Walking on the Moon
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| "Walking on the Moon" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by The Police | ||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Reggatta de Blanc | ||||||||||||||||||||
| B-side | Visions of the Night | |||||||||||||||||||
| Released | 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format | vinyl record (7") | |||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | New Wave, Reggae | |||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 4:08 (7" single edit) 5:03 (Full-length album version) |
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| Label | A&M - AMS 7494 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Sting | |||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers |
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| The Police singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||||||
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For other uses, see Moonwalk.
"Walking on the Moon" is a 1979 song by The Police, from their second album, Reggatta de Blanc. The song was The Police's second number one hit single in the United Kingdom after "Message in a Bottle", but didn't chart in the United States. It is one of The Police's more reggae-influenced songs. According to Sting the song is about the feeling of being in love.
Sting said that he wrote the song when he was drunk:[1]
| “ | I was drunk in a hotel room in Munich, slumped on the bed with the whirling pit when this riff came into my head. I got up and starting walking round the room singing : "Walking round the room, walking round the room". That was all. In the cool light of morning I remembered what had happened and I wrote the riff down. But "Walking round the room" was a stupid title so I thought of something even more stupid which was "Walking on the moon." | ” |
In his autobiography, Sting alludes that the song was partially inspired by an early girlfriend:[2]
| “ | Deborah Anderson was my first real girlfriend...walking back from Deborah's house in those early days would eventually become a song, for being in love is to be relieved of gravity. | ” |
The video for the song was filmed at Kennedy Space Center on October 23, 1979. It features the band members pantomiming to the song amidst spacecraft displays, interspersed with NASA footage. Both Sting and Andy Summers strum guitars (not bass) in the video, and Stewart Copeland strikes his drumsticks on a Saturn V moon rocket.
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[edit] Covers
- The British soul/funk band Hot Chocolate recorded a cover version of this song for their album Everyone's A Winner.
- Musician Jimmy Nail (also from Sting's hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne) released a cover version of "Walking on the Moon" in 2001.
- German techno group Scooter sampled The Police original in the song "Privileged To Witness" from the 2005 album Who's Got The Last Laugh Now?.
- Cas Haley runner up for America's Got Talent does a reggae cover of the song on his self title debut released on February 14, 2008.
- Rabbit Junk have also covered this song on their self-titled debut album.
- The album ¡Policia! - A Tribute to the Police (2005) contains a cover by The Pale.
[edit] Personnel
- Sting - Lead vocals, fretless bass guitar, guitar
- Andy Summers - Lead guitar
- Stewart Copeland - Drums
[edit] Track listing
[edit] 7": A&M / AMS 7494 (UK)
- "Walking on the Moon" (Edit) - 3:59
- "Visions of the Night" - 3:05
[edit] 12": A&M / AMSP 7494 (UK)
- "Walking on the Moon" - 4:59
- "Visions of the Night" - 3:05
[edit] References
- ^ Fielder, Hugh; Phil Sutcliffe (1981). The Police l'historia bandido. North Bellmore, N.Y: Proteus. ISBN 0-906071-77-1.
- ^ Sting (2003). Broken music: a memoir. New York: Dial Press. ISBN 0-385-33678-0.
| Preceded by "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" by Dr Hook |
UK number one single December 8, 1979 |
Succeeded by "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd |
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