about a sleazy photographer who takes advantage of a young and naive model and photographs her for men's magazines. The lyrics "You got me to hitch my knees up/And pulled my legs apart" details the true nature of this song.

"People should never be told how to interpret a song," Babybird told the blog Essentially Pop. "So, if they thought it was romantic, then fine." He continued, "Sadly, very few people got the true meaning, which is about male predatory behavior, but in popular music, most critics are a little blind to correct interpretation."

Lovesick Or Sick Of Love: Listen To GRAMMY.com’s Valentine’s Day Playlist Featuring Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Playboi Carti, Olivia Rodrigo, FKA Twigs & More

10 Fascinating Facts About Bryan Adams: From Writing For KISS To His Serious Side Hustle

Photo: Todd Owyoung / NBC via Getty Images

10 Fascinating Facts About Bryan Adams: From Writing For KISS To His Serious Side Hustle

The GRAMMY-winning singer and guitarist has sold over 75 million albums and is about to share his songs on the world stage. Ahead of his So Happy It Hurts tour, read on for 10 lesser-known facts about the raspy-voiced rocker.

One of Canada's biggest rock stars, Bryan Adams has had a massively successful and sonically diverse career that spans 45 years. With one win and 16 GRAMMY nominations under his belt, Adams' prolific output includes numerous chart-topping albums and big-name collaborations.

Yet, for a man who has sold over 75 million albums and wants his music to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, Bryan Adams doesn't seem to seek the limelight. 

He’s not tabloid fodder, doesn’t date celebrities, and does not court controversy. While he certainly will promote his latest album or tour — and will begin his international tour on Jan. 20 in Montana —  but Adams is an intensely private individual who is selective with the interviews that he gives and in what he speaks about. He is also not a flamboyantly dressed performer, preferring the jeans and t-shirt that he has carried over from his very beginnings. Appropriately enough, he often calls his band the Dudes Of Leisure.

Adams’ most recent studio album is called So Happy It Hurts and recently released a 3-CD box set of live recordings of three classic albums performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall: Cuts Like A Knife, Into The Fire, and Waking Up The Neighbors .

Ahead of his So Happy It Hurts Tour — which will certainly see Adams perform hits "Summer Of ‘69," "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," "Can’t Stop This Thing We Started" — read on for 10 lesser-known facts about the raspy-voiced rocker.

who has befriended and collaborated with an impressive range of artists across numerous media.

He Signed His First Contract For $1

Back in 1978, when was just 18 years old, Adams signed a recording contract with A&M Records who decided to take a chance on the fledgling rocker with a "wait and see" attitude. 

They signed him for the paltry sum of $1 which Adams insisted on receiving so he could frame it. 

While his first two albums, Bryan Adams (1980) and You Want It You Got It (1981) didn’t exactly set the world on fire, his third release Cuts Like A Knife (1983) went platinum in America and triple platinum in his native Canada, selling at least 1.5 million copies worldwide. Seems like A&M got a great return on their investment.

His Breakthrough Hit Was Written For Someone Else

In January 1983, producer Bruce Fairbairn asked Adams and songwriting partner Jim Vallance  to come up with a song for Blue Öyster Cult. Their original version of "Run To You" did not impress the band (or Adams) and they passed — so did .38 Special and other groups. 

When Adams needed one more song for 1984’s Reckless , he pulled out "Run" and taught it to his band. This time, everyone including album producer Bob Clearmountain was impressed. It became the album's lead single and Adams' biggest hit, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. 

Although the previous Cuts Like A Knife had three hits singles and went platinum, Reckless spawned six hits ("Heaven" went No. 1) and turned Adams into a superstar, selling 5 million copies in America and reportedly 7 million more globally.

He’s Penned Dozens Of Songs For Others

Adams has co-written songs for numerous other artists, many of them hard rockers. In 1982, he and Vallance co-wrote "Rock and Roll Hell" and "War Machine" with Gene Simmons for the KISS album Creatures Of The Night; and he worked with Paul Stanley and Mikel Japp on "Down On Your Knees" for KISS Killers . 

That led to credits on albums by Ted Nugent, Motley Crue and Krokus (who used a leftover from Reckless ). But the recipients of Adams’ songs span a wide range of artists including Neil Diamond , Tina Turner , Bonnie Raitt , Loverboy, .38 Special, and Anne Murray .

He Loves A Good Duet

Bryan Adams' duets often appear on movie soundtracks and tend to do well. His Reckless collaboration with Tina Turner, "It’s Only Love," was a Top 20 hit, peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. But things got bigger from there. 

"All For Love," his song with Sting and Rod Stewart for the Three Musketeers film soundtrack (1993) went No. 1 in at least a dozen countries, selling nearly 2 million copies globally. He’s also duetted with Bonnie Raitt ("Rock Steady"), Barbra Streisand ("I Finally Found Someone" which went Top 10), and Melanie C from Spice Girls ("When You’re Gone"). He’s also recorded with Chicane, Pamela Anderson, Emmanuelle Seigner, Loverush UK, and Michael Bublé .

In recent years, Adams has said that he would like to duet with Beyonce and Lady Gaga . And in case you missed it, Taylor Swift once brought him onstage to perform "Summer Of ‘69."

The Reckless Video Album Is A Story Of Unrequited Love

With its six videos slightly out of order from actual release, the Reckless video compilation (1984) charts a melancholy story. In "This Time" (the final video from Cuts Like A Knife ), Adams is seeking out a woman in a desert town who's only shown with glimpses of her legs and heels. At the end, he finds her in the back of his van and they hook up — or is it just a mirage? 

"Summer Of ‘69" intercuts black and white footage of Adams and a young woman during their teen years with color images of their separate lives today. At the end, his old flame drives by with her current boyfriend who sees her eyeing the rocker, gets angry, and violently stops the car. In "Somebody," she escapes the car as he screams at her, and then she and Adams wander in different locations as they recollect one another. 

In "Kids Wanna Rock," Adams jumps onstage for a high energy performance, while in "Heaven," his old flame’s new guy has been pulled over for drunk driving, so she ditches him to see the Bryan Adams show conveniently happening across the street. He is unaware she is there, mesmerized by him. 

After he races off the stage he finds himself locked inside the venue with snow coming down outside. In "Run To You," actually the album’s first single, Adams performs in wind and snow-swept environs and fantasizes about the same woman who finally walks up to him at the end. But they never embrace or kiss.

He’s An Acclaimed Photographer

Adams has been taking photos for most of his life, but it’s no longer a hobby. — he has photographed everyone from rock stars to royalty, and even himself for his own album covers. He got a lot of good pointers about photography and darkroom work when the famed Anton Corbijn shot the cover for 1987’s Into The Fire .

While Adams’ memorable portraits of people like Pink , Mick Jagger , Amy Winehouse , Rammstein , and yes, Queen Elizabeth II, he has also published books of portraits of homeless people, wounded war veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, images of sand from the Island Of Mustique, and American women dressed in Calvin Klein. He uses proceeds from these books to benefit various charitable causes. He also shot the 2022 calendar for the Pirelli Tire Company to help them celebrate their 150th anniversary. 

These days, Adams told Louder Sound that he is "a photographer moonlighting as a singer ."

He’s A Longtime Vegan & Animal Rights Advocate

The singer first became vegetarian at age 28 and later turned vegan, citing animal cruelty in the face of human food consumption. Adams has said that he gets an abundance of energy from his plant-based diet, noting he no longer gets sick. 

Adams has promoted his lifestyle to fans through positive posts, and he joins other famous musicians who are also vegan including Paul McCartney , Billie Eilish , and Stevie Wonder .

He Is Staunchly Committed To Humanitarian & Charitable Causes

Adams has lent his voice and face to a variety of causes. It all started with his appearance at the Live Aid Festival in 1985, which raised many for Ethiopian famine relief. That was followed by the two-week Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope tour in 1986, the 1988 Peace Concert in East Berlin, and many others. From earthquake and tsunami relief to climate change to the Mideast peace process, he has been involved in many causes, and he is an LGBTQ ally as well.

In 2006, he co-founded the Bryan Adams Foundation with the goal of improving quality of life around the world via financial grants. Funds "support specific projects that are committed to bettering the lives of other people. The Foundation seeks to protect the most vulnerable or disadvantaged individuals in society." A big goal is "to advance education and learning opportunities for children and young people worldwide."

He Co-Wrote A Broadway Musical

Adams is known for having hit songs from movies including Don Juan DeMarco, The Three Musketeers, The Mirror Has Two Faces, and Robin Hood, Prince Of Thieves . Some people might not know that he and Jim Vallance co-wrote the score to the Broadway adaptation of "Pretty Woman," which ran for 420 performances over a year starting in August 2018. It is currently touring the UK and U.S. 

None of the movie’s pop songs were used; the score was entirely theirs. And it turns out he and Vallance had to audition their work to producers. Adams told Billboard in 2016 that the duo crafted three songs and presented them to the producers, who responded with a "don’t call us, we’ll call you" approach. Thirty minutes later, Adams got the call.

