“We just wanted to escape”: The Police album Stewart Copeland called hell on Earth
For bands that reach the same level of popularity as The Police, internal friction is almost inevitable. Many of the biggest names in the business encountered challenges, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and The Police were no different—even during the creation of some of their biggest hits, they experienced the kinds of tensions that would lead other groups to call it a day.
However, the difference with The Police was that usually, when they reached the make-or-break point, they would set their differences aside at the eleventh hour and create magic. This is where outfits like The Beatles fell short: instead of leaning into the fire and learning from it, they let it burn away their entire bond and let go of any sense of nurturing quality.
Although some groups, like Fleetwood Mac, allowed their fights to fuel their music, The Police were a little more traditional in their sibling-esque endeavours, their distinctive visions almost pushing their feelings toward one another into resentment on more than one occasion. Often, this would occur at peak moments in their success, a time that would usually be spent celebrating.
While recording Synchronicity, for instance, everything took a turn for the worse, notably when they were attempting to piece together the final moments of ‘Every Breath You Take’. Instead, siloes formed almost instantaneously, with every member recording parts in different rooms, before an argument between Sting and Stewart Copeland nearly caused Hugh Padgham to quit the band entirely.
“The recording process was hell on earth,” recalled Copeland. “We were stuck in paradise with nobody but each other. Outside of this room, I am a legend unto the people. Inside this room, I am a piece of shit with these two guys,” he quipped. However, he also recognised the ways the friction wasn’t all bad. “It was kind of good for us, actually,” he admitted. “We look back on the result of this strife, and we appreciate that that struggle is what gave the band its energy.”
He added: “Its fire was that dichotomy. We had grown apart musically, whereas at first, we bonded deeply. The only people we were interested in playing with was each other. By the time we got to the last two albums, we just wanted to escape, but we appreciate what those two other goddamn fucking asshole bastards brought to the creative party.”
Despite his emotive outbreak, Copeland was right—The Police were on the brink of completely falling apart, but somehow, they managed to pull it all together when it counted. Granted, this would often require intervention from some of the biggest names in the business, including George Martin, but in the end, it all landed on them to lock it down when needed.
