#36. "Don’t Stand So Close To Me" - The Police (1980)

I suppose listening to the The Police could be  defined as 'rebellious' for an 11-year-old with access to a clock radio and two radio stations. 

Hearing "Don’t Stand So Close To Me" on the radio inspired my first album purchase: Zenyatta Mondatta by The Police. I still vividly recall playing the record from start to finish on my parent's hi-fi unit while studying the photos and lyrics of the tactile inner lining. I can still hear the pops and crackles from playing the vinyl.

The magnificent trio to open the album, "Don’t Stand, "Driven to Tears" and one of the longest titles ever made, "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" made me a life-long fan of The Police. 

Up until then I'd been content with lapping up the soft 70s pop and classic rock stuff (April Wine, Harlequin etc.) that CJCH and C100 offered up. Remember that in 1980 it would still be a couple years before music videos became mainstream and almost 15 years before the internet.

"Don’t Stand So Close To Me" starts with that almost sinister synth before the verse begins infectious reggae-rock  with just an amazing chorus. It had the familiar guitars, but also had some synth, a sign of where my tastes were heading. Since Sting was a teacher in a previous lifetime I've always wondered if the lyrics were autobiographical.