The 1980s songs Sting always wants to sing at karaoke: “I have two go-tos”
In a ripple of The Beatles’ success in the 1960s, The Police rose to power in the late 1970s as a pop-inclined reaction to the punk movement. The transatlantic trio, consisting of Sting, Andrew Summers and Stewart Copeland, soon became one of the most popular acts of the so-called new wave, blending a punchy punk sound with reggae, jazz and funk affections.
As virtuosic musicians, The Police were jeered by many of their post-punk peers. Whether or not jealousy played a role in such reactions, The Police were just too clean-cut, competent and pop-infused for some. During a 2021 interview with Far Out, Will Sergeant, the Echo & the Bunnymen guitarist, mentioned The Police when discussing his foundational influences.
“People like us who were punk were moving on to bands like Talking Heads or Pere Ubu from Cleveland,” he said. “I like Joy Division as well. We were just moving forward. I was personally looking back to the sixties more than anything. I love the 1960s- the psychedelic stuff-more than anything.”
“Punk sort of enabled you to say, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna do it, and I don’t care if you think I can’t play.’ We were watching bands every week that couldn’t really play, [but] the sort of exuberance and attitude came across enough,” Sergeant added. “In a way, if you could really play, it was a disadvantage. Some bands we saw at Eric’s Club, like The Police, we thought were shit because they were too good”.
Indeed, the Police were extremely “good”, and their ability to write colourful pop songs grew with each new album, moving into the 1980s. By the time The Police released their fifth and final studio album, Synchronicity, in 1983, they were widely deemed “the biggest band in the world”. As Sting’s solo career began to take flight later in the decade, almost all semblance of punk had been extinguished.
It is, therefore, safe to assume Sting wouldn’t belt out ‘Anarchy in the UK’ or even ‘The Killing Moon’ at karaoke parties. Fortunately, we won’t be kept guessing either, as the former Police frontman and bassist revealed his favourite karaoke songs in a 2023 interview with People.
You’d imagine as a singer in a multi-platinum band, you would be able to belt a tune or two on request, that, if so required, you could hit the shuffle function at your nearest karaoke bar and sing whatever the cyber dial landed on. But, it would seem that just like the rest of us, Sting needs to have a couple of songs in his back pocket just in case the party decides to put him up front with a microphone.
If you were expecting some big belting ballads, then you’ll be sorely disappointed. No, Sting opts for some mid-range tracks that he can throw his weight behind, “If I do karaoke, I have two go-tos,” he said. “One is ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ by Fine Young Cannibals, and the other is The Human League, ‘Don’t You Want Me’.”
Both of the songs are karaoke stalwarts. Operating as two songs you don’t really need to have a voice to sing, the Police frontman has entered into classic territory. After listing the two popular ’80s classics, Sting described his love of the latter. “I love that song. I wear a feather boa and everything, it’s fantastic. For that song — before Harry Styles did it,” he added.
Continuing, the ‘Fields of Gold’ singer revealed that he doesn’t sing unless he’s on stage so he can save his voice. “You think I sing in the car? No. I sing on stage. I don’t even sing in the shower,” Sting noted. “I’ve got to save my voice. If I was to sing a song in the car … let’s see. It would be something really banal, like ‘Old MacDonald’.”
Watch Sting’s live cover of ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ by Fine Young Cannibals below.
