Demolition Man (song)

Last updated
"Demolition Man"
Gracejonesdemolitionman.jpg
Single by Grace Jones
from the album Nightclubbing
B-side "Warm Leatherette", "Bullshit"
ReleasedFebruary 6, 1981 [1]
Genre
Length4:04
Label Island
Songwriter(s) Sting
Producer(s)
Grace Jones singles chronology
"Breakdown"
(1980)
"Demolition Man"
(1981)
"I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)"
(1981)
Music video
"Demolition Man" on YouTube

"Demolition Man" is a song written by Sting and performed by Grace Jones as the A-side of a 1981 single. Sting's band, the Police, later released their rendition of the song on their album Ghost in the Machine . The lyrics to Demolition Man are featured in the art book RadioEYES: Great Rock Lyrics Set to Art. The song was illustrated by John Taylor Dismukes.

Contents

Background

The song was originally written by Sting in the Summer of 1980 while living in Peter O’Toole’s home in Connemara, Ireland for potential use on The Police’s Zenyatta Mondatta , but they never managed to get around to recording it. [2] [3] A demo was sent to Grace Jones when she requested Sting for a song. [3]

The lyric "I'm a three-line whip", often assumed to be a reference to sadomasochism, is in fact an allusion to the voting instructions issued to British members of parliament to cast their votes according to the party line. Sting explained this in an interview: "Whatever party's in power in Parliament, if it's a really important vote, you get a one-line whip. If it's incredibly important, you have a two-line whip, and something monumentally important is a three-line whip." [4] According to Sting, he never knew that his A-level in British Constitution would "bear fruit in a rock and roll lyric". [3]

Grace Jones version

"Demolition Man" was released as the lead single from Grace Jones's 1981 album Nightclubbing . The song was performed on A One Man Show tour, featuring marching "Joneses" (stand-ins wearing Grace Jones masks), and included in the documentary film. A still picture from the video was later used for the cover of 1982 singles "Nipple to the Bottle" and "The Apple Stretching".

Track listing

A. "Demolition Man" – 3:31
B. "Warm Leatherette" – 4:25
A. "Demolition Man" – 4:56
B. "Bullshit" – 5:18

The Police version

"Demolition Man"
Song by The Police
from the album Ghost in the Machine
Released2 October 1981 (1981-10-02)
RecordedJune 1981
Genre
Length5:57
Label A&M
Songwriter(s) Sting
Producer(s) The Police
Music video
"Demolition Man" on YouTube

Soon after Jones released her version as a single, the Police recorded their own version for their 1981 album, Ghost in the Machine . Guitarist Andy Summers recalls:

"He [Sting] did have Demolition Man previously, mind you - he’d already given that to Grace Jones to put on her Nightclubbing album. In fact, that was the song we recorded first. You have to break the ice with something, and that was an easy one to do. It’s a very simple song. We all listened to the Grace Jones version and thought 'Shit, we can do it much better than that.' It was a one-take job. To me, our version is more ballsy, which is what you’d expect from Grace Jones." [5]

The Police recorded the song in a jazzy hard rock style, featuring a guitar solo by Andy Summers. Sting's roadie Danny Quatrochi played the bass. [6]

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Police</span> English rock band

The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting, Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland. The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Emerging in the British new wave scene, they played a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manfred Mann</span> English rock band

Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two different lead vocalists, Paul Jones from 1962 to 1966 and Mike d'Abo from 1966 to 1969.

<i>Zenyatta Mondatta</i> 1980 studio album by the Police

Zenyatta Mondatta is the third studio album by English rock band the Police, released on 3 October 1980 by A&M Records. It was co-produced by the band and Nigel Gray.

<i>Ghost in the Machine</i> (album) 1981 studio album by the Police

Ghost in the Machine is the fourth studio album by English rock band the Police. The album was released on 2 October 1981 by A&M Records. The songs were recorded between January and September 1981 during sessions that took place at AIR Studios in Montserrat and Le Studio in Quebec, assisted by record producer Hugh Padgham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manfred Mann's Earth Band</span> British rock group

Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a short hiatus in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Earth Band continues to perform and tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxanne (The Police song)</span> 1978 single by the Police

"Roxanne" is a song by English 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 2 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.

<i>Nightclubbing</i> (Grace Jones album) 1981 studio album by Grace Jones

Nightclubbing is the fifth studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on 11 May 1981 by Island Records. Recorded at Compass Point Studios with producers Alex Sadkin and Island Records' president Chris Blackwell, as well as a team of session musicians rooted by rhythm section Sly and Robbie, the album marked her second foray into a new wave style that blends a variety of genres, including reggae, art pop, dub, synth-pop and funk. The album has cover versions of songs by Bill Withers, Iggy Pop, Astor Piazzolla, and others, and original songs, three of which were co-written by Jones.