He Tours Places Other Western Artists Don't Visit

Bryan Adams has performed in places other Western artists don't often visit. He has toured India several times; Adams first played Mumbai in the early ‘90s and was impressed with the loyalty of Indian audiences. He was reportedly the first Western artist to play Karachi, Pakistan after the Sept. 11 attacks, and toured in Syria and Lebanon in December 2010. He said Syria had a great audience and had never hosted a Western artist before. 

Songbook: A Guide To Stephen Sondheim's Essential Works & Classic Tributes

Exclusive: Stewart Copeland Premieres First Single From 'Police Deranged For Orchestra'

Photo: Jessica Lehrman

Exclusive: Stewart Copeland Premieres First Single From 'Police Deranged For Orchestra'

The Police founder and drummer Stewart Copeland exclusively shares “Every Breath You Take,” the first single from his forthcoming orchestral re-arrangement of Police songs. The album, 'Police Deranged for Orchestra,' is out June 23.

In November of 1978, the Police made an emphatic statement with their debut album,  Outlandos d'Amour , which featured now-classic singles"Roxanne" and "Can’t Stand Losing You." Drawing from the subliminal talents of vocalist Sting , guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland , the London-based band created a distinctive sound drawing reggae, pop, and punk. Their songs and sound have become classics.

In 2006, Copeland released Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out , a film he created out of Super 8 footage of the band’s early days. The film employed rearranged, or "deranged", versions of the band’s songs to score the film. More than 15 years later, the work evolved into Police Deranged for Orchestra . Copelan's forthcoming album, out June 23, combines his rearrangements with a symphony orchestra and all-star rock band. 

The derangements on Police Deranged are far from a paint by numbers revisit of the songs. Rather, Copeland channels his classical and jazz roots in an experimental tweaking of the Police's classics. The resulting songs arrive at  exciting sonic destinations with new elements, yet never totally lose sight of the originals. 

"I've been mostly erring on the side of pushing it over the edge," Stewart told GRAMMY.com. Indeed, "Message in a Bottle," for example, arrives with a more cinematic atmospheric vibe; its tangents freely wander. 

"The hooks of those songs are so strong that I can take wild liberties with every other aspect," he continues. "People are sometimes afraid to look backwards, and that's only a valid fear if you're not going forwards."

In addition to performing with bands, Copeland has a long history of film and compositional work, including the film score for 1987’s Wall Street and the 1983 Francis Coppola directed Rumble Fish . He calls Police Deranged a reflection of his orchestral and arranging work, which has also been an "inevitable byproduct product of scoring for film." He’ll continue the Police theme later this year in the form of Stewart Copeland’s Police Diaries , a new book featuring diary entries from 1976-79.

The seven-time GRAMMY-winning composer discusses his journey revisiting the Police’s music, how he adjusts to playing drums for orchestra, and why he thinks he can push the songs to their limits. Today, GRAMMY.com premieres "Every Breath You Take," the first single from Police Deranged for Orchestra .

Today you're releasing the album's first single, "Every Breath You Take." What was your journey like revisiting the song?

That one I turned over to [conductor and composer] Eímear Noone and Craig Stuart Garfinkel. I had already orchestrated all of the other music and I finally realized, wait a minute, "Every Breath" was never my most fun song to play live . So, at that point, I just handed that one off to professionals. The journey of that one was egging them on and pushing them to get further and further away from the original, which wasn't broke, but that doesn't mean we can't fix it.

And the orchestral interlude was actually conceived of for a stage moment that actually didn't really work. They were going to start playing ["Every Breath"] and then I walk out, but that looks stupid. So, [the song’s prelude’s] just there as an artifact, but it's actually darned beautiful.

So, they were able to find a pretty nice balance between the core of the original and giving it a new spin?

Actually, I haven't been too concerned about that balance. I've been mostly erring on the side of pushing it over the edge because the hooks of those songs are so strong that I can take wild liberties with every other aspect.

What did you learn about the songs while revisiting them?

That Sting is a darn good songwriter. I missed that back in the day. I was at the back of the stage banging s— and all I ever saw was the back of his head. 

Doing these derangements really woke me up to the quality of his music. I already knew that, but the lyrics as well. Man, he had a way with words. Don't tell him I said that.

While working on Police Deranged for Orchestra and digging into the band's recordings, it sounds like you gained a deeper appreciation for what made the Police special, from the small details to what each person brought to the band.

Very much so. Both of them, with Andy as well as Sting. Sting turns out to have been a darn good songwriter. But Andy, the colors, the harmonic textures that he brought. He was a one-man orchestra, that guy. And a lot of the orchestrations that I've done are all built on his harmonic voicing and his arpeggiated guitar figures and so on and does sound great in the orchestra.

There were big moments where we just came up with stuff onstage that were very Police-ish because it came from the three of us, but didn’t exist on any record until now.

In what ways did pairing with an orchestra bring out new things from the songs?

The orchestra has its own vocabulary in those swirls and cool swooshes and wangs and bangs. I introduced some elements that are strictly orchestral, just so that you can utilize all of the diverse forms of expression that an orchestra is capable of. 

They were all inspired by Andy and Sting. But I also did add a few new ingredients of my own, mostly to do with the orchestration.

Sometimes when artists put songs in a new light, you gain even more appreciation for the song.

Oh yeah, a bunch of stuff. And I want to call those guys back and say, "Hey, guys, all is forgiven." Well, actually, I have called them back and all is forgiven. We actually get along really great now. 

Sting is actually very supportive of this mission. He loves to hear his songs performed by other artists, even when they change it up. It makes him feel like Rodgers and Hammerstein, and indeed is of that stature when it comes to songwriting. But yes, getting deep into these songs definitely gave me much more insight into what those guys came up with.

The album features a pretty impressive all-star cast of musicians and vocalists. Can you talk a little bit about some of the players and why you brought them on?

Armand Sabal-Lecco on bass, has been my bass groove for something like 30 years, and he's played with Paul Simon , Seal , Peter Gabriel , just about everybody. He just has that African lilt, which just works for me, and we're real very close friends. But mainly on the bass, he really lights me up, gives me something to work with.

On guitar, Rusty Anderson played in Animal Logic, a band that I had with Stanley Clarke decades ago, and that's where I met him. And we've been chuckle buddies ever since. He's a guitarist who I called when I was doing film scores. When I knew exactly what I wanted, I could play it myself. But when I was stumped, when I didn't know exactly what I wanted, I'd call Rusty and he would come up with something that I never would've dreamed of. He has incredible technique, a really wide vocabulary of style and sound. I guess that's why Paul McCartney likes him so much too.

The ladies are from three different worlds; they're triple scale alpha vocalists here in Los Angeles. Backing singers generally have more technique and more exactitude in their performance than do star singers. So, these women are all really technically proficient, but I egged them on. I exhorted them to step forward, take the mic, grab the spotlight. And they really did. They really did put stuff beyond what you would get from session musicians and they really lit it up, all three women in very different ways.

Amy is the big, huge Earth mother voice. Ashley is a tinkly on top, very agile. In opera, we would call her a coloratura soprano. And Carmel and the alto range, she's the rock upon which all the others build, very solid and with a lot of unique personality. Carmel is into heavy metal and country, so she has a cultural makeup that is very interesting.

I should also mention our conductor, Edwin Outwater. He really brought a lot of extra X factor out of both the singers and the orchestra. When we developed the show originally for live performance, that's what this all came from and what we got organized for, he really worked with the singers to get them confident, because they're complicated arrangements. I'm reproducing Sting's quite exotic, rhythmic phrasing. And for them to learn it took a lot. What conductors do is they bring all the elements together into one thing. And similarly, Craig Stuart Garfinkel, who actually mixed and recorded it. These were people that I really relied on to make it become real. Now we can move on.

Stewart Copeland performing in the studio

*(L-R): Rusty Anderson, Armand Sabal-Lecco and Stewart Copeland performing in the studio | Photo: Jessica Lehrman*

What songs surprised and challenged you most?

"Tea in The Sahara," [from tk year's album] which was always an obscure favorite of mine, became my favorite piece of orchestration. The rolling waves of the sand dunes really inspired the use of the orchestra in that way.. 

"Message in a Bottle" was like a diamond and I could not mess with it; the form of it is what it has to be. I did mess with the orchestration, with the sound textures and so on, but the song itself resisted all of my attempts at de-arrangement. But I did orchestrate the heck out of it. 

Percussion and rhythm are things that overlap in a lot of styles of music. What’s it like playing drums with an orchestra and how do you adjust compared to other forms?

The orchestra sounds bigger and more majestic and has more presence. The actual volume is not so much;  the drum set is designed to compete with big amplification. I had to really adjust my technique and there were some unexpected benefits from that. One is that all kinds of techniques that I had learned as a kid, rudiments and so on, things that just don't read in a rock environment, have a place in an orchestral environment. 

So, there's all kinds of cool little stuff that I can do with the drums that would never exist in rock 'n' roll. And also, the drums sound better when I'm not trying to kill them. I guess nobody gets a headache with this quieter technique.

In the '80s, you focused more on your classical roots and, later, the film scores. How do you think that decision has made you a more well-rounded musician?

