Eras: Sting - 5. Synchronicity Special

ERAS: STING - 5. SYNCHRONICITY SPECIAL (320kbs-m4a/130mb/57mins)
BBC Radio 2 broadcast: 11th August 2024

In December 1982, The Police entered the studio to record their fifth album, 'Synchronicity'. Little did they know, it would be their last.

Taking its title from Carl Jung's theory of finding "meaning in coincidence", 'Synchronicity' found the band reunited after working on solo projects and acting careers. Stewart Copeland (drums), Andy Summers (guitar), and Gordon Sumner AKA Sting (bass and vocals) had only formed five short years before, and every album was bigger than the one before. The creative tensions at the core of the group - all incredible musicians with strong personalities - had often resulted in the best songs. But during 'Synchronicity', that internal conflict would all but destroy the band.

Creatively, they were at the top of their game, as Sting's compositions moved them further away from their Punk and Reggae roots, but as sessions progressed, so did the arguments. Two weeks in, an emergency meeting was called to see if the band could even carry on. They recorded their parts in separate rooms. Each designed their own section for the album cover so they didn't have to have a conversation about it.

Eventually, in June 1983, 'Synchronicity' was unleashed upon the world. It found Sting in a more introspective and sombre mood, uncertain of his place in the world. His songs of murder, paranoia, and his recent divorce occupied his headspace. The first track released was the sinister and seductive 'Every Breath You Take', which became one of the biggest songs in music history, and the most played song on the radio… ever. Typically, the band fought over its inclusion.

'Synchronicity' became The Police's biggest record, dethroning Michael Jackson's "Thriller" from the top spot in the U.S. and propelled the band to mega-stardom, now having sold 20 million copies worldwide. But just as their success had hit the summit, they found themselves with nowhere else to go, nothing left to achieve. Sting's mind was made up; the allure of a career without compromise was just too appealing. The Police were no more.

This is the story of an album made under a mountain of frustration, irritation, and compromise, an unrepeatable and remarkable feat that resulted in one of the finest albums ever produced.

A Cup and Nuzzle Production. Written and produced by Ashley Clivery.