# Synchronicity II by The Police **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 29, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404 "2009-06-29T22:34:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/21 "2009-06-30T05:52:37Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Ah, you know your Police. “Peanuts” was a Sting/Copeland composition; I’m sure that the lyrics were Sting’s because he once commented that it was about Rod Stewart. Same with “It’s Alright for You,” one of my favorite Police tracks… I’m thinking you must mean “songs that Stew wrote the music for,” where I meant “songs that Stew wrote the music and lyrics for.” Which would be “Contact,” “Does Everyone Stare,” “Bombs Away,” “Darkness,” and “Miss Gradenko.” Yep, I was going for any Copeland song, music or lyrics. I don’t know what it is about his tunes I don’t like as much … To me they just seem kind of spare, homely and uninteresting, melodically and harmonically. Though the big exceptions are “Darkness” and “Miss Gradenko.” Not to take away from his brilliance as a performer, though. The guy can play. (Maybe I resent him for the crappy soundtrack to _Wall Street_. :D) Summers’ stuff is more interesting to me, musically, but his topics are too quirky for me. Not that a would-be Norman Bates and a Polythene Pam your Plastic Pal aren’t worthwhile song topics, but … > [@](#): > > Stewart’s songs do have this playful vibe to them, but Sting could do vapid lyrics, too: “It’s Alright for You” and “Peanuts” are not exactly “Wrapped Around Your Finger.” God yes, but those are pretty early songs. They were all painfully young and so vapid was order of the day, though with the darkness of “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “Roxanne” that can’t be a blanket statement. > [@](#): > > It was my understanding that Stew and Andy thought that “I Burn For You” was too soft… it was a Last Exit holdover so I can imagine it being some soppy sax-dripping piece before Stew and Andy got to it. The _Brimstone & Treacle_ version I imagine is quite different from the original - perhaps it was more like the one that appears on _Bring on the Night_ which I’m not a huge fan of. I don’t blame you for guessing that, but actually, the [original Last Exit version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhNb3XK8Y0g) was creepy as hell and IMO far more haunting than the _Brimstone_ version. (Sting has major pitch problems here but his performance is so restrained and evocative I forgive him utterly.) It also has a middle and a proper ending instead of that repetitive motif that takes over at the end in the revamp and the _Bring on the Night_ versions. That said, the revamped version’s relentness bass and above all the TOTALLY KICK ASS chord change in the second verse never fail to give me chills, and I definitely miss them in the original. My ideal version would combine both the original’s spare, hypnotic first verse with the newer version’s harmonies and bass line on the second verse. Oh – and I’d include Omar Hakim’s breathtaking solo from the _BotN_ film, while I’m at it. Sorry for rambling. This is easily in my top five favorite songs ever, so I … feel strongly. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/22 "2009-06-30T13:34:38Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Synchronicity was the first rock album I ever bought for myself. (On cassette.) It is the first CD I bought. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/23 "2009-06-30T15:02:01Z")
My colleagues and I determined in high school that it is physically impossible to listen to “Synchronicity II” and obey the speed limit concurrently. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/24 "2009-06-30T17:03:06Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > My colleagues and I determined in high school that it is physically impossible to listen to “Synchronicity II” and obey the speed limit concurrently. Fact. This also works with A Night at the Opera from Queen. Synchronicity II is a good song to listen to when doing cardio, I’ve found, though I do kind of get my heart rate up well beyond where it should safely be. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/25 "2009-06-30T19:08:34Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > My colleagues and I determined in high school that it is physically impossible to listen to “Synchronicity II” and obey the speed limit concurrently. Well, duh! You HAVE to get back to your suburban home as fast as possible, murder your entire family, and commit suicide.. At least, I THINK that’s what the “hero” of the song was about to do as the music faded out. If not today, then definitely one of these days. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/26 "2009-06-30T19:17:04Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Well, duh! You HAVE to get back to your suburban home as fast as possible, murder your entire family, and commit suicide.. > > At least, I THINK that’s what the “hero” of the song was about to do as the music faded out. If not today, then definitely one of these days. I think that’s a pretty accurate read of what’s going on… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/27 "2009-06-30T22:40:27Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Well, duh! You HAVE to get back to your suburban home as fast as possible, murder your entire family, and commit suicide.. > > At least, I THINK that’s what the “hero” of the song was about to do as the music faded out. If not today, then definitely one of these days. No. He was doomed to keep doing it, which is supposed to be the more awful fate. Well, undil the Loch Ness Monster came and ate them or something. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/28 "2009-06-30T22:52:59Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > I just downloaded it for Rock Band 2. It’s even more fun with non-air instruments! Aw man. Now I have to download it as well; I do vocals on the game but I can hit Sting’s range decently enough. (Female, altoish range.) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/29 "2009-07-01T01:46:33Z")
Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this thread. Now I know I haven’t just been imagining it: this is indeed one of the great Police songs. So why the hell wasn’t it included on their “best of” album? ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/30 "2009-07-01T02:00:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this thread. Now I know I haven’t just been imagining it: this is indeed one of the great Police songs. So why the hell wasn’t it included on their “best of” album? I wonder if they felt there were already too many cuts from Synchronicity on the Greatest Hits album already, so it was left off in favor of some of the more mainstream (radio hit) songs??? I think that Synchronicity II is a much more memorable song than King Of Pain or Every Breath You Take… ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/31 "2009-07-01T02:09:07Z")
The video that accompanied Synchonicity II made my hair stand on end, back in the day! Gads! I have such love for Sting. And the Police. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/32 "2009-07-01T04:00:52Z")
Such a great song . . . I will never forgive my band for not being willing to cover this one. Grrrr… ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/33 "2009-07-01T04:23:34Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > No. He was doomed to keep doing it, which is supposed to be the more awful fate. > > Well, undil the Loch Ness Monster came and ate them or something. Could be either, I suppose. I just imagined the whole song being the setup for one of those tragic news stories, where a middle-aged husband and father takes an axe to his entire family. Neighbors and co-workers all said, “He was a quiet man…” ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/34 "2009-07-01T04:31:06Z")
To elaborate, RickJay may be right. Maybe the protagonist is the kind of guy who’s just going to meekly take abuse from employer and family, and endure it silently forever. But in the lyrics, we see some dark, horrible creature. At first, it’s at the bottom of a deep lake. Later, it’s starting to float to the surface. At the end of the song, when the lyrics mention “a shadow on the door,” which I take as meaning the dark, scary monster is out of the lake and about to enter the man’s home. The monster from the lake, I think, represents all the anger and resentment the guy has been suppressing all his life. It’s been bubbling up, and is now ready to make its presence felt with a vengeance. For no special reason, today is the day the middle-aged shlub finally snaps. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/35 "2009-07-01T10:43:38Z")
The Police are timeless. Omegaman is my favorite non-hit, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic is my favorite hit. As far as albums go, Ghost in the Machine is it, although it’s tough to pick just one. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/36 "2009-07-01T13:42:35Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Hell yeah. > > Synchronicity was the first rock album I ever bought for myself. (On cassette.) > > “Every Breath You Take” was the big hit from that album, but I thought that song was a bit overrated and Synchoronicity II (the song and the [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iywBJitCnU)) was the real centerpiece. So I really like the Police so I’m not poking fun exactly but I just watched that video (thanks!) and my first thought when Sting starts singing the first lines was… Feyd-Rautha?? MeanJoe ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404/37 "2009-07-01T14:07:17Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > The monster from the lake, I think, represents all the anger and resentment the guy has been suppressing all his life. It’s been bubbling up, and is now ready to make its presence felt with a vengeance. For no special reason, today is the day the middle-aged shlub finally snaps. That’s a pretty good interpretation too. I just always took the line “Many miles away” - repeated at the end fo the song, over and over - to imply there was no internal escape from his routine. But the cool thing about it is you can interpret it a dozen different ways. While you’re doing eighty miles and hour and screaming the lyrics, of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synchronicity-ii-by-the-police/501404.md?page=1)