Well, the two informed each other. Like I say, the film music brought me back to orchestra. My daddy raised me to be a jazz musician, which was going fine until I heard Jimi Hendrix. Meanwhile, my mother was playing 20th century classical: Stravinsky, Revel, Debussy and such, and that really stuck emotionally. So that sound of the orchestra was always there in my heart.

But then when I was doing film music, I was pointed in various directions by my bosses, the directors, that I never would've gone voluntarily as an artist or never would've crossed my mind. But when Francis Coppola [whom I worked on the score for Rumble Fish] turns around and says, "I need strings," I went off and learned how to work with strings. And the rest is history, of working with orchestras, because I was told to. And so that's the benefit of going through a phase as a professional [hired gun]. I'm back to being an artist now, where it's my medium. I do what I want and I follow my own artistic instincts, but I learned all this cool stuff when I was an employee.

What do you recall of your first time hearing classical music?

The first time hearing classical music was kind of beyond memory. It was in the house before I remember, but I suppose the first conscious memory that I have is "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff and crawling around in our house in Beirut, Lebanon, my face in the Persian carpets that my mother bought in Isfahan. I'm looking at one of them right now.But those patterns, the combination on those Persian rugs of chaos and order, are pretty much exactly what my music is all about.

U2 had an interesting quote recently about their new album where they were revisiting their old classics, that a great song is indestructible. Do you agree with that?

A good song is a good song and there are many ways of slicing a really good song. And Sting really appreciates this too. And so, for U2 to go and go back to those great songs and reimagine them was probably very healthy for them artistically.

People are sometimes afraid to look backwards, and that's only a valid fear if you're not going forwards. If you're moving forwards with great velocity, it's fine to look over your shoulder and check out where you've been and put some of that to good use.

You’re going to be touring with the orchestra later this year.

It’s not so much a tour. I mean, I play 20, 25 shows, and they're all individual events. I fly to Atlanta, I play with the Atlanta Symphony, I fly to Cleveland, play with the Cleveland Orchestra, fly to Nashville. Rather than me hiring an orchestra and 50 hotel rooms, they hire me. And I just show up with my singers and guitarists and it's a much better business model.

I'm going down to Cannes to be a judge at the Cannes Series Festival. And then I'm going to play a show in London at the Coliseum in London and then come back. Then this summer, I'm playing an Italian tour and then a one-off date in Luxem.

I imagine each orchestra has their own unique personality.

Yes, they do. In spite of the diligence, they play exactly what I put on the page. And the more detail that I put on the page, the more detail is their performance, and that shapes what they do. They don't just play the notes. And their philosophy, their reason for living is to faithfully execute what they see on the page. 

Nevertheless, the Cleveland Orchestra has a different personality from the Atlanta Symphony or the Chicago. They swing together as one thing, and that one thing has a personality. Sometimes the brass are really crisp in this one here and the other one, it's the strings that shine and so on. 

You have a few other projects coming up this year, including a reissue on Record Store Day.

Yeah, that's going to be a deluxe version of my [1980 album as] Klark Kent, comprised of the original tracks, plus the demos that I did at home in my home recording studio and various other pieces to go with that. 

Ricky Kej  — my buddy with whom I won a GRAMMY this year [for Best Immersive Audio Album] and another one last year — is  doing a version of the album, which tentatively titled Police: Deranged for Paradise , with the Soweto Gospel Choir and other ethnic artists from around the world. [It is a] completely alternate version of the album, using all of the Derangettes, my American singers and American players, and the Irish Orchestra, but adding these otherworld elements. That's going to be a cool record.

Yeah, it'll be neat to hear those songs in that context as well.

Yeah, absolutely. In Zulu, in Hausa, in Mandarin, in Tamil. That'll be interesting. And Armenian.

This fall you’re releasing a new book, Stewart Copeland’s Police Diaries .

Yes. That's based on my diaries of the starving years of the Police. I've got every day, what concert we played, how much we got paid, how many people were there. I gave myself reviews, but also I've got the receipts for the trucks that I hired. For some reason, I don't throw stuff away and I've still got all this stuff. And they tell an interesting story. 

And the main surprise of that story was how we stuck together before we had any idea what music to play. We were playing crap punk songs that I wrote with yelling, because that's what we had to play to get by and get hired and play those clubs. But we bonded musically and starved until Andy joined and he starved with us. And then it was like a year or two into the Police mission that Sting started coming up with those amazing songs that turned everything around for us. So, we bonded musically before we had any idea of what to play.

Ian Munsick Is Bringing The West To The World With 'White Buffalo'

Up Close & Personal: Shaggy And Sting Discuss Their Musical Beginnings, Songwriting Processes And GRAMMY-Winning Collaboration

Up Close & Personal: Shaggy And Sting Discuss Their Musical Beginnings, Songwriting Processes And GRAMMY-Winning Collaboration

Two GRAMMY-winning musical legends joined together in this Nashville Chapter member-exclusive program, which was filmed at Nashville's Ocean Way and moderated by Chrissy Metz.

Friends and collaborators Shaggy and Sting came together for a conversation at Nashville's Ocean Way Studio recently — and the result was a lengthy discussion about the way they write songs, the backstories behind some of their biggest hits, and of course, their GRAMMY-winning work together.

In an in-depth installment of Up Close & Personal , presented by the Recording Academy's Nashville Chapter and moderated by "This Is Us" star Chrissy Metz, the member-exclusive program presented an informal conversation that took fans through both artists' careers to date.

The two stars hail from very different parts of the world — Sting grew up in England, and became the frontman for legendary rock group the Police , while Shaggy was born in Kingston, Jamaica. but over the years, they've found layers of commonalities in their work.

In speaking about his songwriting process, Sting — who has written classic-rock hits like "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take" — notes that he mostly writes solo, a rarity in the famed songwriting collaboration hub of Music City.

"I've always been envious of people who have a writing partner," Sting says. " Lennon and McCartney , they were constantly playing off each other, competing with each other, and that was one of the engines of their success."

"But I never actually found that person, and I'm still alone," he adds, with a joke: "Isn't it sad?"

But he found an unlikely but fruitful creative partner in Shaggy for the two collaborative albums they've released together. One of them is 44/876 , which won Best Reggae Album at the 2019 GRAMMYs — and includes a number of songs that the two artists co-wrote.

Shaggy explains that one of the reasons their songwriting partnership was so successful was because of their friendship: Where songwriting can be a tedious, solitary struggle, the two artists found that heading into the writer's room together broke some tension.

"I write a lot of songs, I'm pretty successful at it, but I don't particularly love it," Shaggy notes. "I like the live aspects of it. That's why I like working with him, because it's not as intense. It's more [like] we laugh, and out of that laughter comes something that works, that we hopefully both like."

To learn more about the two artists' creative processes — plus Shaggy's stint on The Masked Singer , and why they think the original James Bond might have been Jamaican — press play on the video above to watch the full episode of Up Close & Personal.

Revisiting The Clash's Combat Rock At 40: Why They Stay And Have Never Gone

  • 1 Why The Police’s 'Synchronicity' — Their Final, Fraught Masterpiece — Still Resonates After 40 Years
  • 2 10 Love Songs That Have Nothing to Do With Love: From "Every Breath You Take" To "Baby It's Cold Outside"
  • 3 10 Fascinating Facts About Bryan Adams: From Writing For KISS To His Serious Side Hustle
  • 4 Exclusive: Stewart Copeland Premieres First Single From 'Police Deranged For Orchestra'
  • 5 Up Close & Personal: Shaggy And Sting Discuss Their Musical Beginnings, Songwriting Processes And GRAMMY-Winning Collaboration

<== previous entry

On 1983-08-10 , The Police performed at Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, MA, USA.

  • 2 Recording information
  • 5 External links
  • 6 References
  • ( Voices Inside My Head )
  • Synchronicity I
  • Synchronicity II
  • Walking In Your Footsteps
  • Message In A Bottle
  • Demolition Man
  • De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
  • Wrapped Around Your Finger
  • Tea In The Sahara
  • Spirits In The Material World
  • Hole In My Life
  • Invisible Sun
  • King Of Pain
  • Every Breath You Take
  • Murder By Numbers
  • Don't Stand So Close To Me
  • Can't Stand Losing You

Recording information

There's a recording of this concert.

There were 61.000 people in the audience.

The Police went onstage at 7:15pm.

One hour before they arrived in a helicopter.

The concert took place at Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, MA (near Boston). Later the stadium was renamed Foxboro Stadium. That's why sometimes different names are given for the city (Boston, Foxboro, Foxborough)...

The band stayed at their mansion on Long Island.

This section needs more information.

