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Page title without namespace (page_title ) | 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' |
Full page title (page_prefixedtitle ) | 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' |
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Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext ) | '{{short description|1980 single by The Police}}
{{for|the Grey's Anatomy episode|Don't Stand So Close to Me (Grey's Anatomy)}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Don't Stand So Close to Me
| cover = Don't_Stand_So_Close_to_Me_UK.jpg
| alt =
| caption = 1980 single cover
| type = single
| artist = [[The Police]]
| album = [[Zenyatta Mondatta]]
| B-side = {{ubl|"Friends" (UK)|"A Sermon" (US)}}
| released = 19 September 1980
| recorded = 1980
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{flatlist|
*[[New wave music|New wave]]
*[[pop rock]]
}}
| length = 4:02<ref>amazon.com, "[https://www.amazon.com/Zenyatta-Mondatta-Digipak-Police/dp/B00008BRDV/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413038175&sr=1-6&keywords=the+police Zenyatta Mondatta [Digipak] Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]". Accessed 11 October 2014.</ref>
| label = [[A&M Records|A&M]] (AMS 7564)
| writer = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| producer = {{flatlist|
* [[Nigel Gray]]
* [[Stewart Copeland]]
* [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
* [[Andy Summers]]
}}
| prev_title = [[The Bed's Too Big Without You]]
| prev_year = 1980
| next_title = [[De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da]]
| next_year = 1980
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| header = Alternative cover
| type = single
| cover = Don't_Stand_So_CloseUS45.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| caption = American single picture sleeve
}}{{external music video|type=single|{{youTube|KNIZofPB8ZM|"Don't Stand So Close to Me"}}}}
}}
"'''Don't Stand So Close to Me'''" is a hit song by the rock band [[The Police]], released in September 1980 as the lead single from their third album ''[[Zenyatta Mondatta]]''. It concerns a teacher who has a sexual relationship with a student, which in turn is discovered.
The band's third {{thinspace|No.|1}} on the [[UK Singles Chart]], it was also the [[1980 in British music#Top 50 selling singles|best selling single of 1980]] in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-50-best-selling-songs-of-1980__32562/|title=The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1980|website=[[OfficialCharts.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.channel5.com/show/britains-favourite-80s-songs/|title = Britain's Favourite 80's Songs}}</ref> The song also charted in the top ten in Australia, Canada and the US. The Police won the 1982 [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]] for this song.<ref>{{cite web |title=Winners: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/winners-nominees/212 |website=Grammy.com |access-date=21 November 2018}}</ref>
==Background==
The music and lyrics of the song were written by the lead singer of The Police, [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]. The song deals with the mixed feelings of lust, fear and guilt that a school teacher has for a student and the fallout when the inappropriate relationship is discovered by other adults. The line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" alludes to [[Vladimir Nabokov]]'s novel ''[[Lolita]]'', which covers somewhat similar issues.<ref>{{citation |doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1987.2102_65.x|title=Sexism and cultural lag: The rise of the jailbait song, 1955–1985 |author=JR Huffman, JL Huffman |journal=The Journal of Popular Culture |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=65–83 |year=1987}}</ref> The line was criticised for rhyming "shake and cough" with Nabokov.<ref name="sting.com" /> Sting replied, "I've used that terrible, terrible rhyme technique a few times."<ref name=sting.com />
Before joining The Police, Sting had previously worked as an English teacher.<ref name="sting.com" /> His recollection was that he'd "been through the business of having 15-year-old girls fancying me - and my really fancying them! How I kept my hands off them I don't know."<ref name="sting.com" /> He referred to the song's story progression as "the teacher, the open page, the virgin, the rape in the car, getting the sack."<ref name="sting.com" />
In 1993, however, he said of the song's inspiration, "You have to remember we were blond bombshells at the time and most of our fans were young girls so I started roleplaying a bit. Let's exploit that."<ref name=sting.com /> In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD ''[[All This Time (Sting album)|...All This Time]]'', Sting denied that the song is autobiographical.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
== Production ==
"Don't Stand So Close to Me" appeared on The Police's album ''[[Zenyatta Mondatta]]'' (A&M), and became a hit No. 1 UK single,<ref name="UK Charts">[http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/police/ The Police in the UK Charts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026172803/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/POLICE/ |date=26 October 2011 }}, The Official Charts.</ref> along with a corresponding music video. In the US, it reached the top 10 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, peaking at No. 10. In the UK, the track was confirmed by the end of 1980 to have been the [[1980 in British music#Top 50 selling singles|biggest selling single of that year]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
The B-side, "Friends", was written by Andy Summers and is inspired by ''[[Stranger in a Strange Land]]'', a science fiction novel by [[Robert A. Heinlein]].<ref name=sting.com>{{cite web|title='Don't Stand So Close to Me' / 'Friends'|url=http://www.sting.com/discography/index/ablum/albumId/148/tagName/Singles+(The+Police)|website=sting.com|access-date=19 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023300/http://www.sting.com/discography/index/ablum/albumId/148/tagName/Singles+(The+Police)|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Summers described the track as "Very quirky. A touch of Long John Silver on Acid."<ref name=sting.com />
Sting was asked to perform on [[Mark Knopfler]]'s "[[Money for Nothing (song)|Money for Nothing]]" as he was in [[Montserrat]] at the time, and accidentally reused the melody from "Don't Stand So Close to Me" in the counterpoint lyric "I want my MTV." It was only after this story was relayed to reporters during promotions for the ''[[Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits album)|Brothers in Arms]]'' album that lawyers for Sting became involved, and later copies of the album co-credit the song to Sting. The initial pressings list only Knopfler. It is one of only two shared songwriting credits on any [[Dire Straits]] album.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
==Composition==
