"Bring on the Night" | ||||
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Single by the Police | ||||
from the album Reggatta de Blanc | ||||
B-side | "Visions of the Night" | |||
Released | January 1980 (US) [1] | |||
Recorded | 1979 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:15 | |||
Label | A&M – 2218-S | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sting | |||
Producer(s) |
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The Police singles chronology | ||||
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Alternate cover | ||||
Audio | ||||
"Bring On the Night" on YouTube |
"Bring on the Night" is a song by British rock band the Police. Written by the band's bassist and vocalist Sting,the song appeared as the fourth track on the band's second studio album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979).
Some of the lyrics of "Bring on the Night" were recycled from the song "Carrion Prince (O Ye of Little Hope)",which was written by Sting for the band Last Exit. [2] [3] The title "Carrion Prince (O Ye of Little Hope)" was taken from Ted Hughes's poem "King of Carrion," which is about Pontius Pilate. However,after reading The Executioner's Song ,Sting felt that the words fitted Gary Gilmore's death wish,and says that since then,"I sing it with him in mind." [2]
Another line from "Bring on the Night","when the evening spreads itself against the sky," is taken from T. S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," written in 1910-15. In Lyrics By Sting,Sting said of this,"What is it Eliot said? 'Bad poets borrow,good poets steal'?" [3]
The song was only released as an album track in Britain,but was released as a single in the United States,Germany and France in January 1980. It was backed with "Visions of the Night" (the British B-side to "Walking on the Moon") in the United States,with "Reggatta de Blanc" in Germany,and with "Roxanne" in France. The single managed to hit No. 6 in France; [4] however the song did not make it into the charts in the US and Germany. The song was also released in a compilation album The Police ,as well as in live form on the album Live! ,and featured as the title track on Sting’s live solo album Bring On the Night which included extended jazz-influenced arrangements of Police songs,in addition to solo originals.
Cash Box said that "a charming acoustic guitar melody blends easily with the big kick drum beat and bassist." [5] Record World said that "Captivating soprano vocals join a pulsating guitar and thumping drum as the Police issue more of their premium reggae rock." [6] Greg Prato of AllMusic noted the song as being "much more sedate than [some songs on Outlandos d'Amour ]." [7] AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine,in his review of The Police,noted the song as a "second-tier classic." [8] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Mike Duquette rated it to be the Police's 11th greatest song,saying that Andy Summers' "arpeggiated guitar riff...is one of the band’s catchiest." [9]
Chart (October 1983) | Peak position |
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France | 6 [4] |
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig,the line-up settled as Sting,Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland,and remained unchanged for the rest of the band's history. The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early to mid 1980s. Emerging in the British new wave scene,they played a style of rock influenced by punk,reggae,and jazz.
Outlandos d'Amour is the debut studio album by British rock band the Police,released on 3 November 1978 by A&M Records. Elevated by the success of its lead single,"Roxanne",Outlandos d'Amour peaked at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and at No. 23 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned two additional hit singles:"Can't Stand Losing You" and "So Lonely".
Reggatta de Blanc is the second studio album by British rock band the Police,released on 5 October 1979 by A&M Records. It was the band's first release to top the UK Albums Chart and features their first two UK number-one singles:"Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon". In early 1980,the album was reissued in the United States on two 10-inch discs,one album side per disc,and as a collector's edition with a poster of the band.
Andrew James Summers is an English guitarist best known as a member of the rock band the Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a band member in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums,collaborated with other musicians,composed film scores,written fiction,and exhibited his photography in galleries.
Live! is a live album by The Police,released in 1995 on compact disc and cassette tape. It is the band's first live album and one of only two covering their initial period of activity before 1986,the other being Around The World (2022). A live album from the reunion tour,Certifiable:Live in Buenos Aires,was released in 2008.
"Roxanne" is a song by British rock band the Police. The song was written by lead singer and bassist Sting and was released as a single on 7 April 1978,in advance of their debut album Outlandos d'Amour,released on 3 November. It was written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute. When re-released on 12 April 1979,the song peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Walking on the Moon" is a reggae song by British rock band the Police,released as the second single from their second studio album,Reggatta de Blanc (1979). The song was written by the band's lead vocalist and bassist Sting. It went on to become the band's second No. 1 hit in the UK.