External links

source: ticket; ad; Boston Globe review; USA Today review; Kim Turner 's itinerary; The Boston Phoenix - August 9, 1983

next entry ==>

  • 1983-1984 Synchronicity Tour

Navigation menu

  • View source

Personal tools

  • Recent changes
  • Random page
  • PoliceWiki Help
  • Support The Wiki
  • PoliceWiki Supporters
  • Stewart Copeland Official
  • Andy Summers Official
  • Sting Official
  • The Police Official
  • What links here
  • Related changes
  • Special pages
  • Printable version
  • Permanent link
  • Page information
  • This page was last edited on 28 January 2022, at 02:55.
  • This page has been accessed 3,874 times.
  • Content is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License unless otherwise noted.
  • Privacy policy
  • About PoliceWiki
  • Disclaimers
  • The Women of Motley Crue
  • Mellencamp's Concert Heckler
  • Hall of Fame Fan Vote Update
  • Eagles Rumored to Play Sphere
  • Jeff Lynne's ELO Final Tour
  • Perry Journey Songs Ranked

Ultimate Classic Rock

The Police’s ‘Synchronicity': 40 Facts You May Not Know

If albums were tarot cards, Synchronicity by the Police would be an incredibly complex deck. It started out simply enough on paper. As they had done with 1981's Ghost in the Machine , the English group returned to George Martin's AIR Studios in the Caribbean to begin crafting their fifth studio album.

But this time, the inner tension and individual idiosyncrasies of the band members would be too much. They nearly broke up at least twice during the making of Synchronicity and the album would prove to be the swan song for the group. But Hugh Padgham, who co-produced the album with the band, sees at least one positive when looking at the friction. "Side one, where the fast songs are grouped together, has an incredible energy," he told Classic Pop  in 2020. "Which I think was born out of anger."

Drummer Stewart Copeland also saw plenty of positives and insisted that they kept their eyes on the prize, even as they were making their own complications. “We were in paradise, creating our own hell," he admitted in the same conversation. "But in the bitter despond of that trench warfare, we could all hear that this music was fucking great.”

They were all rewarded for sticking it out. Synchronicity became the band's first No. 1 album in America and sold more than eight million copies in that territory alone. Four Top 40 singles and a massive world tour helped to ensure that every single human on the globe would hear at least one song from the album. To this day, "Every Breath You Take," the band's biggest song and first and only No. 1 single, continues to break records. Here are 40 facts you may not know about the making of  Synchronicity .

1. They Completed Synchronicity in Just Eight Weeks Although it was an extremely intense period that would drive the three members to the point of nearly breaking up, they worked efficiently, spending six weeks recording the album and an additional two weeks mixing it. Sting chalked it up to being well-prepared, with a regiment that included always having at least 20 songs written and recorded in demo form prior to entering the studio.

2. But They Got Nothing Done for the First Two Weeks Producer Hugh Padgham recalled in an interview for the book Playing Back The 80s: A Decade of Unstoppable Hits that things were dire. “When we went out to Montserrat to record this album, we were there for two weeks before we had anything on the tape that we could call a song,” he said. “It was that bad.” Miles Copeland, the band's manager, flew over to mediate and there was a meeting about potentially calling it quits right then. Thankfully, a decision was made to carry forward.

3. Even Before Synchronicity , Sting  Was Thinking of Making a Change In the year leading up to Synchronicity’s release, Sting mused about his own future, pondering how further ventures into acting might help his career. "To subvert my 'image' would probably help my longevity,” the vocalist told Rolling Stone in 1982. “I don't want to become Barry Manilow or even Rod Stewart . I want to be behind my handiwork, not in front of it."

Watch the Trailer for 1982's 'Brimstone and Treacle' with Sting

4. The Bookshelf Provided Inspiration Psychiatrist Carl Jung’s book, Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle was a key influence on Sting (and eventually, guitarist Andy Summers , who also grew to love Jung’s writings), acknowledged in part by the album’s title. The frontman had also been a fan of Hungarian author Arthur Koestler. The writer’s works had inspired the album title for Ghost in the Machine -- and Koestler's book The Roots of Coincidence had themes that found their way into the songs on Synchronicity . “I think those people came along at a time when I needed them. I needed therapy badly. I had Jungian therapy and it was very creative and it related to my work,” Sting later told Q magazine. “I got to Jung through Koestler. The first thing I read by Koestler was a book about laughter which wasn't a lot of laughs.”

5. That's a Roadie on 'Synchronicity II' Tam Fairgrieve juggled a lot of duties as Summers’ roadie, so it’s understandable that he eventually needed a nap. But what he didn’t count on was the mischief it would inspire. The members began yelling out his name and turning up the music, but still, he didn’t wake up. “As a last resort [we] shove a microphone under his face and run it through the speakers, cranking it up and adding reverb, bass, treble, and phasing effects until we are beside ourselves with [laughter] and the very wall of the room is quaking,” Summers wrote in his memoir, One Train Later . Finally, Fairgrieve woke up and asked “what the fuck is going on.” The band exploded with laughter -- and end up using the recordings of his snoring to represent the Loch Ness monster on “Synchronicity II.”

Listen to 'Synchronicity II'

6. There's a James Bond  Connection Sting wrote some of the initial songs for the album while sitting at a desk that had been owned by Bond author Ian Fleming. He had gone to Fleming’s famous Goldeneye estate in the Caribbean as an escape during a period of particular turmoil. With his marriage falling apart, he penned “King of Pain,” “Every Breath You Take” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” during at the estate, an experience he called “a healing process.”

7. Rumors of the Band’s Breakup Were Already Swirling In late 1983 as Sting was in the midst of filming his parts for the movie Dune , the subject of a possible Police break-up again came to the surface. “Sting is much too hooked on singing to give it up,” an A&M Records representative told Esquire . The magazine cited additional conversations with “business people” in the band’s circle, who added, “the group is too big to break up before they have milked it for all it’s worth,”

8. Turmoil Within the Band Though Summers often spoke about the tensions of adding additional players to the core trio on 1981's  Ghost in the Machine , it was much worse than that, according to Padgham. The producer revealed in a 2004 interview that Sting and Copeland “hated each other,” while Summers was to a lesser extent, “grumpy.” Padgham claimed there were both verbal and physical fights. At times, he tried to intervene, saying, "'Come on, do you have to kick the shit out of one another?'” and their response came swiftly, "'Get out of it! What do you know? You don't know anything about us!'"

9. George Martin Was Asked to Advise Tensions between the three came to a head and, as Summers remembered, it seemed they might break up before the album was completed. Learning that AIR Studio owner George Martin was actually on the island, a decision was made for the guitarist to pay the famed producer visit. He detailed the band's issues to Martin and asked if he could help. "Hmmmm," Martin said (via Summers’ memoir), “‘I'm sorry to hear that you are having a bad time of it, but why don't you just try and sort it out yourselves. I'm sure you can do it.’ And he gives me some sage advice about carrying on and pulling through this tough stretch: ‘It's typical group stuff-seen it all before.’” Sure enough, cooler heads would prevail in the long run.

10. It Wasn't ALL Bad Though the group’s legend is that they were at odds all of the time, Copeland maintained that wasn’t the whole story. “The truth is, we fought very little. There was a lot of tension in our last two albums, but we weren’t fighting,” he explained to Classic Pop . “Over dinner, we’d still shoot the shit and hang out. But in the studio, we were icily formal, mournful over the loss of our band’s camaraderie. It wasn’t open warfare, it was tension.” Still, that doesn’t mean it was comfortable clothing. “Being in the Police was like wearing a Prada suit made out of barbed wire,” he said in that same conversation.

11. 'King of Pain''s Distinctive Sound Started on a Synthesizer A xylophone pulses like a steady heartbeat through the early part of “King of Pain,” eventually shifting to a more percussive beat as the song kicks in, but it started out differently in the demo stage. “I used a xylophone,” Copeland told Songfacts . “Those chords Sting [originally] had on a little Casio, which has a kind of clinky sound. We thought, ‘Let's make it a little more organic and play it on the xylophone.’”

Listen to 'King of Pain'

12. Synchronicity  Gave the Band Their First and Only No. 1 Album  Michael Jackson's Thriller was a significant opponent for Synchronicity . The King of Pop's album spent 19 consecutive weeks at No. 1 before Synchronicity finally knocked it from the top spot of the Billboard album charts for the week ending July 24, 1983. They would maintain that chart position for a total of 17 weeks -- interrupted only once by Thriller , which held steady near the top and took back the crown for one week (Sept. 10, 1983) during that span. Still, it was Quiet Riot’s Metal Health which officially ended Synchronicity’s run, taking over the lead berth with the week ending Nov. 26, 1983.

13. The Album Kept Selling and Selling By March of 1984, Synchronicity had moved more than five million copies in the United States alone, with several of the singles also becoming million-sellers. Rolling Stone noted that the LP was still selling 36 thousand copies a week. “We were allowed to grow as a group and grow in stature in a very natural way,” Sting told the magazine. “So by the time we released this album, we were ready to sell 5 million albums. I would imagine the next LP would be exponentially bigger than that. It’s a case of statistical certainty. But I also think this is our best album, which I hope is the main reason.”

14. 'Mother' Was Inspired by Andy Summers’ Mom... As the fame of the Police continued to explode, it presented challenges for Summers. “We all have our family situations, and I had a pretty intense mother who was very focused on me,” he explained to Songfacts . “I was sort of ‘the golden child,’ and there I was, sort of fulfilling all of her dreams by being this pop star in the Police. I got a certain amount of pressure from her.”