"Don't Stand So Close to Me" features Sting on lead vocals. Like many Police songs, the verses are more subdued, while the chorus is bolder and louder. The song also bears a [[reggae]] style, yet another common trait in Police songs. Thematically, the "wet bus stop" idea invites comparison with the 1966 hit song "[[Bus Stop (song)|Bus Stop]]" by another English group, [[The Hollies]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
The track uses a [[guitar synthesizer]] in the middle of the song, which was used by guitarist [[Andy Summers]]. Summers said, "After Sting had put the vocals on 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' we looked for something to lift the middle of the song. I came up with a guitar synthesiser. It was the first time we'd used it. I felt it worked really well."<ref name=sting.com /> The verses and choruses do not feature this effect.<ref name=sting.com />
The verses are in the key of [[G minor]], and the chorus is in [[D major]].<ref>[https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0068305 The Police "Don't Stand So Close to Me" Sheet Music]</ref>
==Track listing==
'''7-inch – A&M / AMS 7564 (UK)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – 4:03
# "Friends" – 3:37
'''7-inch – A&M / AMS 2301 (US)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – 4:03
# "A Sermon" – 2:34
==Personnel==
*[[Sting (musician)|Sting]] – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, [[Moog Taurus|bass pedals]]
*[[Andy Summers]] – guitars, guitar synthesizer
*[[Stewart Copeland]] – drums
==Chart history==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
!Chart (1980–81)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=235}}</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|8|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
|Canadian Top Singles (''[[RPM100|RPM]]'')
|align="center"|2
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|3|year=1980|week=44|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|3|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{singlechart|Ireland2|1|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me}}
|-
! scope="row"| Italy (''[[Musica e dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php |title=Classifiche |work=[[Musica e dischi]] |language=it |access-date=4 June 2022}} ''Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Don't stand so close to me" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".''</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|2|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Norway|9|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
|South Africa ([[Springbok Radio]])<ref>{{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965–March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(P).html|access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
|Spain ([[Los 40 Principales]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://los40.com/lista40/numeros1/1980/|title=Números 1 del año 1980 de la Lista LOS40|last=LOS40|website=LOS40|language=es|access-date=10 May 2019}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
{{single chart|Sweden|14|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|1|artist=The Police|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|10|artist=The Police|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|11|artist=The Police|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
|US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' Top 100 <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19810418.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 18, 1981 |access-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603142057/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19810418.html |archive-date=3 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
{{single chart|West Germany|23|songid=18437|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|}
{{col-2}}
===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1981)
! style="text-align:center;"|Position
|-
|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="Australian Chart Book 1970–1992">{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|title-link=Kent Music Report}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|63
|-
|Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1980|title=Jaaroverzichten 1980|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|58
|-
|Canadian Top Singles (''RPM'')<ref>The 1981 Top 100 Singles chart is identified by the [[RPM Year-End]] article {{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4689&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 |title=Top 100 Singles (1981)|publisher=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]] |access-date=5 January 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|67
|-
|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1980|title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1980|publisher=Dutch Top 40|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|-
|Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1980&cat=s|title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980|website=dutchcharts.nl|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1981.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1981/Top 100 Songs of 1981|publisher=musicoutfitters.com |access-date=13 September 2017}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|71
|-
|US ''Cash Box'' <ref>http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1981YESP.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022115158/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1981YESP.html |date=22 October 2016 }} Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1981</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|59
|-
|}
{{col-end}}
==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=The Police|title=Don't Stand So Close to Me|award=Gold|id=1902-2080-1|relyear=1980|certyear=1980|salesamount=808,000|salesref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-50-best-selling-songs-of-1980__32562/|publisher=[[Official Charts]]|title=The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1980|last=Rob Copsey|date=26 February 2021|accessdate=10 July 2021}}</ref>}}
{{Table end}}
=== UK chart history ===
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" quickly ascended to {{thinspace|No.|1}} in its first week of release on 27 September 1980,<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Virgin Book of Top 40 Charts|last=McAleer|first=David|publisher=Virgin Books|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7535-2200-4|location=UK|pages=421–424}}</ref> confirming their status as one of the UK's leading contemporary groups. It was also their third UK chart-topper in 12 months—in tandem with the {{thinspace|No.|1}} success of their new album ''Zenyatta Mondatta''.
The band's four-week run at {{thinspace|No.|1}} was the most for any single in the UK in 1980. Having held off considerable competition from [[Ottawan]] with "[[D.I.S.C.O.]]" and "[[Baggy Trousers]]" by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], The Police fell to {{thinspace|No.|3}} (being replaced at {{thinspace|No.|1}} by "[[Woman in Love]]" by [[Barbra Streisand]]). "Don't Stand So Close To Me" spent a total of 8 weeks inside the UK top 40, dropping out on 22 November. Three weeks later, their follow-up hit "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" charted at {{thinspace|No.|9}}, eventually peaking at {{thinspace|No.|5}}.
