The Police formed in London, England in 1977, and like many a featured artist here on Friday Night Jukebox have a history that's a bit big for summarizing in a paragraph. So without further ado...they had a relatively short career as a band, releasing five studio albums over the course of seven years. They took a short break and went into the studio in 1986 to make their sixth album which never was completed...and that was that. They did reunite in 2007 for a year long reunion tour (the third highest grossing tour in history), but have pretty much returned to focusing on their solo careers as before--Sting as a mega-selling (though not particularly very good) pop star, Andy Summers through guitar collaborations, and Stewart Copeland via the soundtrack route. One can't underestimate how successful the Police were--arguably at one point the biggest band in the world, four of their five albums hit #1 in the U.K. (the fifth was #6), and even in the U.S., which wasn't as quick to catch on, their last three albums were top five and their first two were top 25. Add to that their hugely successful world tours, that four of their five studio LPs made Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time, six Grammy Awards, and two Brit Awards, and it's not surprising that they entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. And just for good measure, they were also on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All-Time.
(Not So) Fun Fact: I had the good fortune to see the Police on two of their world tours, and for the record, both times they were beyond awful. Easily two of the worst concert performances I've seen over the years. C'est la vie!
"Invisible Sun" debuted in 1981 on the Police's third album, Ghosts in the Machine. While it was the first single released from the album in Europe, it was never released as a single here in the States ("Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" was the song of choice here in America). It would go on to
reach #2 in the U.K. and # 5 in Ireland--so many cool kids in the British Isles!
"Invisible Sun" was written by Sting in response to the hunger strikes of 1981 which occurred during The Troubles in Northern Ireland--he said he was trying to understand what made people continue on despite the misery they faced in their daily lives. Despite the song's ominous overtones, it's actually quite uplifting--the idea of their being an "invisible sun" that shines on people when life is at its worst. And it's perfect fodder for folks like me who like their music with a political bent every now and again (or more). The song itself is a marvelous representation of what each member brought to the band instrumentally--Stewart Copeland's drumming echoes with a sinister foreboding, Andy Summers guitar work at the end of each chorus is like a catharsis, and Sting's bass playing adds force to the song's whole. There's some nice harmonizing on the chorus as well--and the minute and a half or so of "Oh oh oh oh oh oh"s that close the song are reminiscent of a benedictine chant and are as hopeful as a soothing prayer. All in all, "Invisible Sun" was a tour de force for the Police...and a stunning piece of political pop for the rest of us.
Lyric Sheet: "It's dark all day and it glows all night/Factory smoke and acetylene light/I face the day with my head caved in/Looking like something that the cat brought in..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
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