Listen to 'Mother'

15. ...And  Captain Beefheart Though the tone of “Mother” seemed harsh, Summers noted that it was written to be ironic, funny and crazy. He credited his own love of Captain Beefheart as an influence of the tone of the song, which “freaked” their record company out -- and got a lot of attention. “We had all the press in the world watching us and talking about it,” he explained. “The reviews came in, and that song got written about so much because it was so off-the-wall and so ballsy to do that, because the band was having so much commercial success. Weirdly enough, it was so bizarre and weird compared to everything else, that people really liked it.”

16. There Are Old-School Police References in 'O My God' Longtime fans of Sting’s songwriting will know that he’s often put some lyrical callbacks into his songs over the years. Hardcore followers will find a link to the group’s pre-Police outfit, Strontium 90 , as “O My God” takes its first verse and the chorus from “ 3 O’Clock Shot ,” then an unreleased song from that early era. But Sting wasn’t done -- he added an additional Easter egg, quoting “ Every Little Thing She Does is Magic ” near the end of the song.

Listen to 'O My God'

17. Synchronicity  Got Back to the Power of Three The members of the Police have long experimented both individually and collectively with a variety of instrumentation. But  Ghost in the Machine made Summers chafe, with keyboards and horns added into the mix. “I feel adamant about not turning our guitar trio into some overproduced, over-layered band with keyboards,” he wrote in his memoir, One Train Later . Worse, though he noted that keyboardist Jean Roussel was a “good player,” he became an “intruder” who signed his own “death warrant” by smothering “everything we play with dense keyboard parts so that we end up sounding like Yes on a bad day.” Synchronicity brought things back to where they needed to be, as Sting shared with  Rolling Stone . “I think we’d become so refined as a group of musicians that we realized that the three instruments just playing solo and ensemble was perhaps the best way of doing it – and it just seemed to happen,” he explained. "The songs worked with three instruments. There were lots of overdubs, but the overall feel was Spartan.”

18. It Could Have All Ended Long Before Synchronicity Because the band members were still learning individually, Copeland thinks they got “two more albums out of Sting than we deserved.” He understood also the “homicidal rage” the frontman could draw out of him when he tried to coach the drummer on what to play. "[But] he wasn’t wrong. He sort of does actually know how to arrange a song and arrange the band and his ideas are pretty good,” he said later to Den of Geek . “That doesn’t mean I listened because I was a young prick myself and I had my own ideas, which would prevail. But he’s really good at that stuff.” There was a chemistry and tension that worked, yet could never be recreated today, because the three members are all too “independently minded.”

19. Speaking of Yes “Every Breath You Take” sounded like it could be a Yes song when Sting first played his demo for the group. It came complete with a “huge rolling synthesizer part,” as Summers remembered, while Copeland’s memory is that there was a Hammond organ on the demo prior to Andy learning the same part on guitar. But they recognized that there was a really good song there and worked hard to figure it out -- with Copeland and Sting arguing extensively about how the bass and drums would be positioned to best serve the vocal. The hard work paid off as the tune became the band’s first and only No. 1 in America, occupying the top spot for eight weeks. Sting would later tell Rolling Stone that the song had been written during a period of “awful personal anguish.”

20. Andy Summers Played the Guitar Part for 'Every Breath You Take' One Time Once the long debate about the structure of “Every Breath You Take” had ended, it was time for Summers to put down his guitar part -- but what should it sound like? He was influenced in part by the music of Bela Bartok. He had been listening to the composer’s work in anticipation of a future collaboration with Robert Fripp . “I play a sequence of intervals that outline the chords and add a nifty little extension to each one that makes it sound like the Police, root, fifth, second, third, up and down through each chord,” he wrote in One Train Later . “It is clean, succinct, immediately identifiable; it has just enough of the signature sound of el Policia.” Playing it through just once, he heard silence, followed by cheers from everyone in the control room.

Watch the Video for 'Every Breath You Take'

21. But Summers Was More Than Just a Guitar Player It was Summers who showed Copeland that the guitar was more than just a “noodling” instrument, expanding its “vocabulary” to be something else. “[With] tracks like "Walking On the Moon" and "Tea in the Sahara,” you can't hear somebody playing the guitar,” Copeland explained to Songfacts . “But there's this orchestral envelope around the whole track that is something that Andy created.”

22. Many People Misunderstood What 'Every Breath You Take' Was About The reaction to “Every Breath You Take” was surprising to Sting in ways that he didn’t expect -- though he made peace with it. “I consider it a fairly nasty song; it’s a song about surveillance and ownership and jealousy,” he explained to Rolling Stone . A lot of people thought it was a very sweet love song. But what I’m saying is that songs can work on as many levels as possible – and should. That’s the magic of music.”

23. Copeland Thinks 'Every Breath You Take' Could Have Been Better During a 2020 interview, the drummer called the track “Sting’s best song with the worst arrangement." Though it was ultimately rescued by “Andy’s brilliant guitar part,” he told Classic Pop that Sting could have had “any other group do this song and it would have been better than our version.” He chalks it up to an “utter lack of groove” and terms it as “a totally wasted opportunity for our band. Even though we made gazillions off of it, and it’s the biggest hit we ever had.”

24. But Everyone Knew It Would Be a Hit Producer Padgham remembered hearing the demo for “Every Breath You Take” in late 1982. “It was me, [manager] Miles [Copeland], Sting, Stewart, Andy,” he shared with Classic Pop . “I can’t remember who else [was there, but] we all went, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’ Miles looked at me and said, ’There’s a goddamn hit if ever I heard one! Don’t fuck it up!’" Padgham saw little chance of that. “I really think if my pet dog had produced ‘Every Breath You Take,’ it would have been a hit.”

25. 'Murder by Numbers' Happened in a Single Take “Murder by Numbers" has become a fan favorite over the years -- and as Copeland recalled during an interview with UCR, it came to life in a matter of minutes. The trio had been enjoying dinner as Summers absent-mindedly played some jazz chords on his guitar at the table. Sting perked up and said he might have lyrics for what Summers was playing. Before Copeland knew it, they were back in the studio. “My drums were 20 feet away, because we recorded the drums in the dining room of the facility, because it had a good resonant sound,” he recalled. “By the time they get down there, Hugh Padgham hits record, because I’m already playing [imitates rhythm pattern]. The tape rolls and they start playing and that recording is the record. Not even a run-through, not even a ‘Let’s try this,’ that’s it. The first time we ever played it, that’s the recording.”

Listen to 'Murder by Numbers'

26. The Three Were All in Separate Rooms Working at Beatles producer George Martin’s luxurious AIR Studios in the Caribbean gave the band plenty of options when it came to how they were setting up to record -- which Padgham said helped for “social reasons,” when it came to the discord within the group. With Copeland situated near the dining room, the other two members were downstairs with Sting recording his bass in the control room while Summers was in the studio’s live room.

27. Stewart Copeland Recorded His Parts a Half Hour After Hearing Each Song Though the members of the Police would work closely together in the early stages of their career, Copeland says that method of collaboration disappeared by the time they got to the band’s last three albums, including Synchronicity . "[Sting] would pull out one of those songs [like] 'Tea in the Sahara' and we’d get right on it,” he told UCR. “[We’d] figure it out and do two or three takes. Usually, the second take was the one.” He noted that the other members were anxious to add their contributions and get out of the studio. "‘It’s fine, it’s fine! Nobody will ever notice that little fuck-up there!’" Copeland recalled being told. "And by the way, once I’ve done that, they redo all of the bass, redo the vocals, redo everything. But I’m stuck with that original drum pass with all of its imperfections.”

28. There Are a Lot of Different Versions of the Album Cover The album cover features a series of precisely positioned photographs, with a swath of red, yellow or blue overlaid. But there are a number of different variations depending on the album pressing. Collector Jay Matsueda spent  close to an hour detailing the differences -- by his count, there are 40 different variants. An earlier tally by Goldmine puts the number even higher -- noting that there are “93 versions, none more valuable than the other.” Adding additional documentation, Matsueda himself shared a VHS recording of the fan documentary, Get Me the Police , which is one of the earliest video overviews of the Police catalog rarities -- including the Synchronicity album cover.

See the Many 'Synchronicity' Cover Variations

29. Sting Had His Own Ideas for the Album's Artwork Part of the random nature of the album cover’s design came from Sting directly. He suggested that each band member would make up his own photo for the album sleeve without the others knowing what they were planning. Sting chose the American Museum of Natural History in New York as the setting for his part of the cover, which finds the singer surrounded by a variety of skeletons, including ancient dinosaurs.

30. An Oboe Brought 'Tea in the Sahara' to Life Just because they decided to strip things back to the core trio on Synchronicity doesn’t mean they stopped experimenting. Sting got an oboe -- which he taught himself to play in a short period of time, something which Copeland was incredulous about. “I loved [Sting's] fucking oboe solo,” the drummer laughed while talking to UCR. “I swear to God, the guy gets an oboe, which is a very, very talented challenging instrument, mostly sounds horrible -- but he kind of got the hang of it, as he does. He pulls it out in that song there and starts honking on that thing.”

Listen to 'Tea in the Sahara'

31. The Track Listing Almost Came Down to a Coin Toss While mixing the album, a struggle developed when it came to figuring out what songs would make the final cut. A coin toss was suggested to decide the fate -- and Copeland and Summers were worried that their songs might get excised. It was finally the guitarist who came up with a winning formula, suggesting that they place the softer material on one side and the more uptempo songs on the other -- an idea that Sting endorsed, which helped them complete Synchronicity at last.

