Roxanne (song)
| "Roxanne" | |
|---|---|
| Recorded by The Police | |
| Released: | 1978-04-14 (UK)
re-issue in April 1979 1979-04-05 (Japan) |
| Recorded: | January - March 1978 |
| Length: | 3:12 |
| Album(s): | Outlandos d'Amour |
| Label(s): | A&M |
| Writer(s): | Sting |
| Producer(s): | The Police |
| Studio(s): | Surrey Sound Studios |
| Released as single? | YES |
"Roxanne" is a song written by Sting and recorded by The Police in 1978.
Contents
About the song
Sting had the idea for the song while being in Paris' red light district with The Police on 1977-10-20.
He presented the song to the band at their rehearsal room in Finchley and they changed the Bossa Nova style to the rhythm we all know.
There's a longer version from the Outlandos d'Amour sessions that lasts about four minutes. Verse two is repeated with Sting singing it in a jazzy way - also changing some lines slightly to "I just have to tell you how I feel - I won't share you with another man" (!). The instrumental jam in the middle with just bass and drums is also extended.
Sting sang four different vocal takes and Nigel Gray combined the best bits to this longer version, which was edited down to the classic we all know.
When recording Outlandos d'Amour (initially for Illegal Records) at Surrey Sound Studios they presented the songs they had to Miles Copeland. He was indifferent until he heard Roxanne.
Miles talked to people from A&M and got a record deal.
At the beginning of the song, during the intro, you can hear a strange piano chord, then Sting laughing. In fact, during the recording of a fourth vocal track, a tired Sting sat down on the piano just behind him. As its lid wasn't closed a strange piano chord was created by Sting's buttocks. They decided to keep this on the final mix. Note that you won't hear it on the instrumental track, as it was recorded on a vocal track.
Personnel
- Sting - vocals, bass, (ass) piano
- Stewart Copeland - drums
- Andy Summers - guitar
- produced by The Police
Ads
This strange ad is from SOUNDS (April 22, 1978) - promoting the original UK single release (back then you'd hear bits from the song when you called that number): 
Another strange ad is from US radio magazine "Fred" (March 5, 1979): 
An ad for the 1979 re-release in SOUNDS (April 14, 1979): 
Release History
Albums
Roxanne appears on the following album releases:
| Cover art | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Outlandos d'Amour | 1978-11-17 | UK |
|
Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings | 1993-MM-DD | UK |
Singles
CD Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | Songs | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AMCD 905 | "Roxanne" / "Canary In A Coalmine" / "The Bed's Too Big Without You" / "Can't Stand Losing You" | 1988-04-25 | UK |
|
AM 390 563-2 | "Roxanne" / "Every Breath You Take" / "Message In A Bottle" (live) | 1990-MM-DD | Germany |
7" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song/B-side song | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AMS 7348 | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1978-04-14 | UK |
|
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AMS 6603 | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1978-MM-DD | Germany |
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AMS 6603 | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1978-MM-DD | The Netherlands |
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K 7376 | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | YYYY-MM-DD | Australia |
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K 7376 | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | YYYY-MM-DD | New Zealand |
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AM 01.09.1406 | "Roxanne"/"Dead End Job" | YYYY-MM-DD | Peru |
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AMS 6603 | " Hoxanne" /"Peanuts" | YYYY-MM-DD | Spain |
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AM 2096 (promo) | "Roxanne"/"Roxanne" | 1979-MM-DD | Canada |
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AM 2096 (promo) | "Roxanne"/"Dead End Job" | 1979-MM-DD | Canada |
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AM 2096 (promo) | "Roxanne" (stereo) /"Roxanne" (mono) | 1979-01-DD | USA |
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AM 2096 | "Roxanne" /"Dead End Job" | 1979-01-DD | USA |
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AM-70502 | "Roxanne" /"Peanuts" | 1979-MM-DD | Philippines |
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PAMS 7348 F | "Roxanne" /"Peanuts" | 1979-MM-DD | Portugal |
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AMS 7348 | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1979-MM-DD | UK |
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AMS 6603 reissue | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1979-MM-DD | Germany |
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AMS 6603 reissue | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1979-MM-DD | The Netherlands |
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AMP-1029 | "Roxanne"/"Can't Stand Losing You" | 1979-MM-DD | Japan |
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K 7376 reissue | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1980-MM-DD | Australia |
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AM 8622 (Forget Me Nots reissue) | "Roxanne" /"Can't Stand Losing You" | YYYY-MM-DD | USA |
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AMS 9211 (Do You Remember reissue) | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1982-MM-DD | The Netherlands |
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AM-8622 (Memories reissue) | "Roxanne"/"Can't Stand Losing You" | 1985-MM-DD | Canada |
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AM 8622 (Memories reissue) | "Roxanne" /"Can't Stand Losing You" | 1985-MM-DD | USA |
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AM 363 | "Roxanne"/"Synchronicity II" | 1986-11-DD | UK |
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AMS 390 161-7 | "Roxanne"/"Synchronicity II" | 1986-MM-DD | Germany |
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AM 390 161-7 | "Roxanne" /"Synchronicity II" | 1986-MM-DD | Spain |
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AM 118Y3039-2 (from The Police Box) | "Roxanne"/"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" | 1987-MM-DD | Japan |
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AMS 390 563-7 | "Roxanne"/"Every Breath You Take" | 1990-09-DD | Germany |
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AM 75021 8622 7 (Memories reissue) | "Roxanne" /"Can't Stand Losing You" | 1996-MM-DD | USA |
12" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song(s)/B-side song(s) | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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AMS 7348 | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1978-MM-DD | UK |
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AMS 7348 | "Roxanne"/"Peanuts" | 1979-MM-DD | UK |
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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 |
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AM 392 161-1 | "Roxanne"/"Synchronicity II"/"Message In A Bottle" (live) | 1986-MM-DD | Germany |
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AM 392 161-1 | "Roxanne"/"Synchronicity II"/"Message In A Bottle" (live) | 1986-MM-DD | Spain |
Video
"SONG TITLE" appears on the following video and dvd releases:
| Cover art | Video title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
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Video or dvd title | YYYY-MM-DD | Country |
Awards, nominations, and certifications
Awards
This section needs more information.