=== US chart history ===
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" broke into the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 on 21 February 1981 at {{thinspace|No.|39}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1981-02-21|title=Billboard Hot 100 1981-02-21|date=2018|website=Billboard.com}}</ref> By 25 April, it reached a peak position of {{thinspace|No.|10}}, matching their previous US hit "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". It dropped out of the top 40 on 23 May after a 13-week run.
=== Legacy ===
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic|2020 COVID-19 pandemic]], "Don't Stand So Close To Me" took on a very different meaning in the context of COVID-19, as people worldwide practiced social distancing.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Police's 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' Gets a Social Distancing Remix Courtesy of Dave Audé|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/9386538/the-police-dont-stand-so-close-to-me-social-distancing-remix-dave-aude|access-date=2021-04-07|magazine=Billboard|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last1=Shaffer|first1=Claire|date=2020-04-10|title=Sting, Jimmy Fallon, the Roots Remix 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' at Home|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sting-jimmy-fallon-the-roots-dont-stand-so-close-to-me-remix-coronavirus-981574/|access-date=2021-04-07|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>
=="Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"==
{{Infobox song
| name = Don't Stand So Close to Me '86
| cover = Don't Stand So Close to Me 86.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [[The Police]]
| album = [[Every Breath You Take: The Singles]]
| B-side = "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (Live)
| released = {{Start date|df=yes|1986|10}}
| recorded = July 1986
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Rock music|Rock]]
* [[New wave music|new wave]]
}}
| length = 4:51<ref>amazon.com, "[https://www.amazon.com/Every-Breath-You-Take-Classics/dp/B0006VXMDU/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413038521&sr=1-4&keywords=the+police Every Breath You Take: The Classics]". Accessed 11 October 2014.</ref>
| label = [[A&M Records|A&M]]
| writer = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| producer = {{flatlist|
* [[Stewart Copeland]]
* Sting
* [[Andy Summers]]
* [[Laurie Latham]]
}}
| prev_title = [[King of Pain]]
| prev_year = 1984
| next_title = Can't Stand Losing You
| next_year = 1995
}}
The song was re-recorded in 1986 with a new, brooding arrangement, a different chorus and a more opulent production. The new version appeared as "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" on the album ''[[Every Breath You Take: The Singles]]'', and was released as a single, reaching {{thinspace|No.|24}} in the British charts.<ref name="UK Charts"/> It also reached {{thinspace|No.|11}} in Ireland, {{thinspace|No.|14}} in New Zealand, {{thinspace|No.|19}} on the Netherlands MegaCharts Singles Chart (number 20 on Dutch Top 40), {{thinspace|No.|27}} in Canada<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0759&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=cf9tjc9auqg8h1n8oj2d342h10 |title=Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Singles – Volume 45, No. 14, December 27 1986 |access-date=24 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023211622/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0759&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=cf9tjc9auqg8h1n8oj2d342h10 |archive-date=23 October 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and {{thinspace|No.|46}} on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ({{thinspace|No.|10}} on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tracks).
Because of the decrease in tempo, a slight lyric change is found in the line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" (the word 'famous' was added). A new music video was produced for the reworked song by [[Godley and Creme]], notable for its early use of animated [[computer graphics]]. The version of the song used on the music video was subtly different to the version released as the single. It was approximately 6 seconds shorter, with a longer atmospheric break before the first lyric, but part of the chorus edited out towards the end. This version is only available on the music video, it has never been separately released as an audio recording.
Because drummer Stewart Copeland had broken his collarbone and was unable to drum, he opted to use his [[Fairlight CMI]] to program the drum track for the single, while singer/bassist Sting pushed to use the drums on his [[Synclavier]] instead. The group's engineer found the Synclavier's programming interface difficult; it ended up taking him two days to complete the task. Copeland ultimately finished the drum programming and claimed that the Fairlight's then-legendary "Page R" (the device's sequencing page) saved his life and put him on the map as a composer. In a [[Qantas]] inflight radio program named "Reeling in the Years", Copeland was quoted as saying that the argument over Synclavier versus Fairlight drums was "the straw that broke the camel's back," and that this led to the group's unravelling.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}
As the Police had already disbanded by the time the 1986 single was released, this, aside from the then-unreleased "[[De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '86]]," was the last recording before the band's reunion and the most recent studio recording the band has released.
