Walking On The Moon (song)
| "Walking on the Moon" | |
|---|---|
 Single cover art for Walking on the Moon (song) | |
| Recorded by The Police | |
| Released: | 1979-11-23 |
| Recorded: | summer of 1979 |
| Length: | 5:02 |
| Album: | Reggatta de Blanc |
| Label(s): | A&M |
| Writer(s): | Sting |
| Producer(s): | Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers, Nigel Gray |
| Studio(s): | Surrey Sound Studios |
| Released as single? | Yes |
Contents
About the song
Sting wrote the song when he was lying drunk in a hotel room in Munich, Germany. In "The Independent" from September 16, 1993 he mentions that he had done a TV show with The Police, so it was probably the night after 1979-05-29. He had the bass line in mind and started walking around the room, which led to the song's "original" title "Walking Round The Room."
Stewart Copeland mentioned that this song started as a rocker. The famous guitar chord was Andy's contribution. According to engineer Chris Gray they had a Scamp rack [S24 ADT] at Surrey Sound Studios: "It’s modules of processors. You get different ones that fit into the racks (echoes and flangers) and there was one in particular that was a sort of phaser/chorus/flanger/close echo/double-tracking module. When those guitar chords come in on Walking On The Moon, that is purely the sound of that Scamp rack. They used that one a lot."
There are several versions that are way longer than the LP track. A 7:15 minute version is basically the same as the one on the LP, but it offers another chorus and different improvised vocal chants in the coda. This longer mix doesn't yet feature the Roland GR-500 guitar synthesizer that produces the bubbling sounds. You can hear much clearer that the famous bass notes are also played by a piano.
If you think 7:15 minutes are quite long: there's also another extended version that lasts 8:51 minutes ! This version features a 2 minute Andy Summers guitar solo over a late bridge and Sting's and Stewart's vocal variations.
Personnel
- Sting - Lead vocals, fretless bass guitar, guitar
- Andy Summers - Lead guitar
- Stewart Copeland - Drums
Ads
This ad was printed in Record Mirror and NME (November 24, 1979):
Release History
Albums
"Walking on the Moon" appears on the following album releases:
| Cover art | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Reggatta de Blanc | 1979-10-02 | United Kingdom |
|
Every Breath You Take: The Singles | 1986 | United Kingdom |
|
Greatest Hits | 1992-10-02 | United Kingdom |
|
Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings | 1993-09-30 | United Kingdom |
|
The Police Live! | 1995-06-13 | United Kingdom |
|
Every Breath You Take: The Classics | 1995-09-12 | United States |
|
The Police | 2007-06-11 | United States |
Singles
"Walking on the Moon" was released both as a 7" single and a 12" single and also as part of the Six Pack.
7" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song/B-side song | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
AMS 7494 | "Walking on the Moon"/"Visions of the Night" | 1979-11-23 | United Kingdom |
|
A&M P66001C | "Walking on the Moon"/"Visions of the Night" | 1980-05-01 | United Kingdom |
12" Singles
| Cover art | Catalog no. | A-side song(s)/B-side song(s) | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
AMSP 7494 | "Walking on the Moon"/"Visions of the Night" | 1979-11-23 | United Kingdom |
|
SAMP 5 | "The Bed's Too Big Without You"/"So Lonely"/"Can't Stand Losing You"/"Roxanne"/"Message In A Bottle"/"Walking On The Moon" | 1980-MM-DD | UK |
Video
"Walking on the Moon" appears on the following video releases:
| Cover art | Video title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Around the World | 1983-02-01 | United Kingdom |
|
Every Breath You Take: The Videos | 1986-11-01 | United Kingdom |
|
Greatest Hits (long video) | 1992-09-01 | United Kingdom |
|
Outlandos to Synchronicities: A History of The Police Live! | 1995-05-01 | United Kingdom |
|
Live Ghost In The Machine | 2001-10-01 | Japan |
|
Every Breath You Take: The DVD | 2003-04-07 | United Kingdom |
|
Synchronicity Concert (DVD) | 2005-09-01 | United Kingdom |
Lyrics
Lyrics are property and copyright of their owners, and provided here for educational purposes only.
Giant steps are what you take Walking on the moon I hope my legs don't break Walking on the moon We could walk forever Walking on the moon We could live together Walking on, walking on the moon Walking back from your house Walking on the moon Walking back from your house Walking on the moon Feet they hardly touch the ground Walking on the moon My feet don't hardly make no sound Walking on, walking on the moon Some may say I'm wishing my days away No way And if it's the price I pay Some say Tomorrow's another day You stay I may as well play Giant steps are what you take Walking on the moon I hope my legs don't break Walking on the moon We could walk forever Walking on the moon We could be together Walking on, walking on the moon Some may say I'm wishing my days away No way And if it's the price I pay Some say Tomorrow's another day You stay I may as well play Keep it up, keep it up
Quotations and trivia
- Sting on how the song was first written:
"I was drunk in a hotel room in Munich, slumped on the bed with the whirling pit when this riff came into my head. I got up and starting walking round the room singing: 'Walking round the room, walking round the room'. That was all. In the cool light of morning I remembered what had happened and I wrote the riff down. But 'Walking Round The Room' was a stupid title so I thought of something even more stupid which was 'Walking on the Moon."
- Nigel Gray on the sound of the song:
"Walking on the Moon' has two guitar parts, but there are long gaps in it where you'd expect an extra guitar to fill in -- and there's nothing, just the groove. They get the backing track, add the vocals and one or two overdubs, then have the faith to leave it. If anyone else had recorded 'Walking on the Moon' it wouldn't have been a hit -- it's what The Police do to it that makes it special."
(both quotes from L'Historia Bandido)
Alternative and cover versions
The Police
- the 7" version is about a minute shorter than the LP version
- the 12" version is about 10 seconds shorter than the LP version
- several work in progress versions are way longer than the LP version
Cover versions
Cover versions of Walking On The Moon appear on the following album releases:
| Cover art | Artist | Album title | Release date | Release country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sly & Robbie feat. Ambilique | Reggatta Mondatta | 1997-MM-DD | The Netherlands |
|
The Pale | Policia! A Tribute To The Police | 2005-MM-DD | USA |
- The Frederic Alarie Trio recorded a jazz version of "Walking On The Moon" on the album Live A Vienne.[1][2][3]
Remixes
- "Walking on the Moon (Roger Sanchez Darkside Of The Dub)"
- "Walking on the Moon (Roger Sanchez Darkside Of The Moon Mix)"
- "Walking on the Moon (Roger Sanchez EVA Mix)"
- These three appear on:
"Roxanne '97" - 12" single A&M 1997-12-01 United Kingdom
- "Walking on the Moon (Roger Sanchez EVA Edit)"
- Song appears on:
-
"Roxanne '97" - 7" single A&M 1997-12-01 United Kingdom
and furthermore:
- Walking On The Moon (Roger Sanchez EVA Instrumental) 6:00
- Walking On The Moon (Roger Sanchez EVA Dub And Bass) 6:50
There are also four unreleased remixes:
- Walking On The Moon (Roger Sanchez EVA Accapella)
- Walking On The Moon (Roger Sanchez Darkside Of The Moon Instrumental)
- Walking On The Moon (Roger Sanchez Darkside Of The Moon Accapella)
- Walking On The Moon (Roger Sanchez Free Fall In Outer Space)
See also
References
sources: various, Roland GR500 information from 1982-09 Guitar Player; NME - November 17, 1979 (release date); The Independent - 9 / 93; L'Historia Bandido; Craig Betts; Chris Gray in Walking On The Moon: The Untold Story Of The Police And The Rise Of New Wave Rock
