Canary In A Coalmine
| "Canary In A Coalmine" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Recorded by The Police | |
| Released: | 1980-10-03 |
| Recorded: | 1980-07-07 - 1980-08-07 |
| Length: | 2:26 |
| Album(s): | Zenyatta Mondatta |
| Label(s): | A&M |
| Writer(s): | Sting |
| Producer(s): | The Police, Nigel Gray |
| Studio(s): | Wisseloord Studios |
| Released as single? | B-SIDE |
"Canary In A Coalmine" is a song written by Sting and recorded by The Police in 1980.
Contents
About the song
The Police recorded an early version of this song on 1980-02-23 while being in Tokyo, Japan.
Sting recorded another demo for this song in Dublin in the summer of 1980. What he put to tape is already pretty close to the LP version - bass, guitars and the general melody are all there.
In the demo's first chorus however Sting sings Canary In A Coalmine a fourth time.
There's no third verse yet. No piano anywhere in the song. The short instrumental middle section is also absent. In its place there's an instrumental chorus with some additional guitar (maybe hinting at a possible solo).
With this extended middle part the demo passes the 3 minute mark.
There are two edited versions of this track where Nigel Gray was still experimenting with the sound levels of individual instruments. Both are only 2:11 minutes long.
Personnel
- Sting — bass, vocals
- Andy Summers - guitar
- Stewart Copeland — drums
Release History
Albums
Canary In A Coalmine appears on the following album releases:
| Cover art | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Zenyatta Mondatta | 1980-10-03 | 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 | United Kingdom |
7" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song/B-side song | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AM 58.002 | "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"/"Voices Inside My Head"/"Don't Stand So Close To Me"/"Canary In A Coalmine" | 1980-MM-DD | Brazil |
Video
"Canary In A Coalmine" appears on the following video and dvd releases:
| Cover art | Video title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Around The World | 1983-MM-DD | UK |
Lyrics
Lyrics are property and copyright of their owners, and provided here for educational purposes only.
- LP version:
First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line You say you want to spend the winter in Firenza You're so afraid to catch a dose of influenza You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Now if I tell you that you suffer from delusions You pay your analyst to reach the same conclusions You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine oh First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine etc.
- demo version
First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line You say you want to spend the winter in Firenza You're so afraid to catch a dose of influenza You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine oh First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine oh Canary in a coalmine You say you want to spend the winter in Firenza You're so afraid to catch a dose of influenza You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine etc.
Quotations and trivia
This section needs more information.
Alternative and cover versions
A cover version of Canary In A Coalmine appears on the following album release:
| Cover art | Artist | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Toots & The Maytals | Reggatta Mondatta Volume II | 1998-06-30 | ?? |
See also
External links
This section needs more information.
References
- Police, The. Zenyatta Mondatta. (1980) [Audio recording], A&M Records.
- ThePolice.com. UltraStar Entertainment LLC. 2 Jun 2008. <http://www.thepolice.com/discog/?v=so&a=2&id=107>