32. Sting Wanted the Band to Sound Original Again Going into the sessions for their fifth album, Sting felt like the Police were at a crossroads. “There were a lot of clone groups who sounded a bit like us,” he told Rolling Stone . “That’s flattering in a way, but I thought we should try to sound a little different, so we pared away the things people have come to expect in our music.” Reggae tones were one element Sting noted as “more buried” on Synchronicity . Generally, he called the album which emerged “a more refined record than we’ve previously made.”

33. Synchronicity  Was Nominated for Five Grammy Awards In a year where they were up against Michael Jackson at the 1984 Grammys, the Police fared pretty well, winning three out of the five trophies that they were nominated for. Synchronicity won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, while “Every Breath You Take” snagged an additional two awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Watch the 1984 Grammy Awards

34. Not Everyone Loved Synchronicity Critic Adam Sweeting wasn’t completely on board with Synchronicity . He wrote in his June 1983 review for Melody Maker , “However impressive bits of Synchronicity sound, I could never fall in love with a group which plans its moves so carefully and which would never do anything just for the hell of it."

35. Be Kind, Rewind A pair of performances from the 1983 Synchronicity tour, captured Nov. 2 and 3 in Atlanta, were filmed and recorded for a concert video, allowing fans to enjoy the group's powerful live show over and over again. Godley & Creme, the duo who also handled all of the music videos from Synchonicity , helmed the performances’ filming. Synchronicity Concert was originally issued on VHS in 1984, with a DVD edition arriving in 2005.

Watch the Police's 'Synchronicity Concert'

36. Sting Made a Lot of Money off of Just One Song Thanks to illegally sampling “Every Breath You Take,” the royalties for Puff Daddy’s 1997 Grammy Award-winning “I’ll Be Missing You” go straight to Sting. The songwriter receives 100% of the royalties for the song, earning an estimated $2000 dollars per day with a yearly tally that rises close to two million dollars. Diddy later tweeted “Love to my brother, @OfficialSting,” noting that the figure was actually $5000 per day, but he backtracked on that reported increase and said he was just joking.

Watch Sting Perform 'I'll Be Missing You' at the 1997 MTV Awards

37. 'Every Breath You Take' Is the Most-Played Song on the Radio All of the strife to complete “Every Breath You Take” ended up being worth it and then some. As of May 2020, the song has been played more than 15 million times on the radio, passing the previous record holder, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers.

38. The Connection Between 'Synchronicity I' and ' Synchronicity II ' Is Sting’s Closely Guarded Secret “I've had Sting up against the wall on this issue before, and he point blank refuses to explain the connection. None of us in the band can even remember which one is which,” Copeland joked during an interview with Revolver . He pointed to a sequencer part at the beginning of “Synchronicity I” as the only way he can keep the two versions straight. In that same interview, Sting (jokingly) refused to comment and reveal the actual connection between the two songs.

Listen to 'Synchronicity I'

39. The Band Played Their Then-Final Concert Less Than a Year After Synchronicity 's Release Even though the members had seen the moment coming, they found it hard to grasp that their days of playing live as the Police were finished. “I think we were confused, because it really was like the Beatles at that point,” Summers told MOJO years later regarding their final classic era concert, which happened in Melbourne, Australia on March 4, 1984. “That summer we'd been Number 1 in America for four months, we played Shea Stadium, and Sting started saying, ‘This is the time to get off, at the top.’ It was an incredibly ballsy move. Though I think there was a lot more fuel left inside us, there wasn't huge resistance from Stewart and I.” The Police eventually regrouped for a successful reunion tour in 2007.

40. The Opening Acts for the Synchronicity Tour Were Awesome The Police played 105 concerts in 1983 and 1984 in the United States and overseas. Ministry and Stevie Ray Vaughan opened two shows each, while James Brow n and Peter Tosh were on the bill for the group's Toronto concert. Talking Heads , Oingo Boingo and Madness were among the many other openers. R.E.M. also opened a string of five shows. "We get to see the Police for free," the band's Peter Buck and Mike Mills enthused during an interview with MTV  at the time.

Top 40 New Wave Albums

More from ultimate classic rock.

Charlie Benante ‘Lost It’ Watching Eddie Van Halen Honor Dimebag

  • Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Revolt in Moscow: How Yeltsin Turned the Tide, Hour by Hour

By Serge Schmemann

  • Oct. 11, 1993

Revolt in Moscow: How Yeltsin Turned the Tide, Hour by Hour

As Russia's fate hung in the balance one week ago, President Boris N. Yeltsin's Government seemed almost paralyzed.

While bands of Communist and nationalist gunmen broke through to the Parliament building, the headquarters of President Yeltsin's foes, and battled for the state television center, the large force of special police around the building disintegrated, presidential aides were in disarray, the President dallied at his dacha and soldiers from elite units were out picking potatoes.

When the state television flickered off shortly after 7:30 P.M., exultant opposition leaders at the Parliament building, known as the White House, seemed convinced that the Government was buckling. The Speaker of the Parliament, Ruslan I. Khasbulatov, was talking about the mercy he would show to Mr. Yeltsin's lieutenants. Momentum Shifts at TV Center

Then the tide changed. A small force of Government troops managed to fight off the attack on the Ostankino state television center. Losing their momentum, the anti-Yeltsin crowds retreated to the darkened Parliament building, while Mr. Yeltsin and his generals began preparing for the counterattack. After the first tank shell burst inside the building on the morning of Oct. 4, it was only a question of time.

But even before the shooting died down and the fires in the building were extinguished, the questions were raging. Why was the Government so ill prepared for a confrontation that had been building for two weeks? What happened at the television center? Why the delays in the Kremlin and at the Defense Ministry? The Showdown Begins

Sept. 21 After months of political struggle and deadlock between the President and the Legislature, Mr. Yeltsin issues Decree No. 1400, suspending the Congress of People's Deputies and ordering elections for a new Parliament for Dec. 11-12. The army pledges "strict neutrality."

At midnight, the Parliament deposes Mr. Yeltsin and declares Vice President Aleksandr V. Rutskoi acting president. Their supporters set up barricades around the Parliament building. The Constitutional Court rules Mr. Yeltsin's decree unconstitutional.

Sept. 22 The Congress convenes without a quorum and names its own ministers of interior, defense and security. The Government's Ministers of Interior, Defense and Security pledge support for Mr. Yeltsin. Telephone lines at the Parliament building are cut.

Sept. 23 Mr. Yeltsin sets presidential elections for June 12, 1994. Gunmen attack the headquarters of the armed forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the organization of former Soviet republics. A policeman and a bystander are killed. Gunmen also mount an unsuccessful attack on headquarters of military intelligence.

Sept. 24 The Congress votes for simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections by March 1994, and this idea begins to gain support among centrist and regional leaders. At 10 P.M., electricity and hot water to the Parliament building are cut off.

Sept. 27 Mr. Yeltsin rejects simultaneous elections.

Sept. 28 The Interior Ministry seals off the building with concertina wire, trucks and thousands of troops, ordering defenders to surrender their arms.

Sept. 29 Police officers using nightsticks battle with several hundred protesters trying to breach the cordon. The Government sets a deadline of Oct. 4 for those inside the building to surrender their weapons and leave.

Sept. 30 The Russian Orthodox Church offers to mediate. Riot police officers and protesters clash again.

Oct. 1 An agreement to surrender arms, signed in the early morning by leaders of the Government and the Parliament, is rejected by opposition leaders in the building. The Interior Ministry says there are about 600 fighting men in the Parliament building, with 1,600 assault rifles, more than 2,000 pistols, 18 machine guns, 12 grenade launchers and perhaps a ground-to-air missile. (The existence of such an arsenal is never confirmed.)

Oct. 2 The first serious street violence breaks out. Several hundred demonstrators close off the Garden Ring Road by the Foreign Ministry, building barricades and pelting police with rocks and firebombs. Mr. Rutskoi issues an appeal to people to take to the streets: "Everyone rise up for the struggle against the dictatorship!" The Battle Begins

Oct. 3 at 2 P.M. On a sunny autumn day, several thousand anti-Yeltsin protesters gather in October Square for a demonstration. Speakers denounce the Government and its economic reforms.

2:30 P.M. Acting on calls by Viktor I. Anpilov, head of the militantly Communist Working Moscow movement, demonstrators begin marching on the Parliament building, three miles away. They smash easily through several thin lines of police officers, ripping away their batons and shields.

The officers try to regroup at several points on the route, firing of tear gas and rubber bullets, but the crowd moves on, beating fallen officers, smashing trucks and buses and firing bursts from automatic weapons.

3:35 P.M. The crowd, rapidly swelling, breaks through the cordon at the building, using a commandeered truck as a battering ram. Government forces fall back. There is wild exultation at the Parliament building. Parliamentary deputies and their defenders are convinced that they have seized the initiative and that it is only a matter of time before Mr. Yeltsin is out.

