Do n't Stand So Close to Me - wikipedia Do n't Stand So Close to Me For the Grey 's Anatomy episode, see Do n't Stand So Close to Me ( Grey 's Anatomy ). `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' 1980 single cover Single by The Police from the album Zenyatta Mondatta B - side `` Friends '' ( UK ) `` A Sermon '' ( US ) Released 19 September 1980 Format 7 - inch 45 rpm record Recorded 1980 Genre New wave pop rock Length 4 : 02 Label A&M ( AMS 7564 ) Songwriter ( s ) Sting Producer ( s ) Nigel Gray Stewart Copeland Sting Andy Summers The Police singles chronology `` The Bed 's Too Big Without You '' ( 1980 ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' ( 1980 ) `` De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '' ( 1980 ) `` The Bed 's Too Big Without You '' ( 1980 ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' ( 1980 ) `` De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '' ( 1980 ) Alternative cover American single picture sleeve `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' is a hit song by the British rock band the Police, released in September 1980 as the lead single from their third album Zenyatta Mondatta. It concerns a schoolgirl 's crush on her teacher which leads to an affair, which in turn is discovered. The band 's third number one on the UK Singles Chart, it was also the best selling single of 1980 in the UK. The song also charted in the top ten in Australia, Canada and the US. The Police won the 1982 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for this song. Contents 1 Background 2 Composition 3 Personnel 3.1 Track listing 3.2 Charts 4 `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' 5 Track listing 6 Charts 7 Glee cover 8 In other media 9 References Background The music and lyrics of the song were written by the lead singer of The Police, Sting. The song deals with the mixed feelings of lust, fear and guilt that a female student has for a school teacher and vice versa, and inappropriateness leading to confrontation which is unravelled later on in the song. The line `` Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov '' alludes to Vladimir Nabokov 's novel Lolita, which covers somewhat similar issues. After being criticised for rhyming `` cough '' with `` Nabokov, '' Sting replied, `` I 've used that terrible, terrible rhyme technique a few times. Technically, it 's called a feminine rhyme -- where it 's so appalling it 's almost humorous. You do n't normally get those type of rhymes in pop music and I 'm glad ! '' Before joining The Police, Sting had previously worked as an English teacher. Sting said of the song in 1981 : I wanted to write a song about sexuality in the classroom. I 'd done teaching practice at secondary schools and been through the business of having 15 - year - old girls fancying me -- and me really fancying them ! How I kept my hands off them I do n't know... Then there was my love for Lolita which I think is a brilliant novel. But I was looking for the key for eighteen months and suddenly there it was. That opened the gates and out it came : the teacher, the open page, the virgin, the rape in the car, getting the sack, Nabokov, all that. -- Sting, L'Historia Bandido, 1981 In 1993, however, he said of the song 's inspiration, `` You have to remember we were blond bombshells at the time and most of our fans were young girls so I started role playing a bit. Let 's exploit that. '' In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD... All This Time, Sting denied that the song is autobiographical. `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' appeared on The Police 's album Zenyatta Mondatta ( A&M ), and became a hit No. 1 UK single, along with a corresponding music video. In the US, it reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 10. In the UK, 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 by Andy Summers and is inspired by Stranger in a Strange Land, a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. Summers described the track as `` Very quirky. A touch of Long John Silver on Acid. '' Sting was asked to perform on Mark Knopfler 's `` Money for Nothing '' as he was in Montserrat at the time, and reused a melody from `` Do n'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 that lawyers for Sting became involved, and later copies of the album co-credit the song to Sting. The initial pressings list only Knopfler. It is one of only two shared songwriting credits on any Dire Straits album. Composition `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' features Sting on lead vocals. Like many Police songs, the verses