===Track listing===
'''7-inch – A&M / AM 354 (UK)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – 4:47
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (live) – 3:40
'''12-inch – A&M / AMY 354 (UK)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" (dance mix) – 6:32
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – 4:47
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (original version) – 4:03
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (live) – 3:40
===Charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Chart (1986)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=235}}</ref>
|align="center"|32
|-
|Spain ([[Los 40 Principales]])
|style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|[[Dutch Top 40]]
|style="text-align:center;"|19
|-
| Finland ([[Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref>{{cite book | first= Timo | last= Pennanen |year= 2006 | title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 | publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava | location= Helsinki | language= fi }}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"| 13
|-
|Irish Singles Chart
|style="text-align:center;"|11
|-
|UK Singles Chart
|style="text-align:center;"|24
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100
|style="text-align:center;"|46
|-
|Canadian Singles Chart
|style="text-align:center;"|27
|}
==''Glee'' cover==
{{Infobox song
| name = Don't Stand So Close to Me
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [[Glee (TV series)|Glee cast]]
| album = [[Glee: The Music, Volume 2]]
| B-side = [[Young Girl (song)#Glee cover|Young Girl]]
| released = 2009
| recorded = 2009
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop
| length =
| label = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| writer = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| producer = [[Ryan Murphy (writer)|Ryan Murphy]], [[Adam Anders]]
| prev_title = [[I'll Stand by You#Other versions|I'll Stand by You]]
| prev_year = 2009
| next_title = [[Crush (Jennifer Paige song)#Live performances and cover versions|Crush]]
| next_year = 2009
}}
The song was covered in the episode "[[Ballad (Glee)|Ballad]]" of the American television series ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'' in 2009. It was performed by the character [[Will Schuester]] (played by [[Matthew Morrison]]) as a musical [[mashup (music)|mashup]] with "[[Young Girl (song)|Young Girl]]" by [[Gary Puckett & The Union Gap]]. It was included on the [[Glee: The Music, Volume 2|second soundtrack album]] from the series.
The single version charted at {{thinspace|No.|67}} in [[Canadian Hot 100|Canada]], {{thinspace|No.|64}} in the [[Billboard Hot 100|United States]] and {{thinspace|No.|50}} in [[Irish Singles Chart|Ireland]].
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{The Police}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal}}
{{UK best-selling singles (by year) 1970–1989}}
{{Lolita}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:The Police songs]]
[[Category:1980 singles]]
[[Category:1981 singles]]
[[Category:1986 singles]]
[[Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:Sexuality and age in fiction]]
[[Category:Songs about sexuality]]
[[Category:Songs about teenagers]]
[[Category:Songs written by Sting (musician)]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Nigel Gray]]
[[Category:Songs about school]]
[[Category:1980 songs]]
[[Category:A&M Records singles]]
[[Category:Columbia Records singles]]
[[Category:2020s fads and trends]]
[[Category:Songs about educators]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext ) | '{{short description|1980 single by The Police}}
{{for|the Grey's Anatomy episode|Don't Stand So Close to Me (Grey's Anatomy)}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Don't Stand So Close to Me
| cover = Don't_Stand_So_Close_to_Me_UK.jpg
| alt =
| caption = 1980 single cover
| type = single
| artist = [[The Police]]
| album = [[Zenyatta Mondatta]]
| B-side = {{ubl|"Friends" (UK)|"A Sermon" (US)}}
| released = 19 September 1980
| recorded = 1980
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{flatlist|
*[[New wave music|New wave]]
*[[pop rock]]
}}
| length = 4:02<ref>amazon.com, "[https://www.amazon.com/Zenyatta-Mondatta-Digipak-Police/dp/B00008BRDV/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413038175&sr=1-6&keywords=the+police Zenyatta Mondatta [Digipak] Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]". Accessed 11 October 2014.</ref>
| label = [[A&M Records|A&M]] (AMS 7564)
| writer = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| producer = {{flatlist|
* [[Nigel Gray]]
* [[Stewart Copeland]]
* [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
* [[Andy Summers]]
}}
| prev_title = [[The Bed's Too Big Without You]]
| prev_year = 1980
| next_title = [[De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da]]
| next_year = 1980
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| header = Alternative cover
| type = single
| cover = Don't_Stand_So_CloseUS45.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| caption = American single picture sleeve
}}{{external music video|type=single|{{youTube|KNIZofPB8ZM|"Don't Stand So Close to Me"}}}}
}}
"'''Don't Stand So Close to Me'''" is a hit song by the rock band [[The Police]], released in September 1980 as the lead single from their third album ''[[Zenyatta Mondatta]]''. It concerns a teacher who has a sexual relationship with a student, which in turn is discovered.