The Kremlin is silent. Mr. Yeltsin is at his dacha. His chief of staff, Sergei A. Filatov, is still negotiating with Parliament leaders at the Danilov Monastery about a surrender of arms. A reporter inside the Kremlin, Sergei Parkhomenko, reports that the offices of the President are almost empty, "as on an ordinary weekend."

4 P.M. Mr. Yeltsin declares a state of emergency in Moscow. All public meetings and demonstrations are banned.

4:20 P.M. The Government's special police forces around the Parliament building begin to crumble and flee before the fury of the demonstrators, many dropping their shields and sticks in panic. Armored personnel carriers withdraw, but some are seized by the crowd. Automatic fire clatters; people are wounded and killed.

(The collapse of the security cordon, which included 5,000 police officers and units of the special Dzerzhinsky Regiment of the Interior Ministry, later becomes one of the mysteries of the day. Interior Minister Viktor F. Yerin says the troops were withdrawn just before the storming because there was no perceived need for them.)

4:35 P.M. Mr. Khasbulatov appears on the balcony of the Parliament building, but his words are lost in the din. Mr. Rutskoi comes out, and, bellowing into a microphone from behind shields held by bodyguards, urges the crowd to form regiments and seize the Mayor's offices and the television center, six miles north. Addressing Government forces ringing the building, he shouts, "You have only seconds to change sides and defect to the people!"

From the building, the crowd lurches toward the Mayor's office, a high-rise across the street where Government troops have been billeted. Automatic fire clatters repeatedly, and lines of police officers and workers are soon seen marching out under rebel guard.

An unidentified officer, quoted in Izvestia, says orders changed constantly in the last days: arm, disarm, send men here, send them there. The officer, who was on duty at the building, recalled: "When that drunk, drugged mob moved at the Mayor's office, suddenly there was an order: 'Don't shoot. Retreat from the object.' I understood that the leadership was simply waiting to see who'll win."

5 P.M. The Defense Ministry orders several elite units to Moscow. But they are shorthanded because 21,000 soldiers have been sent to help with the potato harvest, in part to convince skeptics that the Government was not planning to storm the building.

(Defense Minister Pavel S. Grachev subsequently says that the troops were to reach Moscow between 8 and 9 P.M., and that the timetable was met.)

Bands of cheering rebels, waving red Soviet flags and the czarist flags used by nationalists, are roaring toward the television station in commandeered buses, armored personnel carriers and trucks. Some carry arms. Thousands follow on foot. Interior Ministry units race them to the station and arrive just before the rebels.

5:45 P.M. The first groups of fighters from the Parliament building reach the Ostankino television station.

6 P.M. The rump Congress of People's Deputies convenes, and is told by Mr. Khasbulatov, "We need to take the Kremlin today, too."

6:10 P.M. A television broadcast shows Mr. Yeltsin arriving in the Kremlin by helicopter and walking slowly to his office. (Reports are circulated in subsequent days that he returned earlier, or that he never left.)

6:40 P.M. A reporter for Moscow News talks to Mr. Rutskoi in the Parliament building. "We will defend the Constitution to the last bullet," he says.

7 P.M. Hundreds of rebels and scores of onlookers and reporters are massed at the television complex, along with the most militant leaders from the Parliament building, including Albert M. Makashov, a former general; Mr. Anpilov of Working Moscow; Illya Konstantinov, head of the neo-fascist National Salvation Front, and Viktor P. Barannikov, former Minister of Security. Mr. Konstantinov declares television to be the "key to success."

Mayor Yuri M. Luzhkov of Moscow makes a televised appeal: "In these anxious hours, we turn to you, Muscovites. Take a civic stand against the illegal activity of the provocateurs."

7:20 P.M. At the television station, Mr. Makashov warns defenders of one building at the broadcasting center that they have three minutes to surrender. When they refuse, a grenade is fired at the doors and a trucks rams through. A firefight breaks out, killing or wounding many. (The final toll will be 62 dead, about 400 wounded.)

7:38 P.M. One by one, the four television programs broadcast from the site go off the air. (In subsequent days, a debate will erupt over why the television was not better defended, and who pulled the plug. By most accounts, Vyacheslav Bragin, director of state television, ordered the transmissions to be broken to prevent rebels from making any broadcasts.)

A announcer on the Moscow channel is concluding a report on the day's events, saying: "This has been a heavy day. It's hard to talk, because the conflict between Russians has reached its limits -- " The telecast breaks.

8 P.M. Broadcasts resume from another television center in Moscow. (Television officials later say they had the option of an even more secure center outside Moscow, which was built under Leonid I. Brezhnev to withstand any attack.) Tass reports that its Moscow headquarters are under attack, but its reports are not stopped.

Fighting continues at the Ostankino television site, and the first floor of one building is reported in rebel hands.

At the Parliament building, euphoria continues to reign. Mr. Khasbulatov tells deputies that Ostankino has been taken. But electricity is cut off, and deputies have no direct information. Only when a deputy turns on a portable radio, one of three inside the building, does the reality become known.

9 P.M. Yegor T. Gaidar, a former Prime Minister recently returned to the Government as a First Deputy Prime Minister, goes on the radio and appeals to all Muscovites who support Yeltsin to gather outside the Moscow City Council building on Tverskaya Street, near the Kremlin.

(In subsequent days, the broadcast will be widely discussed. There will be speculation that the army was wavering, and that Mr. Gaidar believed a pro-Yeltsin demonstration was crucial to convincing the military that there was not an anti-Yeltsin rout.)

(Deputy Premier Anatoly B. Chubais later tells Interfax that Mr. Gaidar made the appeal after the Ministry of Communications advised the Government that all communications centers had been seized by the opposition.)

Yeltsin supporters soon begin converging on the City Council and start to build barricades.

Television commentators note that Mr. Yeltsin has not personally appeared on radio or television. (In the aftermath, aides will say that the President had a speech prepared, but decided not to make it until Oct. 4.)

9:30 P.M. Prime Minister Viktor S. Chernomyrdin meets with his ministers, and a task force to suppress the uprising is formed under Gen. Konstantin I. Kobets, Chief Inspector of the Russian Armed Forces.

Mr. Parkhomenko, the reporter inside the Kremlin, reports that the arrival of two of Mr. Yeltsin's closest advisers, Mikhail N. Poltoranin and Gennadi E. Burbulis, restores order to the President's staff.

9:50 P.M. Mr. Gaidar's appeal is repeated over television, and other officials also make televised appeals for calm and support.

10 P.M. Dozens of dead and wounded are being brought to the Sklifosovsky Institute in Moscow, and the hospital issues pleas for blood. Almost all the casualties are from the television site.

10:30 P.M. Interior Ministry troops gain control there, and many rebels return to the Parliament building.

10:40 P.M. About 30 armored personnel carriers and 40 trucks carrying soldiers of the 27th Brigade are reported on the Leninsky Prospekt moving toward the center. A convoy is also spotted moving toward the capital from Vladimir to the east.

10:51 P.M. Tass issues a bulletin, saying, "Tass freed by Interior special force, resumes work."

11 P.M. A meeting of senior commanders begins at the Ministry of Defense. According to some reports, Mr. Yeltsin attends; other reports indicate that the generals are split over the use of troops. General Grachev tells an Izvestia correspondent that storming the Parliament building posed no military difficulty, but that from the beginning he had been demanding political neutrality from his commanders.

11:45 P.M. Mr. Gaidar announces at a rally at the City Council that the Government is gaining the upper hand.

Midnight The Defense Ministry Collegium decides to storm the Parliament building, but not until daybreak to minimize casualties.

(The Izvestia correspondent later reports that at this moment the ministry lacked not only a plan for storming the building but also a map of the streets around the building.)

Inside, splits among the factions become apparent. The Revolt Is Crushed

Oct. 4 at 2 A.M. The plan for storming the Parliament building is completed. The attack is set for 7 A.M. Thousands of Yeltsin supporters stay at the City Council. At the Parliament building, armed men stand guard outside, while most defenders and deputies heed the curfew ordered by Mr. Rutskoi and stay inside.

4:10 A.M. Mr. Rutskoi emerges and inspects the forces around the building from his Mercedes sedan.

5 A.M. In the Kremlin, Mr. Yeltsin signs a decree directing the Ministers of Interior, Security and Defense to create a joint task force for carrying out the state of emergency.

6:45 A.M. Army armored personnel carriers begin taking up positions around the Parliament building. One vehicle, moving toward the square in front of the building, fires extended bursts to scatter defenders.

7 A.M. The Government issues a final appeal to those inside the Parliament building to surrender: "This is your last chance, and the only possibility to save Russia and her citizens."

Shooting breaks out. (General Grachev subsequently declares that no order was given to open fire, that it began only when armored personnel carriers commanded by the the building's defenders opened fire.)

8 A.M. The building echoes with gunfire. Reporters caught inside find Mr. Rutskoi agitated, shouting into his field telephone for bombers or for foreign diplomats to monitor his surrender.

Mr. Khasbulatov seems utterly distracted. Veronika Kutsyllo, a reporter for Kommersant, finds the Parliament Speaker calmly smoking his pipe during the attack. "I know Yeltsin a long time," Mr. Khasbulatov says, shrugging his shoulders, "but I never expected this of him."

