Wrapped Around Your Finger

Last updated

This song is vaguely alchemical and probably about a friend of mine, a professional psychic and my tutor in tarot, with bits of Doctor Faustus and The Sorcerer's Apprentice thrown into the pot for good measure.

— Sting, Lyrics by Sting [3]

"Wrapped Around Your Finger" was released as the follow-up to the worldwide hit "Every Breath You Take." In Britain, it reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1983, [4] and in the US, it was instead released as the fourth single from Synchronicity (after "Every Breath You Take," "King of Pain," and "Synchronicity II"). The single reached No. 8 on the Billboard chart in March 1984.

The British picture sleeve for "Wrapped Around Your Finger" was released in three colour variations: blue, red, and yellow. [2] The single was also released on a picture disc, each featuring the face of Sting, Andy Summers, or Stewart Copeland. [2] Out of the twelve thousand copies released, however, ten thousand had Sting's face on it, while Summers and Copeland appeared on one thousand each (making the latter two variations somewhat rare.) [2]

The B-side of the song in Britain, "Someone to Talk To," was written by guitarist Andy Summers. Sting refused to provide vocals, leaving Summers to sing. Summers expressed disappointment at this, saying, "Maybe I had just split up from my wife. It was a nice thing I had on the guitar and I was disappointed that Sting wouldn't sing it. That would have given it more of an official stamp." [2] Drummer Stewart Copeland said of this conflict, "Andy did his best on vocals but I too was disappointed that Sting didn't sing it. He was very touchy about lyrics." [2] The American B-side, "Tea in the Sahara" (live), comes from the Synchronicity Tour.

Music video

The music video, directed by Godley & Creme (who directed the videos for "Every Breath You Take" and "Synchronicity II"), furthers the ethereal feeling the song gives off, by having footage of the band performing in a candle-lit, gloomy room, interspersed with scenes of Sting running among tall candlesticks arranged in a sort of maze; in the end, he intentionally knocks several of them down. Andy Summers is shown playing an acoustic guitar, an instrument not used in any of the Police's recordings.

The music on the recording of the video was played fast and the "singing" was mimed fast. When the music was slowed down to normal speed, the members of the band appear to be moving in slow motion. Drummer Stewart Copeland claimed that he used a similar method for a solo video (performing under the alias of "Klark Kent"), only he "had the music run slowly, so that [he] mimed in slow motion, and then when they synched it up to the music, [he] had this herky-jerky, kinda 'fast-mo' movement, that was still in time with the music, only it was sort of jerky and strange body movements." [3]

Sting praised the video, saying:

It's incredibly atmospheric, and I think the set design is brilliant – there's nothing but all those candles, yet it conjures up so many different feelings and possibilities about the song. When Kevin (Godley) and Lol (Creme) came to me with the idea, I got very excited because I realised that they really understood the imagistic approach I wanted. The whole concept is fairly esoteric – it's really a "Sorcerer's Apprentice" type of idea. The song is cunningly being shot at high speed in order to achieve a special effect when it's eventually played back at normal speed. At least, that's the theory...

— Sting, Playgirl, 10/1983 [2]

Andy Summers, however, was critical of Sting's overacting in the video.

I never much liked the idea for "Wrapped Around Your Finger." No, I was kind of pissed off about that one. I've never been much of a fan of that song, actually. Sting got to shoot his part last in that video and made a meal of knocking all the candles out. Fuck him.

— Andy Summers, I Want My MTV [5] [3]

In a promotional video tied in with the release of The Muppets Take Manhattan , "I'm Gonna Always Love You" from the movie featured lead vocals by Miss Piggy and had her imitating parts of the "candle labyrinth" from the Police video.

Reception

In a positive retrospective review of the song, AllMusic journalist Steve Huey described "Wrapped Around Your Finger" as "a complex take on power dynamics in relationships." He suggested that "the complexity of its jumpy rhythms mirrors that of its emotional psychology." [6] AllMusic colleague Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as "a devilishly infectious new wave single." [7] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Mike Duquette called it the Police's 14th greatest song, saying that by now "Sting could stuff Greek myths and references to Faust in his acid-tongued songs and let the sales roll in." [8]

Track listing

7-inch single: A&M UK (AM 127)

  1. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" – 5:07
  2. "Someone to Talk To" – 3:08
  • also released on picture disc (AMP127). One per member.

7-inch single: A&M US (AM-2614)

  1. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" – 5:07
  2. "Tea in the Sahara (live)" – 5:03

12-inch single: A&M UK (AMX 127)

  1. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" – 5:07
  2. "Someone to Talk To" – 3:08
  3. "Message in a Bottle" (live) – 4:52
  4. "I Burn for You" – 4:50

12-inch single: A&M US promo (SP17264)

  1. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" – 5:07
  2. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (live) – 5:21
  3. "Murder by Numbers" – 4:37
  4. "Someone to Talk To" – 3:08

Personnel

Charts

"Wrapped Around Your Finger"
Wrapped Around Your Finger UK.jpg
European picture sleeve
Single by the Police
from the album Synchronicity
B-side
Released
  • 8 July 1983 (1983-07-08) (UK)
  • January 1984 (US)
RecordedDecember 1982–February 1983
Studio
Genre New wave
Length5:13
Label A&M (AM 127)
Songwriter(s) Sting
Producer(s)
The Police UKsingles chronology
"Every Breath You Take"
(1983)		"Wrapped Around Your Finger"
(1983)		"Synchronicity II"
(1983)
The Police USsingles chronology
"Synchronicity II"
(1983)		"Wrapped Around Your Finger'"
(1983)		"Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"
(1986)
Chart (1983–1984)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [9] 26
Canadian Singles Chart10
Dutch Top 40 17
French Singles Chart6
German Singles Chart [10] 32
Irish Singles Chart1
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [11] 13
NZ Singles Chart22
Poland (LP3) [12] 1
Spain (AFYVE) [13] 5
UK Singles Chart [14] 7
US Cashbox [15] 11
US Billboard Hot 100 [16] 8
US Billboard Adult Contemporary [17] 30
Year-end chart (1984)Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [18] 85

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. 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.

