The Police » Tracks » Don't Stand So Close To Me

The Police – Don't Stand So Close To Me (4:00)

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About This Track

“Don’t Stand So Close to Me” is a 1980 song and hit single by the British rock band The Police. It concerns a schoolgirl’s crush on her young teacher and the teacher’s nervousness about the situation. The Police won the 1982 “Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal” for this song. A re-recorded version of the song was released in 1986 as “Don’t Stand So Close to Me ‘86”.

The song deals with the mixed feelings of lust, fear and guilt that a school teacher has for a female student and vica verse, and inappropriateness leading to confrontation.

The music and lyrics of the song were written by the lead singer of The Police, Sting, who had previously worked as an English teacher. In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD …All This Time, Sting denied that the song is autobiographical.

The line “Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov” alludes to Vladimir Nabokov’s famous novel Lolita which covers somewhat similar issues.

Sting was asked to perform on Mark Knopfler’s “Money for Nothing” as he was in Montserrat at the time, and reused the melody from the chorus of “Don’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 Mark Knopfler.
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  • FoREVer7x

    If Sting was my teacher I'd want him too *_~

    December 2011

  • Falbrav1

    Great song but I still prefer the singles lifted off Outlandos d'amour

    December 2011

  • BamBino1951

    I always loved this song. I believe that Carl Palmer, Bill Bruford and John Bohnem are the best drummers of the rock era.

    November 2011

  • dogsofautumn

    Stewart Copeland-Best Drummer ever!!!

    October 2011

  • nellbel

    my english teacher is pretty hot

    October 2011

  • silvasonicsurfa

    ......what people forget now is that then we were in a music climate of post punk, disco, novelty hits, and pre early electronica / new romantics, this sounded so fresh and different.......... coupled with the fact that the blonde threesome were not unattractive to the ladies.......BINGO! massive hits......

    October 2011

  • kikikirsche

    yes!¸.•´¸.•*´

    October 2011

  • vanceLot777

    YEA-YAAAA...!

    September 2011

  • DxKnight

    i luv this song :')

    August 2011

  • Friedenspanzer2

    like the police stuff much more than stings solo songs.

    June 2011

  • JacintaHurst

    ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥3

    June 2011

  • jomabbs

    This was fantastic to dance too... It reminds me of my courting days

    April 2011

  • platinum-blonde

    i've been obsessed with this song for about a year.

    April 2011

  • RonjaP

    the intro is EPIC! what am I talking the whole song is great! <3

    April 2011

  • kylede2011

    Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov

    March 2011

  • clash_94

    leibe <3

    February 2011

  • korpsr666

    dont stand so close to me.{=

    February 2011

  • crocy2

    great...

    February 2011

  • jomabbs

    I love this song.

    January 2011

  • tiochaidhanla

    very tru interperation and tenpation

    December 2010
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