Group
The Police
British rock band
- From
- London, United Kingdom
- Active
- 1977–2008
- Rating
- ★ 4.3
- Releases
- 150
- new wave
- rock
- pop rock
- post-punk
- reggae rock
- pop
- punk
- classic rock
About
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Their core line-up comprised Sting (lead vocals, bass, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police became globally popular from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. The band emerged in the British punk scene, but soon expanded into other styles such as new wave, reggae rock, and post-punk.
Read more
The Police's debut album, Outlandos d'Amour (1978), reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and contains the singles "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You". Reggatta de Blanc (1979) was the first of four consecutive number-one studio albums in the UK and Australia; "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" were the Police's first UK number-one singles. Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981), were also successful, with two songs, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", becoming UK number-one singles and top five-hits in other countries. Zenyatta Mondatta was their breakthrough in the US, reaching number five on the US Billboard 200.
The Police's final studio album, Synchronicity (1983), was number one in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy, and the US, selling over eight million copies in the US. Its lead single, "Every Breath You Take", became the Police's fifth UK number one and their only US number one. The Police were considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the US: in 1983 Rolling Stone described them as "the first British new wave act to break through in America on a grand scale, and possibly the biggest band in the world". The Police disbanded in 1984 at the height of their fame. They reunited periodically before fully reuniting in 2007 for a world tour. It was the highest-grossing tour of 2007, making them the world's highest-earning musicians in 2008.
The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the best-selling bands. Their awards include six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards (winning Best British Group once), and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2003, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of their studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The Police were included among both Rolling Stone's and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
Members
-
Henry Padovani electric guitar, guitar
-
Stewart Copeland drums (drum set)
-
Sting bass guitar, lead vocals
-
Andy Summers guitar
Discography
Albums
Singles
-
King of Pain (demo)
-
Not Exactly Voices
-
Young Teacher
-
When the World Is Running Down (You Can’t Go Wrong)
-
Roxanne ’97
-
Walking on the Moon
-
Don’t Stand So Close to Me / King of Pain
-
Compact Hits Limited Edition
-
Don’t Stand So Close to Me ’86
-
King of Pain
-
Next To You
-
Every Breath You Take
-
Every Breath You Take (backing track) / Roxanne (backing track)
-
Synchronicity II
-
Wrapped Around Your Finger
-
I Burn for You / Only You
-
Spirits in the Material World
-
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
-
Invisible Sun
-
The Bed’s Too Big Without You
-
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da Apple Music
-
Don’t Stand So Close to Me
-
Walking on the Moon
-
Bring On the Night
-
Message in a Bottle
-
So Lonely
-
Can’t Stand Losing You
-
Roxanne
-
Fall Out / Nothing Achieving
Live
-
Palladium New York 1979
-
Park West, Chicago, Il. May 25th, 1979 (remastered, live on Broadcasting)
-
1981‐02‐22: Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
-
Live at Paradiso 1979
-
1983‐10‐01: Camp Municipal Narcís Sala, Barcelona, Spain
-
Live at Hatfield Polytechnic 1979
-
Around the World
-
The Bottom Line 1979
-
G.H. Live – Show in Germany
-
Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires
-
Live in Rio
-
Synchronicity Concert
-
Live! Apple Music
-
Fall Out
-
Can’t Stand Losing You
-
Live in USA
-
Live! Apple Music
-
Live in Boston 1979
-
Bring On the Night
-
Classic In Concert: Live at Hatfield Polytechnic
-
Born in the 50’s
-
For a Few Ones!
-
1980‐04‐28: Crimewatch, Newcastle, UK
-
Many Miles Away
-
Laser Villians
-
Slits on My Back
-
Message From New York
-
Reunion Concert 1986
-
Bring On the Night
-
Evolution 2
-
Evolution 1
-
1979-04-07: Live USA: Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, USA
-
The Truth Hits Everybody
-
Rockpalast Live at Grughalle Essen 1980‐10‐18
-
1981‐01‐15: Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA, USA
-
1979‐10‐02: My Father’s Place, Long Island, NY, USA
-
1979‐05‐26: The Longhorn, Minneapolis, MN, USA
-
1979‐05‐16: The Roxy, San Diego, CA, USA
-
1979‐03‐04: I’m Next to You: Zellerbach Auditorium, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
-
1980‐01‐21: The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, OH, USA
-
1979-9-29: Hotel Diplomat New York City
-
1979‐03‐04: Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, CA, USA
-
1981‐02‐02: Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan
-
1979‐03‐23: The Edge, Toronto, ON, Canada
-
1979‐10‐09: Rougues, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
-
1980‐04‐06: Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany
-
1980‐08‐26: Plage du Mourillon, Toulon, France
-
1980‐04‐28: City Hall, Newcastle, UK
-
1979‐03‐09: The Palladium, Dallas, TX, USA
-
1980‐08‐22: Les Arènes, Béziers, France
-
1980‐04‐04: Palasport, Torino, Italy
-
1983‐12‐27: Wembley Arena, London, UK
-
2007‐06‐18: US Airways Arena, Phoenix, AZ, USA
-
2007‐09‐14: Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
-
1983‐10‐03: Palais des Sports, Lyon, France
-
2007‐06‐20: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
-
2007‐06‐13: McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, CA, USA
-
2007‐06‐15: MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, NV, USA
-
2008‐02‐07: Venetian Arena, Venetian Resort/Casino, Macau, China
-
2007‐05‐28: GM Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Compilations
-
Ghosts of the Police…Exorcized
-
Flexible Strategies
-
Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings
-
The 50 Greatest Songs
-
Outlandos d’amour / Reggatta de Blanc
-
The Police Apple Music
-
The Very Best of… Sting & The Police
-
"Message In A Bottle" (Vol.1)
-
Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings
-
The Police Greatest Hits
-
The Police Box: The Police (Sting · Stewart Copeland · Andy Summers) From 1977 to 1987
-
Greatest Hits Apple Music
-
Every Breath You Take
-
Outlandos d'amour + Reggatta de blanc
-
Missing in a Box
Links
Listen
Official
Concerts
Buy
Reference
- AllMusic
- BBC Music
- punk-lyrics.net
- Discogs
- IMDb
- Last.fm
- Last.fm
- Genius
- muzikum.eu
- musixmatch.com
- id.loc.gov
- catalogue.bnf.fr
- d-nb.info
- imvdb.com
- snaccooperative.org
- nla.gov.au
- openlibrary.org
- openlibrary.org
- rateyourmusic.com
- 45cat.com
- livefans.jp
- musik-sammler.de
- muziekweb.nl
- spirit-of-rock.com
- whosampled.com
- worldcat.org
- SecondHandSongs
- VIAF
- Wikidata
Founder
Tribute
Also known as
Police · Sting & The Police · Sting and The Police · ポリス
Tags
- album rock
- alternative/indie rock
- contemporary pop/rock
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 9e0e2b01-41db-4008-bd8b-988977d6019a
- ISNI
- 0000000123755471
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 7 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.