Don't Stand So Close To Me (song)
| "Don't Stand So Close To Me" | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of "Don't Stand So Close To Me" 7" single | |
| Recorded by The Police | |
| Released: | 1980-09-19 (UK)
1980-10-21 (Japan) |
| Recorded: | 1980-07-07 - 1980-08-07 |
| Length: | 4:04 |
| Album(s): | Zenyatta Mondatta |
| Label(s): | A&M |
| Writer(s): | Sting |
| Producer(s): | The Police, Nigel Gray |
| Studio(s): | Wisseloord Studios |
| Released as single? | YES |
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" is a song written by Sting and recorded by The Police in 1980.
Contents
About the song
In an interview with "The Independent" from September 1993 Sting mentioned that the song was based on a guitar figure which he stole from the Buffalo Springfield song "Rock'n'Roll Woman".
Andy Summers remembers that Sting already messed around with the guitar riff in a hotel room while the band was on tour in Australia (mid-March 1980).
Sting recorded the demo for this song in Dublin in the summer of 1980. It's already very close to the LP version regarding lyrics, tempo and arrangement.
It also starts with the low Moog sound - and when the guitar kicks in Sting hums some harmonies. Verses and choruses are pretty much the same, with some additional keyboards.
The instrumental middle part doesn't feature any guitar synthesizer yet. Instead Sting plays a melody on a keyboard - while the 1st part of this keyboard melody would be ommitted its second part would be used on the LP version - with Sting humming it. In the demo Sting adds some additional harmonies by humming to the keyboard.
There are no "Please don't stand so close to me" vocals in the coda.
The song was re-recorded in July 1986: Don't Stand So Close To Me '86.
A live version from the 1983-1984 Synchronicity Tour was chosen as the B-Side for this. The bass parts of that live recording were partially re-recorded by Wishbone Ash's Martin Turner. His brother Kim Turner asked him to re-record a part of the bass track from the live recording. Martin did that in a studio that was under IRS offices - at 194-196 Kensington Park Road, just one block west of Portobello Road.
Sting’s bass parts were missing for a whole section of the song, and Martin filled the gap using a 1957 Precision bass that was in his collection. Although Martin felt that the sound didn’t match exactly the trick wasn't too noticeable when they did the mix.
Personnel
- Sting — Van Zalinge Bass, vocals
- Andy Summers - guitars
- Stewart Copeland - drums
Release History
Albums
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Catalog no. | "Song"(s) | YYYY-MM-DD | Country |
7" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song/B-side song | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
AMS 7564 | "Don't Stand So Close To Me"/"Friends" | 1980-MM-DD | UK |
|
AM 2301 | "Don't Stand So Close To Me"/"A Sermon" | 1980-MM-DD | USA |
|
AMS 9001 | "Don't Stand So Close To Me"/"Friends" | 1980-MM-DD | Italy |
|
|
PAMS 7564 F | "Don't Stand So Close To Me"/"Friends" | 1980-MM-DD | Portugal |
|
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 |
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
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" appears on the following video and dvd releases:
| Cover art | Video title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Every Breath You Take: The Videos | 1986-MM-DD | Country |
|
Every Breath You Take: The DVD | 2003-04-07 | Country |
Awards, nominations, and certifications
Awards
This section needs more information.
| Year | Winner | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "Don't Stand So Close To Me" | Grammy Award | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal |
Nominations
This section needs more information.
| Year | Nominee | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| YYYY | NOMINEE (album, song, producer, etc.) | AWARD (Grammy, People's Choice, etc.) | CATEGORY |
Lyrics
Lyrics are property and copyright of their owners, and provided here for educational purposes only.
Young teacher, the subject Of schoolgirl fantasy She wants him so badly Knows what she wants to be Inside her there's longing This girl's an open page Book marking - she's so close now This girl is half his age Don't stand, don't stand so Don't stand so close to me Don't stand, don't stand so Don't stand so close to me Her friends are so jealous You know how bad girls get Sometimes it's not so easy To be the teacher's pet Temptation, frustration So bad it makes him cry Wet bus stop, she's waiting His car is warm and dry Don't stand, don't stand so Don't stand so close to me Don't stand, don't stand so Don't stand so close to me Loose talk in the classroom To hurt they try and try Strong words in the staffroom The accusations fly It's no use, he sees her He starts to shake and cough Just like the old man in That book by Nabokov Don't stand, don't stand so Don't stand so close to me Don't stand, don't stand so Don't stand so close to me Don't stand, don't stand so Don't stand so close to me
Quotations and trivia
This section needs more information.
Alternative and cover versions
Alternative versions
- Don't Stand So Close To Me '86 and its b-side: Don't Stand So Close To Me (live)
Cover versions
A cover version of Don't Stand So Close To Me appears on the following album release:
| Cover art | Artist | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Louchie Lou / Michie One | Reggatta Mondatta Volume II | 1998-06-30 | ?? |
|
|
music students incl. Stewart Copeland | Rock School | 2005-MM-DD | USA |
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=124>
- Melody Maker from August 30, 1980 mentions September 12 as the release date of the (yet untitled) single, whereas NME from the same day mentions September 19 with the song title --- the record was reviewed in September 20 editions, so the later release date seems to be the right one
- 1992-04 Bass Player (use of the H van Zalinge Electric Stand-Up Bass)
- Martin Turner (live version info)
- 1987-02 Making Music (Andy remembering the mid-March 1980 fact)
