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'{{Infobox single | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs --> | Name = Don't Stand So Close to Me | Cover = Don'tstandsingle.jpg | Caption = 1980 single cover | Artist = [[The Police]] | from Album = [[Zenyattà Mondatta]] | B-side = "Friends" "A Sermon" (U.S. 7") | Released = 19 September 1980<br>January 1981 (U.S.) | Format = [[vinyl record]] (7") | Recorded = 1980 | Genre = [[New Wave music|New Wave]], [[pop rock]], [[reggae]] | Length = 4:03 | Label = [[A&M Records|A&M]] - <small>AMS 7564</small> | Writer = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] | Producer = [[Stewart Copeland]],<br> Sting,<br> [[Andy Summers]] | Certification = Gold <small> ([[British Phonographic Industry|BPI]]) | Last single = "[[Six Pack (box set)|Six Pack]]"<br/>(1980) | This single = "Don't Stand So Close to Me"<br/> (1980) | Next single = "[[De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da]]"<br/> (1980) {{Extra album cover 2 | Upper caption = Alternative Covers | Type=single | Cover = Don't_Stand_So_CloseUS45.jpg | Lower caption = U.S. 7–inch cover }} }} "'''Don't Stand So Close to Me'''" (also called "'''Don't Stand So Close'''" or "'''Don't Stand'''") is a 1980 song and hit single by the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[rock music|rock]] [[band (music)|band]] [[The Police]]. It concerns a schoolgirl's crush on her young teacher and the teacher's nervousness about the situation. The Police won the 1982 "[[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]]" for this song. A re-recorded version of the song was released in 1986 as "[[#1986 single release|Don't Stand So Close to Me '86]]". ==Background== The song deals with the mixed feelings of lust, fear and guilt that a school teacher has for a female student and vice versa, and inappropriateness leading to confrontation. The music and lyrics of the song were written by the lead singer of The Police, [[Sting (musician)|Sting]], who had previously worked as an English teacher. In a 2001 interview for the concert [[DVD]] ''[[...All This Time]]'', Sting denied that the song is [[autobiographical]]. The line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" alludes to [[Vladimir Nabokov]]'s famous novel ''[[Lolita]]'' which covers somewhat similar issues.<ref>{{citation |url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0022-3840.1987.2102_65.x/abstract |title=Sexism and cultural lag: The rise of the jailbait song, 1955-1985 |author=JR Huffman, JL Huffman |journal=The Journal of Popular Culture |year=1987}}</ref> "Don't Stand So Close to Me" appeared on The Police's [[album]] ''[[Zenyattà Mondatta]]'' (A&M), and became a hit 'No.1' UK single along with a corresponding [[music video]]. It was the single that 'broke' The Police in the [[United States|USA]], as it reached the Top 10 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] charts, peaking at #10. In the U.K, the track was confirmed by the end of 1980 to have been the biggest selling single of that year. The B side, "Friends", was written and sung by Andy Summers and is inspired by ''[[Stranger in a Strange Land]],'' a [[science fiction]] novel by [[Robert A. Heinlein]]. 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 reused the melody from the chorus of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" in the counterpoint lyric 'I want my MTV'. It was only after this story was related to reporters during promotions for the ''[[Brothers in Arms (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 Mark Knopfler. It is one of only two shared songwriting credits on any [[Dire Straits]] album. ==Personnel== *[[Sting (musician)|Sting]] - Lead vocals, bass guitar *[[Andy Summers]] - Guitars, background vocals, lead vocals on "Friends" *[[Stewart Copeland]] - Drums === Track listing === ; 7" - A&M / AMS 7564 (UK) # "Don't Stand So Close to Me" - 4:03 # "Friends" - 3:37 ; 7" - A&M / AMS 2301 (US) # "Don't Stand So Close to Me" - 4:03 # "A Sermon" - 2:34 ==1986 single release== {{Infobox Single | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs --> | Name = Don't Stand So Close to Me '86 | Cover = Don't Stand So Close to Me 86.jpg | Caption = | B-side = "Don't Stand So Close To Me" (Live) | Artist = [[The Police]] | from Album = [[Every Breath You Take: The Singles]] | Released = {{Start date|1986|10}} | Format = 7" / CD single | Recorded = 1986 | Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[Pop