are more subdued, while the chorus is bolder and louder. The song also bears a reggae style, yet another common trait in Police songs. Thematically, the `` wet bus stop '' idea invites comparison with the 1966 hit song `` Bus Stop '' by another English group, The Hollies. The track uses a guitar synthesizer in the middle of the song, which was used by guitarist Andy Summers. Summers said, `` After Sting had put the vocals on ' Do n't Stand So Close To Me ' we looked for something to lift the middle of the song. I came up with a guitar synthesiser. It was the first time we 'd used it. I felt it worked really well. '' The verses and choruses do not feature this effect. Personnel Sting -- lead and backing vocals, bass guitar Andy Summers -- guitars, guitar synthesizer Stewart Copeland -- drums Track listing 7 - inch -- A&M / AMS 7564 ( UK ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' -- 4 : 03 `` Friends '' -- 3 : 37 7 - inch -- A&M / AMS 2301 ( US ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' -- 4 : 03 `` A Sermon '' -- 2 : 34 Charts Chart ( 1980 -- 81 ) Peak position Australian Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 French Singles Chart 7 German Singles Chart 23 Irish Singles Chart Italian Singles Chart NZ Singles Chart Spanish Singles Chart 5 UK Singles Chart US Billboard Hot 100 10 Canadian Singles Chart `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' Single by The Police from the album Every Breath You Take : The Singles B - side `` Do n't Stand So Close To Me '' ( Live ) Released October 1986 ( 1986 - 10 ) Format 7 - inch single CD single Recorded 1986 Genre Rock new wave Length 4 : 51 Label A&M Songwriter ( s ) Sting Producer ( s ) Stewart Copeland Sting Andy Summers Laurie Latham The Police singles chronology `` King of Pain '' ( 1984 ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' ( 1986 ) `` Ca n't Stand Losing You '' ( 1995 ) `` King of Pain '' ( 1984 ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' ( 1986 ) `` Ca n't Stand Losing You '' ( 1995 ) The song was re-recorded in 1986 with a new, brooding arrangement, a different chorus and a more opulent production. The new version appeared as `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' on the album Every Breath You Take : The Singles, and was released as a single, reaching number 24 in the British charts. It also reached number 11 in Ireland, number 14 in New Zealand, number 19 on the Netherlands MegaCharts Singles Chart ( number 20 on Dutch Top 40 ), number 27 in Canada and number 46 on Billboard Hot 100 ( number 10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks ). 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 by Godley and Creme, notable for its early use of animated computer graphics. Because drummer Stewart Copeland had broken his collarbone and was unable to drum, he opted to use his Fairlight CMI to program the drum track for the single. While singer / bassist Sting pushed to use the drums on his Synclavier instead, the group 's engineer found the Synclavier 's programming interface difficult -- and it ended up taking him two days to complete the task. Copeland ultimately finished the drum programming 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 that this led to the group 's unravelling. As the Police had already disbanded by the time the 1986 single was released, this, aside from the then - unreleased `` De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da ' 86, '' was the last recording before the band 's reunion and the most recent studio recording the band has released. Track listing 7 - inch -- A&M / AM 354 ( UK ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' -- 4 : 47 `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' ( live ) -- 3 : 40 12 - inch -- A&M / AMY 354 ( UK ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' ( dance mix ) -- 6 : 32 `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' -- 4 : 47 `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' ( original version ) -- 4 : 03 `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' ( live ) -- 3 : 40 Charts Chart ( 1986 ) Peak position Spain ( Los 40 Principales ) Australian Singles Chart 32 Dutch Top 40 19 Finland ( Suomen virallinen lista ) 19 Irish Singles Chart 11 UK Singles Chart 24 US Billboard Hot 100 46 Canadian Singles Chart 27 Glee cover `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' Single by Glee cast from the album Glee : The Music, Volume 2 B - side `` Young Girl '' Released 2009 Format Digital download Recorded 2009 Genre Pop Label Columbia Songwriter ( s ) Sting Producer ( s ) Ryan Murphy, Adam Anders