Invisible Sun (song)
| "Invisible Sun" | |
|---|---|
| Recorded by The Police | |
| Released: | 1981-09-18 |
| Recorded: | 1981-06-20 - 1981-07-26 |
| Length: | 3:43 |
| Album(s): | Ghost In The Machine |
| Label(s): | A&M |
| Writer(s): | Sting |
| Producer(s): | Hugh Padgham & The Police |
| Studio(s): | AIR Studios, Montserrat |
| Released as single? | YES |
"Invisible Sun" is a song written by Sting and recorded by The Police in 1981.
Contents
About the song
According to the Spring 2000 edition of Revolver magazine Sting wrote the song in Ireland "during the hunger strikes in Belfast" - he certainly refers to Bobby Sands' hunger strike that went from 1981-03-01 until his death on 1981-05-05 (as specified for One World).
The song is about that, but with some light at the end of the tunnel.
Sting composed it on a keyboard.
The original 7" and LP version didn't feature a coda with Sting singing bits from Wouldn't It Be Loverly. This could be heard in a longer Invisible Sun video mix and in the shorter mix from the Ghost In The Machine picture disc from 2022.
Personnel
This section needs more information.
Release History
Albums
Invisible Sun appears on the following album releases:
| Cover art | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ghost In The Machine | 1981-10-02 | UK |
|
Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings | 1993-MM-DD | UK |
|
Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings | 2018-11-16 | UK |
|
Ghost In The Machine (picture disc) | 2022-11-04 | worldwide |
Singles
CD Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | Songs | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Catalog no. | "Song"(s) | YYYY-MM-DD | Release country |
7" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song/B-side song | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 
|
AMS 8164 | "Invisible Sun"/"Shambelle" | 1981-09-18 | UK |
|
|
AMS 9203 | "Invisible Sun"/"Flexible Strategies" | 1982-MM-DD | The Netherlands |
|
|
K-8562 | "Invisible Sun"/"Flexible Strategies" | YYYY-MM-DD | Australia |
12" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song(s)/B-side song(s) | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Catalog no. | "A-side song"/"B-side song" (add more songs as necessary) | YYYY-MM-DD | Country |
Video
"SONG TITLE" appears on the following video and dvd releases:
| Cover art | Video title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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.
I don't want to spend the rest of my life Looking at the barrel of an Armalite I don't want to spend the rest of my days Keeping out of trouble like the soldiers say I don't want to spend my time in hell Looking at the walls of a prison cell I don't ever want to play the part Of a statistic on a government chart There has to be an invisible sun It gives its heat to everyone There has to be an invisible sun That gives us hope when the whole day's done It's dark all day and it glows all night Factory smoke and acetylene light I face the day with me head caved in Looking like something that the cat brought in There has to be an invisible sun It gives its heat to everyone There has to be an invisible sun That gives us hope when the whole day's done And they're only going to change this place By killing everybody in the human race They would kill me for a cigarette But I don't even wanna die just yet There has to be an invisible sun It gives its heat to everyone There has to be an invisible sun That gives us hope when the whole day's done
Quotations and trivia
The UK 7" release had two slightly different covers (a "clear" sun and a "blurred" sun) and labels (Shambelle spelling).
Alternative and cover versions
- longer video mix
- a shorter version withe the Wouldn't It Be Loverly coda was released on the 2022 Ghost In The Machine (picture disc)
See also
This section needs more information.