music|pop]], [[New Wave music|New Wave]] | Length = 4:40 | Label = [[A&M Records|A&M]] | Writer = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] | Producer = [[Stewart Copeland]],<br> [[Sting (musician)|Sting]],<br> [[Andy Summers]],<br> [[Laurie Latham]] | Last single = "[[King of Pain]]"<br/>(1984) | This single = "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"<br/> (1986) | Next single = "Can't Stand Losing You (live)"<br/> (1995) }} The song was re-recorded in 1986 in a new, brooding arrangement with 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]]''. Likely 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 that was notable for its early use of animated [[computer graphics]]. This single was reportedly also one of the first commercial [[CD single]]s ever produced. Because drummer [[Stewart Copeland]] broke his collarbone and was unable to play the drums, Copeland opted to use his [[Fairlight CMI]] to program the drum track for the single. While lead singer [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] pushed to utilize the drums on his [[Synclavier]] instead, the group's engineer found the Synclavier's programming interface difficult—and took him two days to complete the task. Copeland ultimately finished the drum programming very quickly 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 led to the group's unravelling. As The Police had already disbanded by the time the 1986 single was released, this was the last recording before the band's reunion and the most recent studio recording the band has released to the present day. ===Track listing === ; 7" - 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" - 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 ==Glee cover== {{Infobox Single | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs --> | Name = Don't Stand So Close to Me | Cover = | Caption = | Artist = [[Glee (TV series)|Glee cast]] | from Album = [[Glee: The Music, Volume 2]] | B-side = "[[Young Girl (song)#Glee cover|Young Girl]]" | Released = [[2009 in music|2009]] | Format = [[music download|Digital download]] | Recorded = 2009 | Genre = [[Pop music|Pop]] | Length = | Label = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] | Writer = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] | Producer = [[Ryan Murphy (writer)|Ryan Murphy]], [[Adam Anders]] | Last single = "[[I'll Stand by You#Other versions|I'll Stand by You]]"<br/>(2009) | This single = "Don't Stand So Close to Me" / "Young Girl"<br/> (2009) | Next single = "[[Crush (Jennifer Paige song)#Live performances and cover versions|Crush]]"<br/> (2009) }} The song was covered in an episode 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]]" in the episode "[[Ballad (Glee)|Ballad]]". It was included on the [[Glee: The Music, Volume 2|second soundtrack album]] from the series. In the episode, high school student [[Rachel Berry (Glee)|Rachel Berry]] ([[Lea Michele]]) develops a school-girl crush on her teacher, after singing the song "[[Endless Love (song)|Endless Love]]" with him. In response, Mister Schuester creates and performs the mashup for Rachel as a way to gently let her know that her crush is inappropriate for her age. The single version charted at number 67 in [[Canadian Hot 100|Canada]], number 64 in the [[Billboard Hot 100|United States]] and number 50 in [[Irish Singles Chart|Ireland]]. ==Charts and succession== {{start box}} {{succession box | before = "[[Bright Eyes (Art Garfunkel song)|Bright Eyes]]" by [[Art Garfunkel]] | title = [[List of best-selling singles by year (UK)|Top selling single of the year (UK)]] | years = 1980 | after = "[[Don't You Want Me]]" by [[The Human League]] }} {{succession box | before = "[[Feels Like I'm in Love]]" by [[Kelly Marie]] | title = [[List of number-one singles (UK)|UK number one single]] | years = 27 September 1980 - 18 October 1980 | after = "[[Woman in Love]]" by [[Barbra Streisand]] }} {{end box}} == See also == *[[Lolita]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{The Police}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Stand So Close To Me}} [[Category:The Police songs]] [[Category:1980 singles]] [[Category:1981 singles]] [[Category:1986 singles]] [[Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles]] [[Category:Sexuality and age]] [[Category:Songs written by Sting]] [[es:Don't Stand So Close to Me]] [[it:Don't Stand So Close to Me]] [[ka:Don't Stand So Close to Me]] [[pl:Don't Stand So Close to Me]]'