How Insensitive
| "How Insensitive" | |
|---|---|
| Recorded by Sting & Antonio Carlos Jobim | |
| Released: | 1996-11-05 |
| Recorded: | 1994 (?) |
| Length: | 3:44 |
| Album: | Red Hot + Rio |
| Label(s): | Antilles, Verve Records |
| Writer(s): | Sting |
| Producer(s): | Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers, Nigel Gray |
| Studio(s): | Surrey Sound Studios |
| Released as single? | Yes |
Contents
About the song
Sting wrote the song when he was lying drunk in a hotel room in Munich, Germany. In "The Independent" from September 16, 1993 he mentions that he had done a TV show with The Police, so it was probably the night after 1979-05-29. He had the bass line in mind and started walking around the room, which led to the song's "original" title "Walking Round The Room."
Stewart Copeland mentioned that this song started as a rocker. The famous guitar chord was Andy's contribution. According to engineer Chris Gray they had a Scamp rack [S24 ADT] at Surrey Sound Studios: "It’s modules of processors. You get different ones that fit into the racks (echoes and flangers) and there was one in particular that was a sort of phaser/chorus/flanger/close echo/double-tracking module. When those guitar chords come in on Walking On The Moon, that is purely the sound of that Scamp rack. They used that one a lot."
There are several versions that are way longer than the LP track. A 7:15 minute version is basically the same as the one on the LP, but it offers another chorus and different improvised vocal chants in the coda. This longer mix doesn't yet feature the Roland GR-500 guitar synthesizer that produces the bubbling sounds. You can hear much clearer that the famous bass notes are also played by a piano.
If you think 7:15 minutes are quite long: there's also another extended version that lasts 8:51 minutes ! This version features a 2 minute Andy Summers guitar solo over a late bridge and Sting's and Stewart's vocal variations.
Personnel
- Sting - Lead vocals, fretless bass guitar, guitar
- Andy Summers - Lead guitar
- Stewart Copeland - Drums
Ads
This ad was printed in Record Mirror and NME (November 24, 1979):
Release History
Albums
"Walking on the Moon" appears on the following album releases:
| Cover art | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Reggatta de Blanc | 1979-10-02 | United Kingdom |
|
Every Breath You Take: The Singles | 1986 | United Kingdom |
|
Greatest Hits | 1992-10-02 | United Kingdom |
|
Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings | 1993-09-30 | United Kingdom |
|
The Police Live! | 1995-06-13 | United Kingdom |
|
Every Breath You Take: The Classics | 1995-09-12 | United States |
|
The Police | 2007-06-11 | United States |
Singles
"Walking on the Moon" was released both as a 7" single and a 12" single and also as part of the Six Pack.
7" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song/B-side song | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AMS 7494 | "Walking on the Moon"/"Visions of the Night" | 1979-11-23 | United Kingdom |
|
A&M P66001C | "Walking on the Moon"/"Visions of the Night" | 1980-05-01 | United Kingdom |
12" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song(s)/B-side song(s) | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
AMSP 7494 | "Walking on the Moon"/"Visions of the Night" | 1979-11-23 | United Kingdom |
|
SAMP 5 | "The Bed's Too Big Without You"/"So Lonely"/"Can't Stand Losing You"/"Roxanne"/"Message In A Bottle"/"Walking On The Moon" | 1980-MM-DD | UK |
Video
"Walking on the Moon" appears on the following video releases:
| Cover art | Video title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Around the World | 1983-02-01 | United Kingdom |
|
Every Breath You Take: The Videos | 1986-11-01 | United Kingdom |
|
Greatest Hits (long video) | 1992-09-01 | United Kingdom |
|
Outlandos to Synchronicities: A History of The Police Live! | 1995-05-01 | United Kingdom |
|
Live Ghost In The Machine | 2001-10-01 | Japan |
|
Every Breath You Take: The DVD | 2003-04-07 | United Kingdom |
|
Synchronicity Concert (DVD) | 2005-09-01 | United Kingdom |
Lyrics
Lyrics are property and copyright of their owners, and provided here for educational purposes only.
Lyrics belong here.
Quotations and trivia
This section needs more information.
See also
This section needs more information.
References
sources: discogs.com
| "How Insensitive" | |
|---|---|
| Performed by Sting / Andy Summers | |
| Writer(s): | Antonio Carlos Jobim / Norman Gimbel / Vinicius De Moraes |
"How Insensitive" is a song written by Antonio Carlos Jobim / Norman Gimbel / Vinicius De Moraes and performed by Sting on 1991-03-05, 1991-03-10 and 1995-04-18 (at least) --- and by Andy Summers on 2008-11-19 (at least).
About the song
This section needs more information.
Personnel
This section needs more information.
Video
"How Insensitive" appears on the following video and dvd releases:
| Cover art | Video title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40px | United Kingdom of Ipanema | 2011-MM-DD | Country |
Lyrics
How insensitive I must have seemed When he told me that he loved me How unmoved and cold I must have seemed When she told me so sincerely Why he must have asked Did I just turn and stare in icy silence What was I to say What can you say when a love affair is over Now he's gone away And I'm alone with the memory of his last look Vague and drawn and sad I see it still All his heartbreak in that last look Why he must have asked Did I just stood and stare in icy silence What was I to do? What can one do when a love affair is over, over?
Quotations and trivia
This section needs more information.
Alternative and cover versions
This section needs more information.
See also
This section needs more information.
External links
This section needs more information.
References
This section needs more information.