<i>Synchronicity</i> (The Police album) 1983 studio album by the Police

Synchronicity is the fifth and final studio album by the British rock band the Police, released on 17 June 1983 by A&M Records. The band's most successful release, the album includes the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", and "Synchronicity II". The album's title and much of the material for the songs were inspired by Arthur Koestler's book The Roots of Coincidence (1972). At the 1984 Grammy Awards the album was nominated for a total of five awards, including Album of the Year, and won three. At the time of its release and following its tour, the Police's popularity was at such a high that they were arguably, according to BBC and The Guardian, the "biggest band in the world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Every Breath You Take</span> 1983 single by the Police

"Every Breath You Take" is a song by British rock band the Police from their album Synchronicity (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest US and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks, and the Canadian RPM chart for four weeks. Their fifth UK No. 1, it topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. The song also reached the top 10 in numerous other countries.

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

Ghost in the Machine is the fourth studio album by British 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.

<i>Every Breath You Take: The Singles</i> 1986 greatest hits album by The Police

Every Breath You Take: The Singles is the first compilation album by the Police, released in 1986. In 1990, the album was repackaged in New Zealand, Australia and Spain as Their Greatest Hits with a different cover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Summers</span> British guitarist

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.

<i>Live!</i> (The Police album) 1995 live album by The Police

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.

<i>Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings</i> 1993 box set by The Police

Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings is a four-CD box set by the Police, containing all five of their studio albums in chronological order, as well as non-album singles, non-album B-sides, and tracks from various compilation albums and the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack (1982). The box set also comes with a 68-page booklet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortress Around Your Heart</span> 1985 single by Sting

"Fortress Around Your Heart" is a hit single released from Sting's 1985 debut solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles. It was released as the album's third single in the UK, and the second single in the US.

<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 the British 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synchronicity II</span> 1983 single by the Police

"Synchronicity II" is a song by the Police, and the third single from their album Synchronicity. Written by lead singer and bassist Sting, it was released as a single in the UK and the US by A&M Records, reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1983. It features the non-album track "Once Upon a Daydream" on the B-side. The song was described by People Weekly as "aggressive" and "steely."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da</span> 1980 single by the Police

"De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" is a song by the Police, released as a single in 1980. Released as the British second single from the album Zenyatta Mondatta, the song was written by Sting as a comment on how people love simple-sounding songs. The song was re-recorded in 1986 as "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '86" but not released until 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of Pain</span> 1983 single by the Police

"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.

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

Greatest Hits is the second greatest hits album by the Police, released in September 1992 by A&M Records. 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.

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

<i>Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires</i> 2008 live album by the Police

Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires is a live album and concert video 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Police discography</span>

The English rock band the Police has released five studio albums, three live albums, seven compilation albums, fourteen video albums, four soundtrack albums and twenty-six singles. The Police sold over 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

<i>I Dont Remember Ever Growing Up</i> 2007 studio album by Andy Williams

I Don't Remember Ever Growing Up is the forty-third and final studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the UK by the Demon Music Group in 2007. In the liner notes of the album Williams writes, "Over the past few years I have come across songs that I really wanted to record. I picked 13 of my favorites and set out to make a new record." While the title track is the only new song, the other 12 selections were chart hits for other artists or, as is the case with "Desperado" by the Eagles, received critical acclaim without having been released as a single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tea in the Sahara</span> 1983 song by the Police

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synchronicity I</span> 1983 single by The Police

"Synchronicity I" is a song by the Police, and the opening track from their album Synchronicity. Written by Sting, the track was also released as a Japanese-only single.

References

  1. ↑ Buskin, Richard (March 2004). "Classic Tracks: The Police's 'Every Breath You Take'". Sound on Sound.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "'Wrapped Around Your Finger' / 'Someone to Talk To'". sting.com.
  3. 1 2 3 "Wrapped Around Your Finger". songfacts.com.
  4. ↑ The Police in the UK Charts, The Official Charts.
  5. ↑ Tannenbaum, Rob; Mark, Craig (27 October 2011). I Want My MTV. Penguin. ISBN   9781101526415.
  6. ↑ Wrapped Around Your Finger – The Police : Listen, Appearances, Song Review : AllMusic
  7. ↑ Synchronicity – The Police : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic
  8. ↑ Duquette, Mike (6 May 2022). "All 70 Police Songs Ranked Worst to Best". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "GfKchart" . Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 4 June 2022.Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Police" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  12. ↑ "Chart's results from 10.09.1983" (in Polish). LP3 . Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  13. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  14. ↑ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  15. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996 . Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN   978-0-89820-209-0.
  16. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 667.
  17. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 190.
  18. ↑ "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. 22 December 1984. p. TA-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.