"Message in a Bottle" is a song by British rock band the Police. It was released as the lead single from their second studio album,Reggatta de Blanc (1979). Written by the band's lead singer and bassist Sting,the song is ostensibly about a story of a castaway on an island who sends out a message in a bottle to seek love. Having received no response for a year,he despairs,believing that he is destined to be alone. The next day,however,he sees "a hundred billion bottles" on the shore and realizes that there are more lonely people like him.
Last Exit were an English jazz fusion band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne,England,in 1974. It is best remembered as the group Sting was in before finding stardom with The Police.
"The Bed's Too Big Without You" is a song by British rock band the Police,released as the final single from their second studio album Reggatta de Blanc (1979). It was written by lead vocalist and bassist Sting. An alternate version was released as a single in the UK in 1980 in the set Six Pack in conjunction with the re-release of the Police's earlier singles "Roxanne","Can't Stand Losing You","So Lonely","Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon".
"Can't Stand Losing You" is a song by British rock band the Police,released from their debut album Outlandos d'Amour,both in 1978. The song also was released as the follow-up single to "Roxanne",reaching number 2 in the UK Singles Chart on a re-release in 1979. It was written by the band's lead singer and bassist Sting as a song about suicide.
"So Lonely" is a song by British rock band the Police,released as the third and final single on 17 November 1978 from their debut studio album Outlandos d'Amour (1978),and again on 4 February 1980 as a re-release. The song uses a reggae style,and featured Sting on lead vocals.
"Secret Journey" is a song by the Police from their 1981 album,Ghost in the Machine. Written by Sting,the song tells of a mystical journey that will make the traveller a "holy man".
"King of Pain" is a song by British rock band the Police,released as the second single from their fifth and final studio album Synchronicity (1983). Written by the band's lead singer and bassist Sting as a post-separation song from his wife,"King of Pain" conjures up symbols of pain and relates them to a man's soul. A&M Records released "King of Pain" as the album's fourth single in the UK,while in many other countries it was released as the second single.
"Wrapped Around Your Finger" is the second single in the UK from the Police's 1983 album Synchronicity. Written by Sting,it was released worldwide by A&M Records and featured the non-album track "Someone to Talk To" as the B-side in the UK,while a live version of "Tea in the Sahara" was the B-side in the US.
Six Pack is a collection of seven-inch singles released by British rock band the Police in 1980.
"Reggatta de Blanc" is a 1979 musical composition by The Police,and the title track on their second album. The instrumental evolved from improvisational stage jams during early Police performances of the song "Can't Stand Losing You". The track won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1980.
Certifiable:Live in Buenos Aires is a live album and concert video album by the Police. It was recorded in December 2007 during the band's reunion tour and was released in November 2008. The album was released in the US exclusively through Best Buy. The album has a number of releases including a four disc version containing two CDs and two DVDs. The two CDs contain the live album from River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires,Argentina. The first DVD contains the 109-minute wide-screen concert presented in Dolby Surround and Stereo. The concert film was directed and produced by Jim Gable and Ann Kim,of Graying &Balding,Inc. The second DVD contains the 50-minute bonus feature,"Better Than Therapy," directed by Stewart Copeland's son Jordan Copeland,detailing The Police's reunion with behind-the-scenes interviews from the band and road crew,plus two photo galleries of The Police on tour:one shot by guitarist and photographer Andy Summers,and one by photographer Danny Clinch. The DVDs were also released on Blu-ray format. A triple vinyl format was also released that contained a digital download of the concert.
"When the World Is Running Down,You Make the Best of What's Still Around" is a song written by Sting that was first released by English rock band the Police on their 1980 album Zenyatta Mondatta. Along with another song from Zenyatta Mondatta,"Voices Inside My Head",the song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in 1981. In 2000,a remix version credited to Different Gear versus the Police reached No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart,No. 7 on the Billboard Dance chart,and No. 94 in the Netherlands. On radio stations,the song is often played directly after "Driven to Tears".
"Tea in the Sahara" is a song by the British new wave band the Police. Written by Sting,the song appeared on the band's final album,Synchronicity. It was written about the Paul Bowles novel The Sheltering Sky.