The band's third {{thinspace|No.|1}} on the [[UK Singles Chart]], it was also the [[1980 in British music#Top 50 selling singles|best selling single of 1980]] in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-50-best-selling-songs-of-1980__32562/|title=The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1980|website=[[OfficialCharts.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.channel5.com/show/britains-favourite-80s-songs/|title = Britain's Favourite 80's Songs}}</ref> The song also charted in the top ten in Australia, Canada and the US. The Police won the 1982 [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]] for this song.<ref>{{cite web |title=Winners: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/winners-nominees/212 |website=Grammy.com |access-date=21 November 2018}}</ref>
==Background==
The music and lyrics of the song were written by the lead singer of The Police, [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]. The song deals with the mixed feelings of lust, fear and guilt that a school teacher has for a student and the fallout when the inappropriate relationship is discovered by other adults. The line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" alludes to [[Vladimir Nabokov]]'s novel ''[[Lolita]]'', which covers somewhat similar issues.<ref>{{citation |doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1987.2102_65.x|title=Sexism and cultural lag: The rise of the jailbait song, 1955–1985 |author=JR Huffman, JL Huffman |journal=The Journal of Popular Culture |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=65–83 |year=1987}}</ref> The line was criticised for rhyming "shake and cough" with Nabokov.<ref name="sting.com" /> Sting replied, "I've used that terrible, terrible rhyme technique a few times."<ref name=sting.com />
Before joining The Police, Sting had previously worked as an English teacher.<ref name="sting.com" /> His recollection was that he'd "been through the business of having 15-year-old girls fancying me - and my really fancying them! How I kept my hands off them I don't know."<ref name="sting.com" /> He referred to the song's story progression as "the teacher, the open page, the virgin, the rape in the car, getting the sack."<ref name="sting.com" />
In 1993, however, he said of the song's inspiration, "You have to remember we were blond bombshells at the time and most of our fans were young girls so I started roleplaying a bit. Let's exploit that."<ref name=sting.com /> He also stated that the song does not have a basis in fact, stating that "To be frank, it was right in our market. A lot of teenage girls were buying our records. So the idea was, let's write a Lolita story.”''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Mike Duquette describes the theme as "a man going insane in a post-apocalyptic world."<ref name=ucr>{{cite web|title=All 70 Police Songs Ranked Worst to Best|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/police-songs-ranked/?fbclid=IwAR22Tc5u0__oTDbiqm_Hc0JuuW1SlPkIbXHndw6s3cEspuBAzPxEL87XaLg|author=Duquette, Mike|accessdate=2022-06-05|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=May 6, 2022}}</ref> In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD ''[[All This Time (Sting album)|...All This Time]]'', Sting denied that the song is autobiographical.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
== Production ==
"Don't Stand So Close to Me" appeared on The Police's album ''[[Zenyatta Mondatta]]'' (A&M), and became a hit No. 1 UK single,<ref name="UK Charts">[http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/police/ The Police in the UK Charts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026172803/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/POLICE/ |date=26 October 2011 }}, The Official Charts.</ref> along with a corresponding music video. In the US, it reached the top 10 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, peaking at No. 10. In the UK, the track was confirmed by the end of 1980 to have been the [[1980 in British music#Top 50 selling singles|biggest selling single of that year]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
The B-side, "Friends", was written by Andy Summers and is inspired by ''[[Stranger in a Strange Land]]'', a science fiction novel by [[Robert A. Heinlein]].<ref name=sting.com>{{cite web|title='Don't Stand So Close to Me' / 'Friends'|url=http://www.sting.com/discography/index/ablum/albumId/148/tagName/Singles+(The+Police)|website=sting.com|access-date=19 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023300/http://www.sting.com/discography/index/ablum/albumId/148/tagName/Singles+(The+Police)|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Summers described the track as "Very quirky. A touch of Long John Silver on Acid."<ref name=sting.com />
Sting was asked to perform on [[Mark Knopfler]]'s "[[Money for Nothing (song)|Money for Nothing]]" as he was in [[Montserrat]] at the time, and accidentally reused the melody from "Don't Stand So Close to Me" in the counterpoint lyric "I want my MTV." It was only after this story was relayed to reporters during promotions for the ''[[Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits album)|Brothers in Arms]]'' album that lawyers for Sting became involved, and later copies of the album co-credit the song to Sting. The initial pressings list only Knopfler. It is one of only two shared songwriting credits on any [[Dire Straits]] album.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
==Composition==
"Don't Stand So Close to Me" features Sting on lead vocals. Like many Police songs, the verses are more subdued, while the chorus is bolder and louder. The song also bears a [[reggae]] style, yet another common trait in Police songs. Thematically, the "wet bus stop" idea invites comparison with the 1966 hit song "[[Bus Stop (song)|Bus Stop]]" by another English group, [[The Hollies]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
The track uses a [[guitar synthesizer]] in the middle of the song, which was used by guitarist [[Andy Summers]]. Summers said, "After Sting had put the vocals on 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' we looked for something to lift the middle of the song. I came up with a guitar synthesiser. It was the first time we'd used it. I felt it worked really well."<ref name=sting.com /> The verses and choruses do not feature this effect.<ref name=sting.com />
The verses are in the key of [[G minor]], and the chorus is in [[D major]].<ref>[https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0068305 The Police "Don't Stand So Close to Me" Sheet Music]</ref>
==Track listing==
'''7-inch – A&M / AMS 7564 (UK)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – 4:03
# "Friends" – 3:37
'''7-inch – A&M / AMS 2301 (US)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – 4:03
# "A Sermon" – 2:34
==Personnel==
*[[Sting (musician)|Sting]] – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, [[Moog Taurus|bass pedals]]
*[[Andy Summers]] – guitars, guitar synthesizer
*[[Stewart Copeland]] – drums
==Chart history==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
!Chart (1980–81)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=235}}</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|8|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
|Canadian Top Singles (''[[RPM100|RPM]]'')
|align="center"|2
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|3|year=1980|week=44|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|3|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{singlechart|Ireland2|1|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me}}
|-
! scope="row"| Italy (''[[Musica e dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php |title=Classifiche |work=[[Musica e dischi]] |language=it |access-date=4 June 2022}} ''Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Don't stand so close to me" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".''</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|2|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Norway|9|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
|South Africa ([[Springbok Radio]])<ref>{{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965–March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(P).html|access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
