Wow! First of all I can't believe there aren't more postings for one of the most influential and underrated bands in the history of pop music. Well, I guess I just answered my own question with that remark - the keyword being "underrated". Whether it was Sting's haunting and infectious songwriting; Andy Summers understated, yet groundbreaking guitar licks; or Stewart Copeland's unmatched high-hat wizardry, the Police were an incredibly influential band with limitless talents. Their fusion of punk rock with reggae and jazz led the way for hundreds of other new wave bands, and influenced bands like No Doubt and Sublime. I have loved The Police my entire life yet I was born one year after their last album. This proves that their music is timeless and is relevant to any generation. I'm sure everyone knows the traditional super-hits like Don't Stand So Close to Me and Every Breath You Take, but the band was so much more than their great singles. Little do people know of their rough around the edges punk-influenced beginnings, as well as their fabulous instrumental (and also experimental) tracks. Every person that I have shown the Police to have been hooked on them - and I'm sure if more people listened to one of their albums right through they also would be hooked.
Sorry about the rant but I feel it was necessary. This song is about Sting questioning his faith in God. He feels like no matter how good he is, or how faithful he is, God doesn't seem to notice. He also questions God's priorities when it comes to helping the world. The stanza about the fat man in the garden and the thin man at the gate might be a metaphor for the rich and the poor - the rich being fat man reaping the benifits of the garden while the the thin man is doing all the work protecting the "gate". Sting wants God to be closer and take notice to the world's blatent atrocities
Wow! First of all I can't believe there aren't more postings for one of the most influential and underrated bands in the history of pop music. Well, I guess I just answered my own question with that remark - the keyword being "underrated". Whether it was Sting's haunting and infectious songwriting; Andy Summers understated, yet groundbreaking guitar licks; or Stewart Copeland's unmatched high-hat wizardry, the Police were an incredibly influential band with limitless talents. Their fusion of punk rock with reggae and jazz led the way for hundreds of other new wave bands, and influenced bands like No Doubt and Sublime. I have loved The Police my entire life yet I was born one year after their last album. This proves that their music is timeless and is relevant to any generation. I'm sure everyone knows the traditional super-hits like Don't Stand So Close to Me and Every Breath You Take, but the band was so much more than their great singles. Little do people know of their rough around the edges punk-influenced beginnings, as well as their fabulous instrumental (and also experimental) tracks. Every person that I have shown the Police to have been hooked on them - and I'm sure if more people listened to one of their albums right through they also would be hooked.
Sorry about the rant but I feel it was necessary. This song is about Sting questioning his faith in God. He feels like no matter how good he is, or how faithful he is, God doesn't seem to notice. He also questions God's priorities when it comes to helping the world. The stanza about the fat man in the garden and the thin man at the gate might be a metaphor for the rich and the poor - the rich being fat man reaping the benifits of the garden while the the thin man is doing all the work protecting the "gate". Sting wants God to be closer and take notice to the world's blatent atrocities