| Year | Winner | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| YYYY | WINNER (album, song, producer, etc.) | AWARD (Grammy, People's Choice, etc.) | CATEGORY |
Nominations
This section needs more information.
| Year | Nominee | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| YYYY | NOMINEE (album, song, producer, etc.) | AWARD (Grammy, People's Choice, etc.) | CATEGORY |
Certifications
This section needs more information.
| Country | Certifier | Classification | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| COUNTRY | CERTIFIER (RIAA, IFPI...) | CLASSIFICATION (Album, singles, foreign artist...) | CERTIFICATION (Gold, Platinum, Diamond...) |
Lyrics
Lyrics are property and copyright of their owners, and provided here for educational purposes only.
- LP version:
Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light Those days are over You don't have to sell your body to the night Roxanne, you don't have to wear that dress tonight Walk the streets for money You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light Roxanne Put on the red light etc... I loved you since I knew ya I wouldn't talk down to ya I have to tell you just how I feel I won't share you with another boy I know my mind is made up So put away your make up Told you once I won't tell you again it's a bad way Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light You don't have to put on the red light / Roxanne Roxanne Put on the red light etc...
- alternate version:
Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light Those days are over You don't have to sell your body to the night Roxanne, you don't have to wear that dress tonight Walk the streets for money You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light I loved you since I knew ya I wouldn't talk down to ya Have to tell you just how I feel I won't share you with another boy You know my mind is made up So put away your make up I just have to tell you how I feel I won't share you with another man Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light Roxanne Put on the red light etc... I loved you since I knew ya I wouldn't talk down to ya I have to tell you just how I feel I won't share you with another boy I know my mind is made up So put away your make up Told you once I won't tell you again it's a bad way Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light You don't have to put on the red light / Roxanne Put on the red light Roxanne Put on the red light etc...
Quotations and trivia
On 1978-04-06 Stewart Copeland grabbed an advance copy of Roxanne from the DJ at the Music Machine.
Andy Summers sent a single to Keith Richards who played it a lot during The Rolling Stones' US tour in the summer of 1978. Keith Altham was forced to hear it and eventually became The Police's publicist.
The 7" single version of Roxanne sold over a half-million copies in the U.S. and would have qualified for Gold record certification under current rules set by the Recording Industry Association of America. However, at the time of the song's release, singles were awarded with a Gold certification for sales of 1,000,000 units and a Platinum certification for sales of 2,000,000 units. The change to certification of Gold status for sales of 500,000 7" units did not occur until January 1, 1989.
Alternate and cover versions
An alternate version from the Outlandos d'Amour sessions lasts 3:59 minutes.
Alternate versions
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song/B-side song | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AMP-782 | "Every Breath You Take (backing track)"/"Roxanne (backing track)" | 1983-MM-DD | Japan |
Cover versions
Cover versions of Roxanne appear on the following album releases:
| Cover art | Artist | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aswad | Reggatta Mondatta | 1997-MM-DD | The Netherlands |
|
Fall Out Boy | Policia! A Tribute To The Police | 2005-MM-DD | USA |
- George Michael also did a cover version.
See also
External links
http://www.followtheleaders.fr/rox2006.htm
References
- Stewart Copeland's diary (1978 release date)
- ThePolice.com. UltraStar Entertainment LLC. 31 May 2008. <http://www.thepolice.com/discog/?v=so&a=2&id=219>
- Craig Betts
- November 1986 release date from Outlandos newsletter - December 1986