|Spain ([[Los 40 Principales]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://los40.com/lista40/numeros1/1980/|title=Números 1 del año 1980 de la Lista LOS40|last=LOS40|website=LOS40|language=es|access-date=10 May 2019}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
{{single chart|Sweden|14|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|1|artist=The Police|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|10|artist=The Police|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|11|artist=The Police|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
|US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' Top 100 <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19810418.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 18, 1981 |access-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603142057/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19810418.html |archive-date=3 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
{{single chart|West Germany|23|songid=18437|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|}
{{col-2}}
===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1981)
! style="text-align:center;"|Position
|-
|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="Australian Chart Book 1970–1992">{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|title-link=Kent Music Report}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|63
|-
|Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1980|title=Jaaroverzichten 1980|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|58
|-
|Canadian Top Singles (''RPM'')<ref>The 1981 Top 100 Singles chart is identified by the [[RPM Year-End]] article {{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4689&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 |title=Top 100 Singles (1981)|publisher=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]] |access-date=5 January 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|67
|-
|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1980|title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1980|publisher=Dutch Top 40|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|-
|Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1980&cat=s|title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980|website=dutchcharts.nl|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1981.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1981/Top 100 Songs of 1981|publisher=musicoutfitters.com |access-date=13 September 2017}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|71
|-
|US ''Cash Box'' <ref>http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1981YESP.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022115158/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1981YESP.html |date=22 October 2016 }} Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1981</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|59
|-
|}
{{col-end}}
==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=The Police|title=Don't Stand So Close to Me|award=Gold|id=1902-2080-1|relyear=1980|certyear=1980|salesamount=808,000|salesref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-50-best-selling-songs-of-1980__32562/|publisher=[[Official Charts]]|title=The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1980|last=Rob Copsey|date=26 February 2021|accessdate=10 July 2021}}</ref>}}
{{Table end}}
=== UK chart history ===
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" quickly ascended to {{thinspace|No.|1}} in its first week of release on 27 September 1980,<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Virgin Book of Top 40 Charts|last=McAleer|first=David|publisher=Virgin Books|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7535-2200-4|location=UK|pages=421–424}}</ref> confirming their status as one of the UK's leading contemporary groups. It was also their third UK chart-topper in 12 months—in tandem with the {{thinspace|No.|1}} success of their new album ''Zenyatta Mondatta''.
The band's four-week run at {{thinspace|No.|1}} was the most for any single in the UK in 1980. Having held off considerable competition from [[Ottawan]] with "[[D.I.S.C.O.]]" and "[[Baggy Trousers]]" by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], The Police fell to {{thinspace|No.|3}} (being replaced at {{thinspace|No.|1}} by "[[Woman in Love]]" by [[Barbra Streisand]]). "Don't Stand So Close To Me" spent a total of 8 weeks inside the UK top 40, dropping out on 22 November. Three weeks later, their follow-up hit "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" charted at {{thinspace|No.|9}}, eventually peaking at {{thinspace|No.|5}}.
=== US chart history ===
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" broke into the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 on 21 February 1981 at {{thinspace|No.|39}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1981-02-21|title=Billboard Hot 100 1981-02-21|date=2018|website=Billboard.com}}</ref> By 25 April, it reached a peak position of {{thinspace|No.|10}}, matching their previous US hit "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". It dropped out of the top 40 on 23 May after a 13-week run.
=== Legacy ===
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic|2020 COVID-19 pandemic]], "Don't Stand So Close To Me" took on a very different meaning in the context of COVID-19, as people worldwide practiced social distancing.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Police's 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' Gets a Social Distancing Remix Courtesy of Dave Audé|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/9386538/the-police-dont-stand-so-close-to-me-social-distancing-remix-dave-aude|access-date=2021-04-07|magazine=Billboard|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last1=Shaffer|first1=Claire|date=2020-04-10|title=Sting, Jimmy Fallon, the Roots Remix 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' at Home|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sting-jimmy-fallon-the-roots-dont-stand-so-close-to-me-remix-coronavirus-981574/|access-date=2021-04-07|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>
=="Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"==
{{Infobox song
| name = Don't Stand So Close to Me '86
| cover = Don't Stand So Close to Me 86.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [[The Police]]
| album = [[Every Breath You Take: The Singles]]
| B-side = "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (Live)
| released = {{Start date|df=yes|1986|10}}
| recorded = July 1986
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Rock music|Rock]]
* [[New wave music|new wave]]
}}
| length = 4:51<ref>amazon.com, "[https://www.amazon.com/Every-Breath-You-Take-Classics/dp/B0006VXMDU/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413038521&sr=1-4&keywords=the+police Every Breath You Take: The Classics]". Accessed 11 October 2014.</ref>
| label = [[A&M Records|A&M]]
| writer = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| producer = {{flatlist|
* [[Stewart Copeland]]
* Sting
* [[Andy Summers]]
* [[Laurie Latham]]
}}
| prev_title = [[King of Pain]]
| prev_year = 1984
| next_title = Can't Stand Losing You
| next_year = 1995
}}
The song was re-recorded in 1986 with a new, brooding arrangement, a different chorus and a more opulent production. The new version appeared as "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" on the album ''[[Every Breath You Take: The Singles]]'', and was released as a single, reaching {{thinspace|No.|24}} in the British charts.<ref name="UK Charts"/> It also reached {{thinspace|No.|11}} in Ireland, {{thinspace|No.|14}} in New Zealand, {{thinspace|No.|19}} on the Netherlands MegaCharts Singles Chart (number 20 on Dutch Top 40), {{thinspace|No.|27}} in Canada<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0759&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=cf9tjc9auqg8h1n8oj2d342h10 |title=Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Singles – Volume 45, No. 14, December 27 1986 |access-date=24 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023211622/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0759&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=cf9tjc9auqg8h1n8oj2d342h10 |archive-date=23 October 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and {{thinspace|No.|46}} on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ({{thinspace|No.|10}} on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tracks).