Demolition Man may refer to:

<i>Bring On the Night</i> 1986 live album by Sting

Bring On the Night is the first live album by Sting recorded over the course of several live shows in 1985 and released in 1986. The title is taken from a song by the Police from their 1979 album Reggatta de Blanc. The songs performed include Sting's early solo material from the studio album The Dream of the Blue Turtles, and from his time with The Police, with a few of the performances played as medleys of the two. The touring band features the prominent jazz musicians Branford Marsalis on saxophone and clarinet, Darryl Jones on bass guitar, Kenny Kirkland on keyboards and synthesizer, and Omar Hakim on drums. Also appearing are backing vocalists Janice Pendarvis and Dolette McDonald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirits in the Material World</span> 1981 single by the Police

"Spirits in the Material World" is a song by rock trio the Police, written by Sting. It is the opening track for their 1981 album Ghost in the Machine. It was released as a single in 1981 and reached No. 12 in the United Kingdom and No. 11 in the US in early 1982.

<i>Mann Alive</i> 1998 live album by Manfred Manns Earth Band

Mann Alive is a live double album released in 1998 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

<i>The Best of Manfred Manns Earth Band Re-Mastered</i> 1999 greatest hits album by Manfred Manns Earth Band

The Best Of Manfred Mann's Earth Band Re-Mastered is a compilation album released in 1999 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The title of track 4 on the compilation, "Blinded by the Light" is errantly printed as "Blinded by the Night".

<i>Brimstone & Treacle</i> (soundtrack) 1982 soundtrack album by Various artists

Brimstone & Treacle is the soundtrack for the 1982 film adaptation of the play Brimstone and Treacle directed by Richard Loncraine and starring Denholm Elliott, Joan Plowright and Sting. Sting and The Police wrote most of the original material on the album. The rest of the soundtrack was made of songs by other acts signed to A&M like The Go-Go's and Squeeze and a couple of traditional songs performed by the Finchley Children's Music Group and the ad-hoc formed Brimstone Chorale.

<i>Budapest Live</i> 1984 live album by Manfred Manns Earth Band

Budapest Live is an album released in 1984 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The album was recorded on the "Somewhere in Europe" tour in 1983 in support of the "Somewhere in Afrika" album, and despite its title, also featured recordings from the Dominion Theatre in London. It was the final Earth Band album to appear on the Bronze label and also the last album recorded with Steve Waller and Matt Irving.

<i>Somewhere in Afrika</i> 1982 studio album by Manfred Manns Earth Band

Somewhere in Afrika is the eleventh album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, released in 1982. It is their last studio album recorded for their long time record label Bronze Records. They would record their next studio album, Criminal Tango for Virgin Records. Bassist Matt Irving joined the band, replacing Pat King for this album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secret Journey (song)</span> 1982 single by the Police

"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".

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (The Police album) 1992 greatest hits album by the Police

Greatest Hits is a compilation album of songs by the Police, released in September 1992. It is the band's second compilation album following Every Breath You Take: The Singles. In contrast with its predecessor, it features all 14 original UK top 20 chart singles and five UK number-ones released by the band from 1978 to 1984, including the two missing singles from the previous 1986 compilation, "Synchronicity II" and the original version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" which had been replaced with the 1986 re-recording. The album also includes two bonus album tracks, "The Bed's Too Big Without You" and "Tea in the Sahara". The cover photograph was by Duane Michals and it was taken at the time of the Synchronicity album. The inner sleeve featured a collage of pictures of the band shot by different photographers during their career, including Miles Copeland, Peter Baylis, Adrian Boot, Akihiro Takayama, Anton Corbijn, Danny Quatrochi, Gabor Scott, Janette Beckman, Kim Turner, Michael Ross, Watal Asanuma and Andy Summers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Is the Seventh Wave</span> 1985 single by Sting

"Love Is the Seventh Wave" is a hit single from Sting's 1985 solo debut album The Dream of the Blue Turtles. It was released as the album's second single in the UK, and the third single in the US.

The Synchronicity Tour was a 1983–1984 concert tour by The Police to promote their fifth album, Synchronicity. It kicked off on July 23, 1983 in Chicago and was concluded on March 4, 1984 in Melbourne. It touched three continents for a total of 105 shows.

<i>My Songs</i> 2019 studio album by Sting

My Songs is the fourteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Sting and his second studio album to feature new renditions of previously released material. The album was released on 24 May 2019.

References

  1. "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 7 February 1981. p. 26. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  2. "Police". Pop Tops. November 1981. p. 11.
  3. 1 2 3 Sting (2019). My Songs (Media notes).
  4. Vic Garbarini. "Article "I think if we came back..."". www.scarlet.nl. Archived from the original on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  5. Salewicz, Chris (April 1982). "Demolition Men In The Machine: The Police". Creem. pp. 26–31, 57–58.
  6. Hugh Padgham: "Danny was Sting's roadie and sometimes at the and of the day when Sting had gone home Danny would come in and I'd punch in (...), on "Demolition Man" on "Ghost in the Machine" Danny plays the whole track."
  7. "Beavis and Butt-Head: Butt-Head from "Beavis and Butt-head" show". beavis-and-butthead-episodes.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  8. "Manfred Mann Earth Band website".
  9. "Manfred Mann Earth Band website".