Zenyatta Mondatta
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| Zenyatta Mondatta | ||
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| Studio album by The Police | ||
| Released | October 3, 1980 | |
| Recorded | Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands, July 7, 1980-August 7, 1980 | |
| Genre | New Wave | |
| Length | 38:16 | |
| Label | A&M Records | |
| Producer(s) | The Police, Nigel Gray | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| The Police chronology | ||
| Reggatta de Blanc (1979) |
Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) |
Ghost in the Machine (1981) |
Zenyatta Mondatta is the third album by The Police, released in 1980 (see 1980 in music).
Contents |
[edit] History
Written during the band's second tour and recorded in just four weeks (minus several days for a short tour of the Netherlands), the album is often regarded as one of their best works. However, the band members themselves have often expressed disappointment over it, going so far as to re-record two songs during a brief, unsuccessful reunion. Drummer Stewart Copeland, who contributed the songs "Bombs Away" and "The Other Way of Stopping", said about the time pressures:
| “ | We had bitten off more than we could chew. We finished the album at 4 a.m. on the day we were starting our next world tour... It was cutting it very fine. | ” |
Nevertheless, Zenyatta Mondatta went to #5 in the U.S. and #1 in the UK, spurred by the success of the Sting-penned singles "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". It would later receive glowing reviews from re-assessments in Rolling Stone and Q Magazine, among others.
As alluded to by Copeland, the Police embarked on a tour of the world the day of the album's completion, beginning in Belgium and reaching places such as India and Egypt.
The album itself is the last of the Police's early era, influenced by reggae and punk and featuring few musical elements on top of the core guitar, bass, and drums. Perhaps due to the lack of time for writing lyrics, the record has two instrumentals, "The Other Way of Stopping", and the Grammy-winning "Behind My Camel". The latter was guitarist Andy Summers' first entirely self-penned composition, and it was not popular with the other members of the band. According to Sting, "I hated that song so much that, one day when I was in the studio, I found the tape lying on the table. So I took it around the back of the studio and actually buried it in the garden." Allegedly, Sting was so uninterested in the piece that he refused to play it. Andy Summers managed to coax Stewart Copeland into recording the bit as a duo, and then overdubbed the bass line himself. One can notice that the bass does sound different in this recording when compared to the rest of the album. Since the recording later won the band a Grammy award, it created an amusing situation where Sting would receive an award for a performance he actually did not make.
Zenyatta Mondatta is also notable for containing the first lyrics referring to political events, with Sting's "Driven To Tears" commenting on poverty and Copeland's "Bombs Away" referencing the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. These themes would become more prevalent in the Police's next album, Ghost in the Machine.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Sting unless otherwise indicated.
- "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (referenced on Pedophilia and child sexual abuse in songs) – 4:04
- "Driven to Tears" – 3:20
- "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" – 3:38
- "Canary in a Coalmine" – 2:26
- "Voices Inside My Head" – 3:53
- "Bombs Away" (Stewart Copeland) – 3:09
- "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" – 4:09
- "Behind My Camel" (Andy Summers) – 2:54
- "Man in a Suitcase" – 2:19
- "Shadows in the Rain" – 5:02
- "The Other Way of Stopping" (Copeland) – 3:22
[edit] Personnel
- Sting - bass, lead vocals
- Stewart Copeland - drums, vocals
- Andy Summers - guitar, vocals, bass on 8
[edit] Charts
Album'
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Billboard Pop Albums | 5 |
| 1983 | The Billboard 200 | 129 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" | Billboard Pop Singles | 10 |
| 1981 | "Don't Stand So Close To Me" | Billboard Mainstream Rock | 11 |
| 1981 | "Don't Stand So Close To Me" | Billboard Pop Singles | 10 |
| 1981 | "Driven To Tears" | Billboard Mainstream Rock | 35 |
| 1981 | "Voices Inside My Head/When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around" | Billboard Club Play Singles | 3 |
[edit] Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BPI – UK | Gold | October 3, 1980 |
| BPI – UK | Platinum | October 3, 1980 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | December 12, 1980 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Platinum | February 27, 1981 |
| RIAA – U.S. | 2x Platinum | December 17, 2001 |
[edit] Awards
| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Behind My Camel" | Best Rock Instrumental Performance |
| 1981 | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal |
| The Police |
|---|
| Sting | Andy Summers | Stewart Copeland |
| Henry Padovani |
| Discography |
| Studio Albums: Outlandos d'Amour (1978) | Reggatta de Blanc (1979) | Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) | Ghost in the Machine (1981) | Synchronicity (1983) |
| Live Albums: Live! (1995) |
| Compilation Albums: Every Breath You Take: The Singles (1986) | Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings (1993) | Every Breath You Take: The Classics (1995) | The Very Best of Sting & The Police (1997, 2002) |
| Tours |
| Early Years (1977-80) | The Police Around the World Tour (Zenyatta Mondatta Tour) (1980-81) | Ghost in the Machine Tour (1981-82) | Synchronicity Tour (1983-84) | A Conspiracy of Hope Tour (1986) | The Police Reunion Tour (2007-08) |