Because of the decrease in tempo, a slight lyric change is found in the line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" (the word 'famous' was added). A new music video was produced for the reworked song by [[Godley and Creme]], notable for its early use of animated [[computer graphics]]. The version of the song used on the music video was subtly different to the version released as the single. It was approximately 6 seconds shorter, with a longer atmospheric break before the first lyric, but part of the chorus edited out towards the end. This version is only available on the music video, it has never been separately released as an audio recording.
Because drummer Stewart Copeland had broken his collarbone and was unable to drum, he opted to use his [[Fairlight CMI]] to program the drum track for the single, while singer/bassist Sting pushed to use the drums on his [[Synclavier]] instead. The group's engineer found the Synclavier's programming interface difficult; it ended up taking him two days to complete the task. Copeland ultimately finished the drum programming and claimed that the Fairlight's then-legendary "Page R" (the device's sequencing page) saved his life and put him on the map as a composer. In a [[Qantas]] inflight radio program named "Reeling in the Years", Copeland was quoted as saying that the argument over Synclavier versus Fairlight drums was "the straw that broke the camel's back," and that this led to the group's unravelling.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}
As the Police had already disbanded by the time the 1986 single was released, this, aside from the then-unreleased "[[De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '86]]," was the last recording before the band's reunion and the most recent studio recording the band has released.
===Track listing===
'''7-inch – A&M / AM 354 (UK)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – 4:47
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (live) – 3:40
'''12-inch – A&M / AMY 354 (UK)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" (dance mix) – 6:32
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – 4:47
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (original version) – 4:03
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (live) – 3:40
===Charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Chart (1986)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=235}}</ref>
|align="center"|32
|-
|Spain ([[Los 40 Principales]])
|style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|[[Dutch Top 40]]
|style="text-align:center;"|19
|-
| Finland ([[Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref>{{cite book | first= Timo | last= Pennanen |year= 2006 | title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 | publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava | location= Helsinki | language= fi }}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"| 13
|-
|Irish Singles Chart
|style="text-align:center;"|11
|-
|UK Singles Chart
|style="text-align:center;"|24
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100
|style="text-align:center;"|46
|-
|Canadian Singles Chart
|style="text-align:center;"|27
|}
==''Glee'' cover==
{{Infobox song
| name = Don't Stand So Close to Me
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [[Glee (TV series)|Glee cast]]
| album = [[Glee: The Music, Volume 2]]
| B-side = [[Young Girl (song)#Glee cover|Young Girl]]
| released = 2009
| recorded = 2009
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop
| length =
| label = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| writer = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| producer = [[Ryan Murphy (writer)|Ryan Murphy]], [[Adam Anders]]
| prev_title = [[I'll Stand by You#Other versions|I'll Stand by You]]
| prev_year = 2009
| next_title = [[Crush (Jennifer Paige song)#Live performances and cover versions|Crush]]
| next_year = 2009
}}
The song was covered in the episode "[[Ballad (Glee)|Ballad]]" of the American television series ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'' in 2009. It was performed by the character [[Will Schuester]] (played by [[Matthew Morrison]]) as a musical [[mashup (music)|mashup]] with "[[Young Girl (song)|Young Girl]]" by [[Gary Puckett & The Union Gap]]. It was included on the [[Glee: The Music, Volume 2|second soundtrack album]] from the series.
The single version charted at {{thinspace|No.|67}} in [[Canadian Hot 100|Canada]], {{thinspace|No.|64}} in the [[Billboard Hot 100|United States]] and {{thinspace|No.|50}} in [[Irish Singles Chart|Ireland]].
