Demolition Man (The Police song)

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"Demolition Man"
LP cover
Recorded by The Police
Released: 1981-10-02
Recorded: 1981-06-20 - 1981-07-26
Length: 5:54
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? NO

"Demolition Man" is a song written by Sting and recorded by The Police in 1981.

About the song

Sting wrote the song in 1980 and recorded various demo versions at Keystone Studios in Dublin, Ireland.

There's a Sting "solo" demo (3:21) with a basic percussion rhythm - there's only the occasional bit of keyboards accompanying that.

Another demo version with drums by Paul McAteer was sent to Grace Jones, who released her own version of the song as a single in February 1981 way before The Police recorded the song for Ghost In The Machine.

As Andy Summers said in 1982-04 Creem Demolition Man was the first track they recorded for Ghost In The Machine - in a one-take job... Andy used his 1961 Stratocaster for this song.

An early mix from AIR Studios is basically the same as the LP version - most noteable difference is that Stewart stopped playing his snare for a while in the last minute of the song, which results in a bit of rhythmic confusion. The LP version features snare overdubs which makes listening to it easier.

Personnel

According to producer Hugh Padgham the actual bassline heard on Ghost In The Machine was played by Danny Quatrochi, as Sting's original take played while jumping on a trampoline was too sloppy

Release History

Albums

Demolition Man appears on the following album releases:

Cover art Album title Release date Release country
Police-album-ghostinthemachine.jpg Ghost In The Machine 1981-10-02 UK
Police-album-messageinaboxthecompleterecordings.jpg Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings 1993-MM-DD UK
Every Move You Make.jpg Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings 2018-11-16 UK
Ghost picture disc.jpg Ghost In The Machine (picture disc) 2022-11-04 worldwide

Singles

CD Singles

Cover art Catalog no. Songs Release date Release country
Stub.gif Catalog no. "Song"(s) YYYY-MM-DD Country

7" Singles

Cover art Catalog no. A-side song/B-side song Release date Release country
Stub.gif Catalog no. "A-side song"/"B-side song" YYYY-MM-DD Country

12" Singles

Cover art Catalog no. A-side song(s)/B-side song(s) Release date Release country
Stub.gif 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
Stub.gif 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.

Tied to the tracks and the train's just coming
Strapped to the wing with the engine running
You say that this wasn't in your plan
And don't mess around with the demolition man

Tied to a chair and the bomb is ticking
This situation was not of your picking
You say that this wasn't in your plan
And don't mess around with the demolition man

I'm a walking nightmare, an arsenal of doom
I kill conversation as I walk into the room
I'm a three line whip
I'm the sort of thing they ban
I'm a walking disaster
I'm a demolition man

You come to me like a moth to the flame
It's love you need but I don't play that game
'Cos you could be my greatest fan
But I'm nobody's friend
I'm a demolition man

I'm a walking nightmare, an arsenal of doom
I kill conversation as I walk into the room
I'm a three line whip
I'm the sort of thing they ban
I'm a walking disaster
I'm a demolition man

Quotations and trivia

This section needs more information.

Alternative and cover versions

Alternative versions

Cover versions

A cover version of Demolition Man appears on the following album release:

Cover art Artist Album title Release date Release country
40px Grace Jones Demolition Man (7" and 12") 1981-MM-DD UK
40px Manfred Mann's Earthband Somewhere In Africa 1982-MM-DD Germany
Vinyl.png Rayvon, Shaggy Reggatta Mondatta Volume II 1998-06-30 ??

See also

This section needs more information.

External links

This section needs more information.

References

  • Police, The. Ghost In The Machine. (1981) [Audio recording], A&M Records.
  • personal information (demos)
  • 1982-04 Creem
  • Rolling Stone - February 18, 1982 (Stratocaster)