Don't Stand So Close to Me

Last updated

"Don't Stand So Close to Me"
Don't Stand So Close to Me UK.jpg
1980 single cover
Single by the Police
from the album Zenyatta Mondatta
B-side
  • "Friends" (UK)
  • "A Sermon" (US)
Released19 September 1980
Recorded1980
Genre
Length4:02 [1]
Label A&M (AMS 7564)
Songwriter(s) Sting
Producer(s)
The Police singles chronology
"The Bed's Too Big Without You"
(1980)		"Don't Stand So Close to Me"
(1980)		"De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"
(1980)
Alternative cover
Don't Stand So CloseUS45.jpg
American single picture sleeve

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [36] Gold1,000,000 [37]

UK chart history

"Don't Stand So Close To Me" quickly ascended to No. 1 in its first week of release on 27 September 1980, [38] confirming their status as one of the UK's leading contemporary groups. It was also their third UK chart-topper in 12 months—in tandem with the No. 1 success of their new album Zenyatta Mondatta.

The band's four-week run at No. 1 was the most for any single in the UK in 1980. Having held off considerable competition from Ottawan with "D.I.S.C.O." and "Baggy Trousers" by Madness, the Police fell to No. 3 (being replaced at No. 1 by "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand). "Don't Stand So Close To Me" spent a total of 8 weeks inside the UK top 40, dropping out on 22 November. Three weeks later, their follow-up hit "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" charted at No. 9, eventually peaking at No. 5.

US chart history

"Don't Stand So Close To Me" broke into the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 on 21 February 1981 at No. 39. [39] By 25 April, it reached a peak position of No. 10, matching their previous US hit "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". It dropped out of the top 40 on 23 May after a 13-week run.

Legacy

The song was heard on the NBC sitcom Friends titled "The One Where Underdog Gets Away".

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, "Don't Stand So Close To Me" took on a very different meaning in the context of COVID-19, as people worldwide practiced social distancing. [40] [41]

"Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"

"Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"
Don't Stand So Close to Me 86.jpg
Single by the Police
from the album Every Breath You Take: The Singles
B-side "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (Live)
Released29 September 1986 (1986-09-29) [42]
RecordedJuly 1986
Genre
Length4:51 [43]
Label A&M
Songwriter(s) Sting
Producer(s)
The Police singles chronology
"King of Pain"
(1984)		"Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"
(1986)		"Can't Stand Losing You"
(1995)

The song was re-recorded in 1986 with a new, brooding arrangement, a different chorus and a more opulent production. The new version appeared as "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" on the album Every Breath You Take: The Singles , and was released as a single, reaching No. 24 in the British charts. [7] It also reached No. 11 in Ireland, No. 14 in New Zealand, No. 19 on the Netherlands MegaCharts Singles Chart (number 20 on Dutch Top 40), No. 27 in Canada [44] and No. 46 on Billboard Hot 100 (No. 10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks).

A slight lyric change is found in the line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" (the word 'famous' was added). A new music video was produced for the reworked song by Godley and Creme, notable for its early use of animated computer graphics. The version of the song used on the music video was subtly different to the version released as the single. It was approximately 6 seconds shorter, with a longer atmospheric break before the first lyric, but part of the chorus edited out towards the end. This version is only available on the music video; it has never been separately released as an audio recording.

Because drummer Stewart Copeland had broken his collarbone and was unable to drum, he opted to use his Fairlight CMI to program the drum track for the single, while singer/bassist Sting pushed to use the drums on his Synclavier instead. The group's engineer found the Synclavier's programming interface difficult; it ended up taking him two days to complete the task. Copeland ultimately finished the drum programming and claimed that the Fairlight's then-legendary "Page R" (the device's sequencing page) saved him and put him on the map as a composer.

As the Police had already disbanded by the time the 1986 single was released, this, aside from the then-unreleased "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '86," was the last recording before the band's reunion and the most recent studio recording the band has released.