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{The Police}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal}}
{{UK best-selling singles (by year) 1970–1989}}
{{Lolita}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:The Police songs]]
[[Category:1980 singles]]
[[Category:1981 singles]]
[[Category:1986 singles]]
[[Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:Sexuality and age in fiction]]
[[Category:Songs about sexuality]]
[[Category:Songs about teenagers]]
[[Category:Songs written by Sting (musician)]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Nigel Gray]]
[[Category:Songs about school]]
[[Category:1980 songs]]
[[Category:A&M Records singles]]
[[Category:Columbia Records singles]]
[[Category:2020s fads and trends]]
[[Category:Songs about educators]]' |
Unified diff of changes made by edit (edit_diff ) | '@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
The music and lyrics of the song were written by the lead singer of The Police, [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]. The song deals with the mixed feelings of lust, fear and guilt that a school teacher has for a student and the fallout when the inappropriate relationship is discovered by other adults. The line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" alludes to [[Vladimir Nabokov]]'s novel ''[[Lolita]]'', which covers somewhat similar issues.<ref>{{citation |doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1987.2102_65.x|title=Sexism and cultural lag: The rise of the jailbait song, 1955–1985 |author=JR Huffman, JL Huffman |journal=The Journal of Popular Culture |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=65–83 |year=1987}}</ref> The line was criticised for rhyming "shake and cough" with Nabokov.<ref name="sting.com" /> Sting replied, "I've used that terrible, terrible rhyme technique a few times."<ref name=sting.com />
-Before joining The Police, Sting had previously worked as an English teacher.<ref name="sting.com" /> His recollection was that he'd "been through the business of having 15-year-old girls fancying me - and my really fancying them! How I kept my hands off them I don't know."<ref name="sting.com" /> He referred to the song's story progression as "the teacher, the open page, the virgin, the rape in the car, getting the sack."<ref name="sting.com" />
+Before joining The Police, Sting had previously worked as an English teacher.<ref name="sting.com" /> His recollection was that he'd "been through the business of having 15-year-old girls fancying me - and my really fancying them! How I kept my hands off them I don't know."<ref name="sting.com" /> He referred to the song's story progression as "the teacher, the open page, the virgin, the rape in the car, getting the sack."<ref name="sting.com" />
-In 1993, however, he said of the song's inspiration, "You have to remember we were blond bombshells at the time and most of our fans were young girls so I started roleplaying a bit. Let's exploit that."<ref name=sting.com /> In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD ''[[All This Time (Sting album)|...All This Time]]'', Sting denied that the song is autobiographical.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
+In 1993, however, he said of the song's inspiration, "You have to remember we were blond bombshells at the time and most of our fans were young girls so I started roleplaying a bit. Let's exploit that."<ref name=sting.com /> He also stated that the song does not have a basis in fact, stating that "To be frank, it was right in our market. A lot of teenage girls were buying our records. So the idea was, let's write a Lolita story.”''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Mike Duquette describes the theme as "a man going insane in a post-apocalyptic world."<ref name=ucr>{{cite web|title=All 70 Police Songs Ranked Worst to Best|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/police-songs-ranked/?fbclid=IwAR22Tc5u0__oTDbiqm_Hc0JuuW1SlPkIbXHndw6s3cEspuBAzPxEL87XaLg|author=Duquette, Mike|accessdate=2022-06-05|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=May 6, 2022}}</ref> In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD ''[[All This Time (Sting album)|...All This Time]]'', Sting denied that the song is autobiographical.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
== Production ==
' |
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0 => 'Before joining The Police, Sting had previously worked as an English teacher.<ref name="sting.com" /> His recollection was that he'd "been through the business of having 15-year-old girls fancying me - and my really fancying them! How I kept my hands off them I don't know."<ref name="sting.com" /> He referred to the song's story progression as "the teacher, the open page, the virgin, the rape in the car, getting the sack."<ref name="sting.com" /> ',
1 => 'In 1993, however, he said of the song's inspiration, "You have to remember we were blond bombshells at the time and most of our fans were young girls so I started roleplaying a bit. Let's exploit that."<ref name=sting.com /> He also stated that the song does not have a basis in fact, stating that "To be frank, it was right in our market. A lot of teenage girls were buying our records. So the idea was, let's write a Lolita story.”''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Mike Duquette describes the theme as "a man going insane in a post-apocalyptic world."<ref name=ucr>{{cite web|title=All 70 Police Songs Ranked Worst to Best|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/police-songs-ranked/?fbclid=IwAR22Tc5u0__oTDbiqm_Hc0JuuW1SlPkIbXHndw6s3cEspuBAzPxEL87XaLg|author=Duquette, Mike|accessdate=2022-06-05|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=May 6, 2022}}</ref> In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD ''[[All This Time (Sting album)|...All This Time]]'', Sting denied that the song is autobiographical.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}'
] |
Lines removed in edit (removed_lines ) | [
0 => 'Before joining The Police, Sting had previously worked as an English teacher.<ref name="sting.com" /> His recollection was that he'd "been through the business of having 15-year-old girls fancying me - and my really fancying them! How I kept my hands off them I don't know."<ref name="sting.com" /> He referred to the song's story progression as "the teacher, the open page, the virgin, the rape in the car, getting the sack."<ref name="sting.com" />',
1 => 'In 1993, however, he said of the song's inspiration, "You have to remember we were blond bombshells at the time and most of our fans were young girls so I started roleplaying a bit. Let's exploit that."<ref name=sting.com /> In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD ''[[All This Time (Sting album)|...All This Time]]'', Sting denied that the song is autobiographical.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}'
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Whether or not the change was made through a Tor exit node (tor_exit_node ) | false |
Unix timestamp of change (timestamp ) | 1654459690 |