Roxanne (3:08)
1,742,793 plays (397,222 listeners)
Roxanne is a hit song by the rock band The Police, first released in 1978 as a single and on their album Outlandos d’Amour. It was written about a prostitute in southern France.
Police lead singer Sting wrote the song, inspired by the prostitutes he saw near the band’s seedy hotel while in Paris, France in October 1977 to perform at the Nashville Club. The title of the song comes from the name of the character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, an old poster of which was hanging in the hotel foyer.
Sting had originally conceived the song as a bossa nova, although he credits Police drummer Stewart Copeland for suggesting its final rhythmic form as a tango. During recording, Sting accidentally sat down on a piano keyboard in the studio, resulting in the atonal piano chord and laughter preserved at the beginning of the track. The Police were initially diffident about the song, but Miles Copeland III was immediately enthusiastic after hearing it, becoming their manager and getting them their first record deal with A&M Records. The single did not chart at first, but it was re-released in April 1979 and reached #12 in the UK and #32 in the U.S., and went on to become one of the classic Police songs as well as a staple of Sting’s performances during his solo career. Roxanne has appeared on every single one of The Police’s Greatest hits albums.
Rolling Stone ranked it #388 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Police lead singer Sting wrote the song, inspired by the prostitutes he saw near the band’s seedy hotel while in Paris, France in October 1977 to perform at the Nashville Club. The title of the song comes from the name of the character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, an old poster of which was hanging in the hotel foyer.
Sting had originally conceived the song as a bossa nova, although he credits Police drummer Stewart Copeland for suggesting its final rhythmic form as a tango. During recording, Sting accidentally sat down on a piano keyboard in the studio, resulting in the atonal piano chord and laughter preserved at the beginning of the track. The Police were initially diffident about the song, but Miles Copeland III was immediately enthusiastic after hearing it, becoming their manager and getting them their first record deal with A&M Records. The single did not chart at first, but it was re-released in April 1979 and reached #12 in the UK and #32 in the U.S., and went on to become one of the classic Police songs as well as a staple of Sting’s performances during his solo career. Roxanne has appeared on every single one of The Police’s Greatest hits albums.
Rolling Stone ranked it #388 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Video
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Stewart Copeland, Andy Summer & Sting
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Albums featuring this track
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Outlandos D'Amour
The PoliceBuy- Download Album
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Sting Buy- Download Album
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Every Breath You Take : The Classics
The Police Buy- Download Album
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Shouts
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Buelah wrote:
LOVE.
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midget70 wrote:
everytime great!
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mortenmedaa wrote:
rooOOOxannee!!! ... - Still a very good song!!!
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pollepet wrote:
had seen them before their first vinyl in a small club in Hamburg together with about 50 other people
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smelly2by4 wrote:
One of the greatest of all time!
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ULTIMAXPRODUCTI wrote:
bonne année 2010 a tous
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mitchn wrote:
Great, great sound.
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PhilipWienand wrote:
this is soooo good .... divine ! rocks !! i´ve made up my mind, i won´t share you with another boy ...
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CarpeObelix wrote:
The best from police.... YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH
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Paul_kooks wrote:
yeahHHH! roxxaneee :D
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annbritt55 wrote:
I like this!!!!!
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teutone46 wrote:
SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER
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nk10025 wrote:
yea .. rooaaaaaaaaaaaaaxxxneeeeeeeee
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canbfrisky wrote:
Jammin' Beat...
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hammbone41 wrote:
The song that put them on the map.
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NicolasBlack wrote:
i would have liked this song better if it was pro-prostitution
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ABM1708 wrote:
Is the the best track or SOS?
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funkyhighrisers wrote:
=}
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Tomahawk214 wrote:
ROXXXXXANE
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StimpyMGS wrote:
best drinking game ever.
The Police
Roxanne
full track
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Recent Activity
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sfpsucks, xIKyJellYIx and sixcourse loved The Police – Roxanne. 25 minutes ago
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