9 A.M. Mr. Yeltsin makes a televised address to the nation, vowing, "The armed fascist putsch in Moscow will be crushed."

10 A.M. After another order to surrender goes unheeded, T-72 and T-80 tanks open fire from the Novoarbatsky Bridge, spanning the Moskva River in front of the Parliament building. Shells burst in Mr. Khasbulatov's office and in the building's command center on the 16th floor, setting fires.

11 A.M. Defenders in the building ask for a cease-fire to let women and children out. Armored personnel carriers form a corridor outside an entrance to the building, but no sooner than the people begin to leave, someone from inside resumes shooting.

11:30 A.M. Special troops from the Alpha Group, formerly a K.G.B. anti-terrorist group now under direct control of President Yeltsin, report that they control four floors. More than 20 rounds of tank fire have hit the building. Fires rage in the upper floors.

12:14 P.M. A cease-fire is called, and continues to 1 P.M. (General Grachev later mentions three separate cease-fires, one for a half hour, one for an hour and one for two hours.)

2:30 P.M. Three men carrying white flags come out of the Parliament building. General Grachev arrives on the bridge leading to it and opens negotiations on surrender. At the same time, unarmed officers of the anti-terrorist Alpha Group meet with deputies inside and persuade them to leave.

3 P.M. The shooting at the Parliament building gives way to a battle of snipers. Isolated gunmen fire at troops and civilians from the top of buildings near the Parliament building. Several people are killed. (The shooting continues late into the night.)

3:35 P.M. Mr. Yeltsin imposes a curfew of 11 P.M. to 5 A.M. in Moscow.

4:50 P.M. People start leaving the Parliament building, some with their hands over their heads, and enter buses under guard.

6 P.M. The ministers of defense, interior and security appointed by the defiant lawmakers surrender.

6:05 P.M. Mr. Rutskoi and Mr. Khasbulatov march out and board buses that take them to Lefortovo Prison.

Some sniping and isolated clashes continue into the night, and die-hards remain in the building's basement. The top of the building is engulfed in flames. But the battle is over.

IMAGES

  1. The Police

    police synchronicity tour 1983

  2. The Police ~ O my God ~ Synchronicity Concert [1983]

    police synchronicity tour 1983

  3. The Police

    police synchronicity tour 1983

  4. “Synchronicity” (1983)

    police synchronicity tour 1983

  5. The Police ~ Synchronicity I ~ Synchronicity Concert [1983]

    police synchronicity tour 1983

  6. The Police

    police synchronicity tour 1983

COMMENTS

  1. Synchronicity Tour

    The Synchronicity Tour was a 1983-1984 concert tour by The Police to promote their fifth album, Synchronicity.It commenced on July 23, 1983 in Chicago and concluded on March 4, 1984 in Melbourne.It touched three continents for a total of 105 shows. During the early dates in the first North American leg, the band resided at a mansion in Bridgehampton, New York and were flown to the concerts.

  2. 1983-1984 Synchronicity Tour

    Timeline. Around March / April 1983 there was an early Synchronicity Tour rehearsal at a photo studio on the corner of N. La Brea and Melrose Ave in Los Angeles - where CCCP also had an office. The Police tried out the programming that Sting had been working on in Los Angeles on an Oberheim DSX sequencer - for songs such as Synchronicity I ...

  3. The Police

    UPDATED version now available here (better quality): https://youtu.be/VXXyyq_Bc-8The Police live at The Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 1983...

  4. The Police ~ Synchronicity I ~ Synchronicity Concert [1983]

    This live video shows The Police at The Omni Coliseum in Atlanta on 11-03-1983. Originally The Police wanted to release another concert, but were not satisfi...

  5. 1983-08-20

    1983-1984 Synchronicity Tour: Venue: John F. Kennedy Stadium: Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA ... Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Madness, REM Ticket prices: US$ 17,50 On 1983-08-20, The Police performed at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Contents. 1 Setlist; 2 Recording information; 3 Trivia; 4 See also; 5 External links; 6 ...

  6. The Police Setlist at John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia

    Get the The Police Setlist of the concert at John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia, PA, USA on August 20, 1983 from the Synchronicity Tour and other The Police Setlists for free on setlist.fm!

  7. Classic Concert Reviews: The Police (Synchronicity Tour), Reunion Arena

    Classic Concert Reviews: The Police (Synchronicity Tour), Reunion Arena, Dallas, 1983 "Synchronicity is the sound of a band coming together, while dissolving apart." On July 23, 1983, the pop-rock trio known as The Police embarked on a punishing nine-month world tour. It would be among the most successful and lucrative of the entire decade.

  8. Setlist History: The Police Kick Off of the Synchronicity Tour

    Tagged: The Police. When The Police kicked off their most successful tour for their most successful album, they were fighting and their dashing singer Sting was clearly looking for a way to dash into a solo career. Between 1978 and 1983, Stewart Copeland (drums), Andy Summers (guitar) and Sting (bass) had reeled off a remarkable string of five ...

  9. The Police

    The Police live at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 1983 ('Synchronicity' Tour 1983-84). I first restored the video by deinterlacing the ...

  10. 1983-10-03

    The Police: Tour: 1983-1984 Synchronicity Tour: Venue: Palais des Sports: Location: Lyon, France Support acts: Tales (replacing A Flock Of Seagulls) Ticket prices: 95 Francs On 1983-10-03, The Police performed at the Palais des Sports in Lyon, France. Contents. 1 Setlist; 2 Recording information; 3 Trivia; 4 See also;

  11. Synchronicity (The Police album)

    Synchronicity (1983) Every Breath You Take: The Singles ... Released: 1983 (Japan) Synchronicity is the fifth and final studio album by the British rock band the Police, released on 17 June 1983 by A&M Records. The band's most successful release, the album ... At the time of its release and following its tour, the Police's popularity was at ...

  12. The Police's 'Synchronicity' at 40: The Story Behind Every Song

    It's rare for a band's final album to be their best, but that's exactly what the Police delivered on June 17, 1983. Synchronicity represented everything - both good and bad - that helped ...

  13. The Police Synchronicity Concert: Live At The Omni, Atlanta, GA (1983

    The Police Synchronicity Concert: Live At The Omni, Atlanta, GA (1983) Video Item Preview ... the-police-synchronicity-concert-live-at-the-omni-atlanta-ga-1983 Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.7.0 Sound sound Year 1983 . plus-circle Add Review. comment. Reviews

  14. Why The Police's 'Synchronicity'

    Released on June 17, 1983, 'Synchronicity' became the band's biggest commercial success. It was also the Police's final album. Forty years since its release, the "dream-like musical tour" remains a culturally significant sonic exploration.

  15. Rediscover The Police's 'Synchronicity' (1983)

    Happy 40th Anniversary to The Police's fifth & final studio album Synchronicity, originally released June 17, 1983.. When you look back on a band's canon of work you can't help but wonder if they knew the last album they recorded would actually be their last. Although Sting has retroactively hinted that during the recording of Synchronicity (and the subsequent tour) he knew it was the ...

  16. 1983-08-10

    The Police: Tour: 1983-1984 Synchronicity Tour: Venue: Sullivan Stadium: Location: Foxborough, MA, USA Support acts: The Fixx, A Flock Of Seagulls Ticket prices: US$ 16,00 - 18,00 On 1983-08-10, The Police performed at Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, MA, USA. Contents. 1 Setlist; 2 Recording information; 3 Trivia; 4 See also;

  17. The Police's 'Synchronicity': 40 Facts You May Not Know

    A pair of performances from the 1983 Synchronicity tour, captured Nov. 2 and 3 in Atlanta, were filmed and recorded for a concert video, allowing fans to enjoy the group's powerful live show over ...

  18. UB40 Concert & Tour History (Updated for 2024)

    UB40 Concert History. A reggae band formed 1978 in Birmingham, UK. The music grasps from roots reggae and dub to lovers rock and pop. It is the second most commercial successful reggae band with +70 million sold albums. Many of their hits have been stylishly covers of early reggae and rocksteady hits from Jamaica.

  19. The Police ~ O my God ~ Synchronicity Concert [1983]

    This live video shows The Police at The Omni Coliseum in Atlanta on 11-03-1983. Originally The Police wanted to release another concert, but were not satisfi...

  20. Revolt in Moscow: How Yeltsin Turned the Tide, Hour by Hour

    Oct. 4 at 2 A.M. The plan for storming the Parliament building is completed. The attack is set for 7 A.M. Thousands of Yeltsin supporters stay at the City Council. At the Parliament building ...

  21. Russia's Unlearned Lessons From the Failed Revolt of 1993

    This profoundly Soviet understanding of the relationship between state and person has won today in Russia, and it is being maintained by propaganda. The lessons of the tragedy of October 1993 have ...

  22. The Police Synchronicity Tour 1983-84

    Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

  23. Moscow City Tour, City Sightseeing, Nightlife Tour, Travel Guide

    This tour will give you a great opportunity to see the main highlight of the city and get the feeling of what is Moscow. Tour highlights: the Red Square, Tverskaya Street, Manege Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, the Tomb of Lenin, GUM department store, Nikolskaya Street, the Bolshoi theater, the Alexander's garden, the cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Patriarch Bridge.