So cool! Everyone was really into it as Sting was reaching the concert's climax. "Roxanne" just might be the Police's signature song. Such a classic.

And it's kind of funny because initially Sting was a little embarrassed about the song. While recording their debut album, Sting remembered that "we recorded a few tracks, one of which I wrote more or less as a throwaway. That was 'Roxanne', I didn't think much more about it until we played the album to Miles Copeland who is, of course, Stewart's brother and ... he'd never been particularly interested in the Police. In fact, he'd kept away from it to say the least... [Stewart's small label company had already bankrolled the Police's first single ["Fall Out"] and it flopped.] He heard the album and quite liked it. When we got to Roxanne, we were a bit embarrassed because the song was a bit of an anachronism, because compared with our usual material it was slow, quiet and melodic. Far from saying he thought it was a piece of shit, he said it was amazing. I thought, 'He likes this song. This is fantastic!"

The piano spasm and laughter in the studio version of the song happened because while recording the vocals, Sting accidentally sat on the piano keys, mistakenly thinking the keyboard lid was closed. They decided to keep the happy accident in the song.

The song was inspired when the band was working in Paris, staying in a seedy district around prostitutes, causing Sting to wonder what it would be like to fall in love with a prostitute; more or less the Pretty Woman narrative.

"Roxanne" wound up being the major-label debut single for the Police, and while it charted decently, it was not a huge hit upon release. It just worked its way into everyone's hearts overtime. VH1 keeps listing it in its top 100 rock songs of all time, and this song makes lots of other top 500 songs lists. The Police played this at the Grammys and during their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's been covered a bunch of times and has become one of those iconic rock songs that is a touch point of pop culture, a song pretty much everyone knows.

That opening staccato strumming, and then the back beat, and the downtempo rhythm with Sting's anguished voice make it compelling, something your mind can't quite leave alone. The sadness and desperation stick with you. Pretty brooding, but there's empathy too.

Is it rock, reggae, or tango? Sting leans tango.

Great night @ Petco with Sting and Billy Joel.

I'll be uploading more highlights from the Billy Joel and Sting concert here:    • Sting [The Police] + Billy Joel "Ever...  

Enjoy.

#jimjam #sting #thepolice #petcopark