Glee cast singles chronology `` I 'll Stand by You '' ( 2009 ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' ( 2009 ) `` Crush '' ( 2009 ) `` I 'll Stand by You '' ( 2009 ) `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' ( 2009 ) `` Crush '' ( 2009 ) The song was covered in the episode `` Ballad '' of the American television series Glee in 2009. It was performed by the character Will Schuester ( played by Matthew Morrison ) as a musical mashup with `` Young Girl '' by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. It was included on the second soundtrack album from the series. The single version charted at number 67 in Canada, number 64 in the United States and number 50 in Ireland. In other media The song was featured in `` Mars vs. Mars '', an episode of the American television series Veronica Mars. During several parts of Zoolander 2, Sting calls Hansel ( who is established as Hansel 's biological father ) on numerous occasions, often quoting songs such as `` Do n't Stand So Close To Me '', and `` Spirits in the Material World ''. References Jump up ^ amazon.com, `` Zenyatta Mondatta ( Digipak ) Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered ''. Accessed 11 October 2014. Jump up ^ JR Huffman, JL Huffman ( 1987 ), `` Sexism and cultural lag : The rise of the jailbait song, 1955 -- 1985 '', The Journal of Popular Culture, doi : 10.1111 / j. 0022 - 3840.1987. 2102_65. x ^ Jump up to : `` ' Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' / ' Friends ' ''. sting.com. ^ Jump up to : The Police in the UK Charts Archived 26 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine., The Official Charts. Jump up ^ amazon.com, `` Every Breath You Take : The Classics ''. Accessed 11 October 2014. Jump up ^ Item Display -- RPM -- Library and Archives Canada -- Top Singles -- Volume 45, No. 14, December 27 1986 Jump up ^ Pennanen, Timo ( 2006 ). Sisältää hitin -- levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 ( in Finnish ). Helsinki : Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. Jump up ^ `` The Music of Veronica Mars : Episode 1 -- 14 : `` Mars vs. Mars '' ``. Mars Investigations : The ( In ) Complete Guide to Veronica Mars. 15 February 2005. Retrieved 5 January 2015. The Police Stewart Copeland Sting Andy Summers Henry Padovani Studio albums Outlandos d'Amour Reggatta de Blanc Zenyatta Mondatta Ghost in the Machine Synchronicity Live albums Live ! Certifiable : Live in Buenos Aires Compilations Every Breath You Take : The Singles Greatest Hits Every Breath You Take : The Classics The Very Best of Sting & The Police The Police Boxed sets Six Pack Message in a Box : The Complete Recordings Singles `` Fall Out '' `` Roxanne '' `` Ca n't Stand Losing You '' `` So Lonely '' `` Message in a Bottle '' `` Walking on the Moon '' `` Bring On the Night '' `` The Bed 's Too Big Without You '' `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' `` De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '' `` Invisible Sun '' `` Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic '' `` Spirits in the Material World '' `` Secret Journey '' `` Every Breath You Take '' `` Wrapped Around Your Finger '' `` Synchronicity II '' `` King of Pain '' `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me ' 86 '' `` When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What 's Still Around '' ( Different Gear vs. The Police ) Other songs `` Next to You '' `` Reggatta de Blanc '' `` Driven to Tears '' `` Behind My Camel '' `` Demolition Man '' `` Synchronicity I '' `` Tea in the Sahara '' `` De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da ' 86 '' Tours The Police Around the World Tour Zenyatta Mondatta Tour Ghost in the Machine Tour Synchronicity Tour A Conspiracy of Hope Tour The Police Reunion Tour Related articles Discography Songs Strontium 90 Strontium 90 : Police Academy Brimstone & Treacle ¡ Policia ! : A Tribute to the Police Everyone Stares Book Best - selling singles by year in the United Kingdom 1952 -- 1969 1952 : `` Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart '' -- Vera Lynn ( UK ) 1953 : `` I Believe '' -- Frankie Laine 1954 : `` Secret Love '' -- Doris Day 1955 : `` Rose Marie '' -- Slim Whitman 1956 : `` I 'll Be Home '' -- Pat Boone 1957 : `` Diana '' -- Paul Anka 1958 : `` Jailhouse Rock '' -- Elvis Presley 1959 : `` Living Doll '' -- Cliff Richard ( UK ) 1960 : `` It 's Now or Never '' -- Elvis Presley 1961 : `` Wooden Heart '' -- Elvis Presley 1962 : `` I Remember You '' -- Frank Ifield ( UK ) 1963 : `` She Loves You '' -- The Beatles ( UK ) 1964 : `` Ca n't Buy Me Love '' -- The Beatles ( UK ) 1965 : `` Tears '' -- Ken Dodd ( UK ) 1966 : `` Green, Green Grass of Home '' -- Tom Jones ( UK ) 1967 : `` Release Me '' -- Engelbert Humperdinck ( UK ) 1968 : `` Hey Jude '' -- The Beatles ( UK ) 1969 : `` Sugar, Sugar '' -- The Archies 1970 -- 1989 1970 : `` The Wonder of You '' -- Elvis Presley 1971 : `` My Sweet Lord '' -- George Harrison ( UK ) 1972 : `` Amazing Grace '' -- The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Band ( UK ) 1973 : `` Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree '' -- Tony Orlando and Dawn 1974 : `` Tiger Feet '' -- Mud ( UK ) 1975 : `` Bye Bye Baby '' -- Bay City Rollers ( UK ) 1976 : `` Save Your Kisses for Me '' -- Brotherhood of Man ( UK ) 1977 : `` Mull of Kintyre '' / `` Girls ' School '' -- Wings ( UK ) 1978 : `` Rivers of Babylon '' / `` Brown Girl in the Ring '' -- Boney M. 1979 : `` Bright Eyes '' -- Art Garfunkel 1980 : `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' -- The Police ( UK ) 1981 : `` Tainted Love '' -- Soft Cell ( UK ) 1982 : `` Come On Eileen '' -- Dexys Midnight Runners ( UK ) 1983 : `` Karma Chameleon '' -- Culture Club ( UK ) 1984 : `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' -- Band Aid ( UK ) 1985 : `` The Power of Love '' -- Jennifer Rush 1986 : `` Do n't Leave Me This Way '' -- The Communards ( UK ) 1987 : `` Never Gonna Give You Up '' -- Rick Astley ( UK ) 1988 : `` Mistletoe and Wine '' -- Cliff Richard ( UK ) 1989 : `` Ride on Time '' -- Black Box 1990 -- 2009 1990 : `` Unchained Melody '' -- The Righteous Brothers 1991 : `` ( Everything I Do ) I Do It for You '' -- Bryan Adams 1992 : `` I Will Always Love You '' -- Whitney Houston 1993 : `` I 'd Do Anything for Love ( But I Wo n't Do That ) '' -- Meat Loaf 1994 : `` Love Is All Around '' -- Wet Wet Wet ( UK ) 1995 : `` Unchained Melody '' -- Robson & Jerome ( UK ) 1996 : `` Killing Me Softly '' -- Fugees 1997 : `` Something About the Way You Look Tonight '' / `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' -- Elton John ( UK ) 1998 : `` Believe '' -- Cher 1999 : ``... Baby One More Time '' -- Britney Spears 2000 : `` Can We Fix It ? '' -- Bob the Builder ( UK ) 2001 : `` It Was n't Me '' -- Shaggy featuring Rikrok ( UK ) 2002 : `` Anything Is Possible '' / `` Evergreen '' -- Will Young ( UK ) 2003 : `` Where Is the Love ? '' -- The Black Eyed Peas 2004 : `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' -- Band Aid 20 ( UK ) 2005 : `` Is This the Way to Amarillo '' -- Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay ( UK ) 2006 : `` Crazy '' -- Gnarls Barkley 2007 : `` Bleeding Love '' -- Leona Lewis ( UK ) 2008 : `` Hallelujah '' -- Alexandra Burke ( UK ) 2009 : `` Poker Face '' -- Lady Gaga 2010 -- present 2010 : `` Just the Way You Are '' -- Bruno Mars 2011 : `` Someone Like You '' -- Adele ( UK ) 2012 : `` Somebody That I Used to Know '' -- Gotye featuring Kimbra 2013 : `` Blurred Lines '' -- Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams 2014 : `` Happy '' -- Pharrell Williams 2015 : `` Uptown Funk '' -- Mark Ronson ( UK ) featuring Bruno Mars 2016 : `` One Dance '' -- Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla ( UK ) 2017 : `` Shape of You '' - Ed Sheeran ( UK ) Vladimir Nabokov 's Lolita ( 1955 ) Film Lolita ( 1962 ) Lolita ( 1997 ) Stage Lolita, My Love ( 1971 musical ) Lolita ( 1981 play ) Lolita ( 1992 opera ) Lolita 's perspective Lo 's Diary ( 1995 novel ) Roger Fishbite ( 1999 novel ) Music `` Do n't Stand So Close to Me '' `` Lolita '' ( The Veronicas ) `` Lolita '' ( Belinda ) `` Lolita '' ( Leah LaBelle ) `` Lolita ( trop jeune pour aimer ) '' `` Moi... Lolita '' Eat Me, Drink Me Related The Enchanter Reading Lolita in Tehran Lolicon Lolita Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Don%27t_Stand_So_Close_to_Me&oldid=849349517 '' Categories : The Police songs 1980 singles 1981 singles 1986 singles UK Singles Chart number - one singles Sexuality and age in fiction Songs about sexuality Songs about teenagers Songs written by Sting ( musician ) Song recordings produced by Nigel Gray Songs about school 1980 songs A&M Records singles Columbia Records singles Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 Finnish - language sources ( fi ) EngvarB from May 2015 Use dmy dates from May 2015 Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano ქართული Polski Português Edit links This page was last edited on 8 July 2018, at 11 : 28 ( UTC ). 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Question: the police don't stand so close to me meaning
Answer: a schoolgirl's crush on her teacher which leads to an affair, which in turn is discovered