Track listing

7-inch – A&M / AM 354 (UK)

  1. "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – 4:47
  2. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (live) – 3:40

12-inch – A&M / AMY 354 (UK)

  1. "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" (dance mix) – 6:32
  2. "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – 4:47
  3. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (original version) – 4:03
  4. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (live) – 3:40

Charts

Chart (1986)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [12] 32
Spain (Los 40 Principales)1
Dutch Top 40 19
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [45] 13
Irish Singles Chart11
UK Singles Chart24
US Billboard Hot 10046
Canadian Singles Chart27

Glee cover

"Don't Stand So Close to Me"
Single by Glee cast
from the album Glee: The Music, Volume 2
B-side "Young Girl"
Released2009
Recorded2009
Genre Pop
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Sting
Producer(s) Ryan Murphy, Adam Anders
Glee cast singles chronology
"I'll Stand by You"
(2009)		"Don't Stand So Close to Me"
(2009)		"Crush"
(2009)

The song was covered in the episode "Ballad" of the American television series Glee in 2009. It was performed by the character Will Schuester (played by Matthew Morrison) as a musical mashup with "Young Girl" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap. It was included on the second soundtrack album from the series.

The single version charted at No. 67 in Canada, No. 64 in the United States and No. 50 in Ireland.

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References

  1. ↑ amazon.com, "Zenyatta Mondatta [Digipak] Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered". Accessed 11 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Copsey, Rob (26 February 2021). "The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1980". OfficialCharts.com .
  3. ↑ "Britain's Favourite 80's Songs".
  4. ↑ "Winners: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal". Grammy.com. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  5. ↑ JR Huffman, JL Huffman (1987), "Sexism and cultural lag: The rise of the jailbait song, 1955–1985", The Journal of Popular Culture, 21 (2): 65–83, doi:10.1111/j.0022-3840.1987.2102_65.x
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "'Don't Stand So Close to Me' / 'Friends'". sting.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  7. 1 2 The Police in the UK Charts Archived 26 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine , The Official Charts.
  8. ↑ When Mark Knopfler and Sting Connected for Money for Nothing (Ultimate Classic Rock website)
  9. ↑ The Police "Don't Stand So Close to Me" Sheet Music
  10. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 7 February 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 7 March 1981. p. 40.
  12. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 235. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  13. ↑ "The Police – Don't Stand So Close to Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1980" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  15. ↑ "The Police – Don't Stand So Close to Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don't Stand So Close to Me". Irish Singles Chart.
  17. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 4 June 2022.Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Don't stand so close to me" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  18. ↑ "The Police – Don't Stand So Close to Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  19. ↑ "The Police – Don't Stand So Close to Me". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  20. ↑ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989" . Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  21. ↑ LOS40. "Números 1 del año 1980 de la Lista LOS40". LOS40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ "The Police – Don't Stand So Close to Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  23. ↑ "The Police: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  24. ↑ "The Police Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  25. ↑ "The Police Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  26. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 18, 1981". Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  27. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Police – Don't Stand So Close to Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  28. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1980". Kent Music Report. 5 January 1981. Retrieved 17 January 2022– via Imgur.
  29. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1981". Kent Music Report. 4 January 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 11 January 2022– via Imgur.
  30. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1980". Ultratop. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  31. ↑ The 1981 Top 100 Singles chart is identified by the RPM Year-End article "Top 100 Singles (1981)". RPM . Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  32. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1980". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  33. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1981/Top 100 Songs of 1981". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  35. ↑ http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1981YESP.html Archived 22 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1981
  36. ↑ "British single certifications – The Police – Don't Stand So Close to Me". British Phonographic Industry.
  37. ↑ "Police". Official Charts. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  38. ↑ McAleer, David (2009). The Virgin Book of Top 40 Charts. UK: Virgin Books. pp. 421–424. ISBN   978-0-7535-2200-4.
  39. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 1981-02-21". Billboard.com. 2018.
  40. ↑ "The Police's 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' Gets a Social Distancing Remix Courtesy of Dave Audé". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  41. ↑ Shaffer, Claire (10 April 2020). "Sting, Jimmy Fallon, the Roots Remix 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' at Home". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  42. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (12 May 1995). Great Rock discography. Canongate Press. p. 636. ISBN   978-0-86241-541-9.
  43. ↑ amazon.com, "Every Breath You Take: The Classics". Accessed 11 October 2014.
  44. ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Singles – Volume 45, No. 14, December 27 1986". Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  45. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava.
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