I Burn For You (The Police)
| "I Burn For You" | |
|---|---|
| Recorded by The Police | |
| Released: | 1982-09-03 |
| Recorded: | 1981 |
| Length: | 4:45 |
| Album(s): | Brimstone & Treacle |
| Label(s): | A&M |
| Writer(s): | Sting |
| Producer(s): | PRODUCER NAME(S) |
| Studio(s): | AIR Studios |
| Released as single? | B-SIDE (12") |
"I Burn For You" is a song written by Sting and recorded by The Police in 1981.
Contents
About the song
Sting already recorded this song with Last Exit. Their recording features a verse that's not on The Police's version, and is also not featured on Sting's demo which he recorded in Dublin in the summer of 1980 (which is closer in style to The Police's version).
Just like Demolition Man this song was not used for Zenyatta Mondatta, as it was considered too sentimental. As Sting didn't want to waste his material he let Grace Jones record Demolition Man, while Hot Gossip did their interpretation of I Burn For You.
Strangely enough Last Exit's additional verse can also be heard on Hot Gossip's cover version - which was released in 1981 before The Police even recorded their version.
The Police's recording took place during the Ghost In The Machine recording sessions at AIR Studios. Photos from this period show the band with crew and personnel standing around the microphones - these were taken while recording the chant at the end of The Police's version. Stewart Copeland captured a similar scene on video - it can be seen in his movie Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out.
Andy played an old Gibson ES-335 lefthand combined with a Bolt amplifier from Roland.
The fade in features atmospheric sounds which actually were local tree frogs from Montserrat. The same sounds can be heard on The Tourists' "From The Middle Room" which was recorded at the same studio a few years earlier.
The song was again shelved for another year until it finally saw the light of day on the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack LP. The movie featured a different version - in 2022 the movie's version was released in full length on the Ghost In The Machine picture disc.
Personnel
- Sting - vocals, bass
- Andy Summers - guitar
- Stewart Copeland - drums
- staff - choir
- tree frogs - backing vocals in the fade in
Release History
Albums
I Burn For You appears on the following album releases:
| Cover art | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Brimstone & Treacle | 1982-07-01 | UK |
| 40px | At The Movies | 1997-MM-DD | Japan |
|
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 | Country |
7" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song/B-side song | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AMX 127 | "Wrapped Around Your Finger"/"Someone To Talk To"/"Message In A Bottle" (live)/"I Burn For You" | 1983-07-15 | UK |
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.
Now that I have found you In the coolth of your evening smile The shade of your parasol And your love flows through me Though I drink at your pool I burn for you I burn for you You and I are lovers And nighttime falls around our bed In peace we sleep entwined And your love flows through me Though an ocean soothes my head I burn for you I burn for you Stars will fall from dark skies As ancient rocks are turning Quiet fills the room And your love flows through me Though I lie here so still I burn for you I burn for you ...
Quotations and trivia
Sting wrote this song in 1975 during a maths lesson when he was still working as a teacher.
Alternative and cover versions
- I Burn For You (Last Exit)
- Hot Gossip's 1981 recording
- the version in the movie Brimstone & Treacle is different to the soundtrack LP's version -- a longer version was finally released on the Ghost In The Machine picture disc in 2022
See also
External links
References
sources: Rolling Stone - February 18, 1982 (guitar / amp); Bring On The Night liner notes; Message In A Box liner notes
