The band with the most played song in the history of radio!
Formed by Stewart Copeland (drums) in 1977 with bass player/lead vocalist Sting and guitarist Andy Summers, The Police was a three-piece band from England.
The band reached worldwide success after releasing their first single Roxanne only a year after the band was formed.
Being The Police’s first single, it took two releases before the world caught on, eventually reaching the top 40 in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Written by Sting, Roxanne was first played in a Bossa Nova style. The inspiration for the lyrics came to him when the band was performing in Paris and he saw the prostitutes walking in the red light district.
The actual name Roxanne came from a poster in the hotel that the band stayed at in Paris.
Since the shaky release back in 1978, Roxanne has gone from strength to strength and has always been a part of The Police’s live show.
Having been included in all of their Greatest Hits compilations, the song came to represent the band’s music like no other.
Since The Police’s breakup in 1984, Sting has continued to perform Roxanne in many different versions during his live shows as a solo artist.
By doing so, he has showcased how a song can be dressed up in many ways without losing its integrity, as long as it’s a good song, to begin with.
Roxanne was the natural choice to play when the band reunited at the 2007 Grammy Awards.
But Police is more than just their debut single!
Police and New Wave
By fusing punk, reggae, ska, and jazz, The Police were one of the first acts in the UK to pioneer a musical movement that was to become known as “New Wave”.
New Wave had the DIY approach of punk but was more musically sophisticated.
The Police released an album a year over their five-year existence, all five had hits on them and are worth checking out as a whole.
Their hit parade includes Every Breath You Take, So Lonely, Message In A Bottle, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Don’t Stand So Close To Me, Walking On The Moon, King Of Pain, and of course, the aforementioned Roxanne.
Unusually, Stewart Copeland’s brother was the band’s manager. He would later go on to manage Sting’s solo career. Miles Copeland III also produced R.E.M. and The Bangles.
The Police Tunes | Related Pages
Every Breath You Take
You can learn how to play Every Breath You Take by The Police using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Aadd9 | Aadd9 | F#madd9 | F#madd9 |
Every breath you take, and every move you make…
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Learn how to play Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by The Police using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
||: Dsus2/G Dsus2/A | Dsus2/B Dsus2/C# :||
Though I’ve tried before to tell her, of the feelings I have for her in my heart…
Message In A Bottle
You can learn to play Message In A Bottle by The Police using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| C#sus2 Asus2 | Bsus2 F#madd9 |
Just a castaway…
Roxanne
You can learn to play Roxanne by The Police using chords, lyrics, TAB, chord analysis, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Gm | Dm/F | Ebmaj7 | Dm |
Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light…
The Police on the web
Artists & Bands
Behind every single tune you learn, there’s an artist or band with an entire catalogue of music, waiting to be discovered.
Find out more about these great Artists & Bands, and let their tunes guide you to success.
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was an article about The Police tunes, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
