King of Pain

"King of Pain"
Single by The Police
from the album Synchronicity
B-side	"Tea In The Sahara" (Live)(UK) "Someone to Talk To (US)
Released	August 1983 (1983-08) US January 1984 (1984-01) UK
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	January, 1983
Genre	New wave
Length	4:59
Label	A&M - AM 176
Writer(s)	Sting
Producer(s)	The Police, Hugh Padgham
The Police singles chronology
"Synchronicity II" (1983) "King of Pain" (1984) "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" (1986)
Alternative covers US 7-inch single cover

"King of Pain" is a song by The Police, originally released on their 1983 album Synchronicity.

It was released as a worldwide single by A&M Records. It was the second single from Synchronicity in the US and the fourth single in the UK.

Reaching number 3 in the US charts in October 1983, and number 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart for five weeks in August 1983, the single is The Police's most successful US single (together with "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic") after "Every Breath You Take" based on chart position. In the UK, it reached number 17 in the charts in January 1984.^[1]

In a retrospective review of the single, Allmusic journalist Mike DeGagne praised the song as being "a solid masterpiece." He wrote: "Sting's references to painful yet everyday occurrences (a butterfly caught in a spider's web, a seagull with a broken back, etc.) symbolize how the physical world regards death and pain as insignificant and minute in the grand scheme of things, whereas the human perception is dealt with an abundance of sorrow and anguish."^[2]

Personnel

• Sting - lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, piano
• Andy Summers - guitars
• Stewart Copeland - drums, marimba

Track listing

7": A&M / AM 176 (UK)

1. "King of Pain" - 4:59
2. "Tea in the Sahara" (Live) - 5:05

7": A&M / AM-2569 (US)

1. "King of Pain" - 4:59
2. "Someone to Talk To" - 3:08

12": A&M / AMX 176 (UK)

1. "King of Pain" - 4:59
2. "Tea in the Sahara" (Live) - 5:05

Cover versions

Cover versions have included Alanis Morissette covering the song during her MTV Unplugged performance (released on the 1999 album Alanis Unplugged). It was released as a single.^[3] Alternative metal band Mudvayne recorded & released a cover for their 2007 compilation album "By the People, for the People." The track would later be included on the deluxe version of their following studio album "The New Game." "Weird Al" Yankovic did a parody version of the song called "King of Suede" from the album "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D.

See also

• List of RPM number-one singles of 1983
• List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)

References

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics