Difference between revisions of "Walking On The Moon (song)"

From PoliceWiki
m (12" Singles)
Line 35: Line 35:
  
 
=About the song=
 
=About the song=
 +
initially 7:15, guitar synth at the end late addition (see below info to show here)
 +
 
"[[Walking on the Moon]]" is a song written by [[Sting]] which appears on [[The Police]]'s second studio album, [[Reggatta de Blanc]]. It was recorded in [[1979]]. It was their second number one single in the United Kingdom, after "[[Message in a Bottle]]", although it did not similarly chart in the United States.
 
"[[Walking on the Moon]]" is a song written by [[Sting]] which appears on [[The Police]]'s second studio album, [[Reggatta de Blanc]]. It was recorded in [[1979]]. It was their second number one single in the United Kingdom, after "[[Message in a Bottle]]", although it did not similarly chart in the United States.
  

Revision as of 04:08, 8 August 2020

"Walking on the Moon"
Single cover art for Walking on the Moon (song)
Recorded by The Police
Released: 1979-11-23
Recorded: 1979
Length: 5:02
Album: Reggatta de Blanc
Label(s): A&M
Writer(s): Sting
Producer(s): Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers, Nigel Gray
Studio(s): Surrey Sound Studios
Released as single? Yes

About the song

initially 7:15, guitar synth at the end late addition (see below info to show here)

"Walking on the Moon" is a song written by Sting which appears on The Police's second studio album, Reggatta de Blanc. It was recorded in 1979. It was their second number one single in the United Kingdom, after "Message in a Bottle", although it did not similarly chart in the United States.

Personnel

Ads

This ad was printed in Record Mirror and NME (November 24, 1979):1979 11 24 tourad.jpg

Release History

Albums

"Walking on the Moon" appears on the following album releases<ref>Wikipedia. Feb 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 15 Feb 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggatta_de_Blanc></ref>:

Cover art Album title Release date Release country
Police-album-reggattadeblanc.jpg Reggatta de Blanc 1979-10-02 United Kingdom
Police-album-everybreathyoutakethesingles.jpg Every Breath You Take: The Singles 1986 United Kingdom
Police-album-greatesthits.jpg Greatest Hits 1992-10-02 United Kingdom
Police-album-messageinaboxthecompleterecordings.jpg Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings 1993-09-30 United Kingdom
Police-album-live!.jpg The Police Live! 1995-06-13 United Kingdom
Police-album-everybreathyoutaketheclassics.jpg Every Breath You Take: The Classics 1995-09-12 United States
Police-album-thepolice.jpg 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.<ref>ThePolice.com. UltraStar Entertainment LLC. 15 Feb 2008. <http://www.thepolice.com/discog/?v=si&a=2&id=145></ref>, <ref>ThePolice.com. UltraStar Entertainment LLC. 15 Feb 2008. <http://www.thepolice.com/discog/?v=si&a=2&id=146></ref>, <ref>ThePolice.com. UltraStar Entertainment LLC. 15 Feb 2008. <http://www.thepolice.com/discog/?v=si&a=2&id=147></ref>

7" Singles

Cover art Catalog no. A-side song/B-side song Release date Release country
Walkingonthemoon.jpg AMS 7494 "Walking on the Moon"/"Visions of the Night" 1979-11-23 United Kingdom
Sixpack.jpg 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
Walkingonthemoon.jpg AMSP 7494 "Walking on the Moon"/"Visions of the Night" 1979-11-23 United Kingdom
Radiosample.jpg 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
Police-aroundtheworld.jpg Around the World 1983-02-01 United Kingdom
Police-everybreathyoutakethevideo.jpg Every Breath You Take: The Videos 1986-11-01 United Kingdom
Police-greatesthitsdvd.jpg Greatest Hits (long video) 1992-09-01 United Kingdom
Police-outlandostosynchronicities.jpg Outlandos to Synchronicities: A History of The Police Live! 1995-05-01 United Kingdom
Live Ghost In The Machine DVD.jpg Live Ghost In The Machine 2001-10-01 Japan
Police-everybreathyoutakethedvd.jpg Every Breath You Take: The DVD 2003-04-07 United Kingdom
Police-syncronicityconcertdvd.jpg Synchronicity Concert (DVD) 2005-09-01 United Kingdom

Lyrics

Lyrics are property and copyright of their owners, and provided here for educational purposes only.

Giant steps are what you take
Walking on the moon
I hope my legs don't break
Walking on the moon
We could walk forever
Walking on the moon
We could live together
Walking on, walking on the moon

Walking back from your house
Walking on the moon
Walking back from your house
Walking on the moon
Feet they hardly touch the ground
Walking on the moon
My feet don't hardly make no sound
Walking on, walking on the moon

Some may say
I'm wishing my days away
No way
And if it's the price I pay
Some say
Tomorrow's another day
You stay
I may as well play

Giant steps are what you take
Walking on the moon
I hope my legs don't break
Walking on the moon
We could walk forever
Walking on the moon
We could be together
Walking on, walking on the moon

Some may say
I'm wishing my days away
No way
And if it's the price I pay
Some say
Tomorrow's another day
You stay
I may as well play

Keep it up, keep it up

<ref>LyricWiki.org. Feb 2008. Motive Force LLC. 15 Feb 2008 <http://lyricwiki.org/The_Police:Walking_On_The_Moon></ref>

Quotations and trivia

  • The bubbling sound one can hear is Andy Summers playing the Roland GR500 guitar synthesizer.
  • Sting on how the song was first written:<ref>Sutcliffe, Phil and Hugh Fielder. The Police: L'Historia Bandido. North Bellmore: Proteus, 1981.</ref>

I was drunk in a hotel room in Munich, slumped on the bed with the whirling pit when this riff came into my head. I got up and starting walking round the room singing: 'Walking round the room, walking round the room'. That was all. In the cool light of morning I remembered what had happened and I wrote the riff down. But 'Walking round the room' was a stupid title so I thought of something even more stupid which was 'Walking on the Moon.'"

  • Nigel Gray on the sound of the song:<ref>Sutcliffe, Phil and Hugh Fielder. The Police: L'Historia Bandido. North Bellmore: Proteus, 1981.</ref>

"'Walking on the Moon' has two guitar parts, but there are long gaps in it where you'd expect an extra guitar to fill in -- and there's nothing, just the groove. They get the backing track, add the vocals and one or two overdubs, then have the faith to leave it. If anyone else had recorded 'Walking on the Moon' it wouldn't have been a hit -- it's what the Police do to it that makes it special."

Alternative and cover versions

Cover versions

Cover versions of Walking On The Moon appear on the following album releases:

Cover art Artist Album title Release date Release country
Reggatta Mondatta.jpg Sly & Robbie feat. Ambilique Reggatta Mondatta 1997-MM-DD The Netherlands
Policia cover.jpg The Pale Policia! A Tribute To The Police 2005-MM-DD USA
  • The Frederic Alarie Trio recorded a jazz version of "Walking On The Moon" on the album Live A Vienne.[1][2][3]

Remixes

These three appear on:
Roxanne97.jpg "Roxanne '97" - 12" single A&M 1997-12-01 United Kingdom
Song appears on:
Roxanne97.jpg "Roxanne '97" - 7" single A&M 1997-12-01 United Kingdom

See also

References

sources: various, Roland GR500 information from 1982-09 Guitar Player; NME - November 17, 1979 (release date)