Most people know “Roxanne” and “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, as well as a few of Sting’s solo hits. Outside of these chart-toppers, The Police have released quite a few excellent pop-rock songs that didn’t chart the way they should have. Let’s look at four excellent The Police deep cuts that fans of the new wave outfit should know.
1. “Does Everyone Stare”
When it comes to The Police deep cuts, “Does Everyone Stare” is one of their oddest. This 1979 song was written by Stewart Copeland and is the perfect blend of awkward, almost amateur, and uniquely strange. The Police never performed this song live. But thankfully, Copeland went on to perform revitalized renditions of the song later on in his career.
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2. “Shadows In The Rain”
This is one of The Police’s moodier tracks. The 1980 song is a notable fan favorite, even though the members of The Police have said they didn’t love how rushed and label-pressured the album Zenyatta Mondatta was.
“Shadows In The Rain” is a slow, surreal track with a focus on atmosphere over anything else. The way the vocals sound like they’re coming from another room adds an eerie edge to the song that is quite uniquely 80s. It has an almost psychedelic, Pink Floyd-adjacent vibe to it.
3. “Omega Man”
This Ghost In The Machine song is one of Andy Summers’ best works to date, at least as a contribution to The Police. It’s a heavy rock song that should have been released as a single, in retrospect. If you’re not typically a fan of The Police or their biggest hits, this is a song worth listening to. You might just change your mind.
4. “Darkness”
Another lovely little track from Ghost In The Machine, “Darkness” is the final track on the album. It’s quite a haunting piece to close out the record, but doing so was an excellent creative choice.
“Darkness” is often described by fans as Copeland’s best songwriting contribution to The Police, and we think that’s a fair assessment. It’s a vertigo-triggering odyssey of a song with lyrics that match exactly how the song makes one feel. The uneasiness of the track could also be seen as a reflection of how the band members were feeling at the time, too.
Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns
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