It was 1986. Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers were basically at each other's throats. The band was effectively over, but the label needed one more thing to seal the legacy. That’s how we got The Police Greatest Hits. It wasn’t just a cash grab. It became the definitive soundtrack for anyone who grew up in the eighties or discovered rock music through a car radio.
Most people don’t realize how short the band’s actual run was. Five albums. That’s it. Between 1978 and 1983, they went from playing tiny clubs in New York to selling out Shea Stadium. When you drop the needle on a collection like this, you aren't just hearing pop songs. You’re hearing a weird, volatile chemistry between a jazz-influenced bassist, a reggae-obsessed drummer, and a guitarist who used textures like a painter.
Honestly, it shouldn't have worked.
The Tracks That Defined an Era
You can't talk about The Police Greatest Hits without mentioning "Every Breath You Take." It’s the ultimate "misunderstood" song. People play it at weddings. They use it for first dances. But if you actually listen to the lyrics, it's about a possessive stalker. Sting has said this himself in numerous interviews, including his 1993 Rolling Stone cover story. He was surprised people found it romantic.
Then there’s "Roxanne." Did you know it bombed when it first came out in 1978? It wasn't until the band toured the States in a cramped van that the track gained traction. The BBC actually banned it originally because of the subject matter—a man falling for a sex worker. Now, it’s a karaoke staple. Life is funny like that.
The 1986 "Don't Stand So Close to Me" Remake
One of the weirdest things about the 1986 Every Breath You Take: The Singles collection (the original title for the greatest hits package) was the re-recording of "Don't Stand So Close to Me."
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The band tried to record a whole new album. They failed. Stewart Copeland famously broke his collarbone during a polo match right before the sessions, which meant he couldn't play drums properly. They ended up using a Synclavier. The result is this moody, synth-heavy 1986 version that sounds completely different from the 1980 original. Some fans hate it. Some love the atmosphere. It serves as a time capsule of exactly when the band’s internal friction finally turned into a cold war.
Why the Sequencing Matters
A great hits album isn't just a list. It’s a narrative.
When you listen to the progression from "Message in a Bottle" to "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," you hear a band evolving. They stopped being a "white reggae" act and became a global pop juggernaut.
- Message in a Bottle: This is Copeland’s masterclass. His hi-hat work here is legendary among drummers.
- Walking on the Moon: Spacey. Sparse. It proved that sometimes, what you don't play is more important than what you do.
- King of Pain: This is where the songwriting got dark. It’s heavy stuff for a Top 40 hit.
The Police were masters of the "three-minute thriller." They took complex time signatures and sophisticated chord progressions and hid them inside hooks that you couldn't get out of your head if you tried.
The Enduring Impact of the Collection
Why does The Police Greatest Hits still sell?
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It’s partly because they never had a "bad" era. They quit while they were at the very top. Unlike many of their peers who stayed together and released mediocre albums throughout the 90s, The Police left a pristine discography.
When the band reunited for their 2007-2008 tour, they became one of the highest-grossing tours in history. People weren't there to hear deep cuts. They were there for the hits. They wanted to hear that specific "Police" sound—that high-pitched vocal, the crisp snare, and the chorus-drenched guitar.
Sound Quality and Remasters
If you're looking to buy this on vinyl or digital today, pay attention to the pressing. The 1992 Greatest Hits (the one with the red and black cover) is generally considered the gold standard for track selection. It includes "Invisible Sun," which was left off some earlier US versions. That song, written about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, shows the band's political edge that often gets overshadowed by their more "pop" moments.
Critics like Stephen Thomas Erlewine have noted that while the individual albums like Synchronicity are masterpieces, the hits collection is the best way to experience their "omnipresent" radio energy.
Common Misconceptions
People think The Police were a punk band. They weren't. Not really.
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They dyed their hair blond for a Wrigley's chewing gum commercial and realized the "look" fit the burgeoning punk scene in London. But they were all virtuosos. Summers had played with Eric Burdon and the Animals. Copeland had been in a prog-rock band called Curved Air. They were sharks swimming in a punk pond.
Another myth: that they all hated each other during the hits era. Okay, that one is mostly true. Copeland famously wrote "F.E.Z." on his drum heads during the Synchronicity sessions—standing for "Fuck Off, Everyone." But that tension is exactly why the songs have so much bite.
How to Listen to The Police Like a Pro
If you want to get the most out of The Police Greatest Hits, don't just put it on as background music.
- Focus on the Bass: Sting’s bass lines are often the lead melody. Listen to "Spirits in the Material World." The bass is doing all the heavy lifting while the guitar just accents the upbeat.
- Check the Lyrics: "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" sounds like gibberish, but it’s actually a song about how politicians and people use speech to manipulate others. It’s a critique of language itself.
- Compare Versions: Find the 1980 version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and then listen to the 1986 version. It’s the sound of a band falling apart in real-time.
The Police left behind a blueprint for how to be a "smart" rock band. They were intellectual, rhythmic, and incredibly catchy. This hits collection is the easiest way to understand why, forty years later, nobody else sounds quite like them.
Next Steps for Your Collection
If you've played the hits to death, your next move is to go straight to the source. Pick up a copy of Outlandos d'Amour for the raw energy or Synchronicity for the high-concept production. Also, look for the "Certifiable" live recordings from their reunion tour. It shows how those classic tracks evolved when played by older, perhaps slightly more patient, musicians.
The best way to appreciate the genius of these songs is to look at how many artists have sampled them. From Puff Daddy to Feist, the DNA of The Police is everywhere in modern music. Buying the hits is basically buying a piece of the foundation of modern pop-rock.