Synchronicity (1983); The Police
Album Review
We classic rock fans (especially those Gen-X or younger) take songs like King of Pain for granted. It has become so familiar it starts to blend into the background. Try revisiting songs like Wrapped Around Your Finger in the context of their deliverance. Wow, a whole new sensation! Such is the experience of SYNCHRONICITY.
Many consider SYNCHRONICITY to be The Police’s best album. It was their last (until 2018) and it really does capture the great sounds of the band. It came in close second to the Grammy’s best album, losing to Michael Jackson’s THRILLER.
Side B is stacked. Four top-tier songs in a row. I thought I might tire of some of these songs, but listening to the album over and over, they kept their quality. They are even better when listened to on the album.
Other songs on the album are refreshingly good. If you like The Police but haven’t dove into their discography, then you really should listen to this.
Tracks
🥇Gold
- Synchronicity II: My favorite song on the album. The guitar work. The composition. The lyrics. Exceptional songwriting.
- Wrapped Around Your Finger: I love the double meaning of the title phrase. Very evocative.
- Tea in the Sahara: 📈 This one took time to grow on me. It was inspired by the novel “The Sheltering Sky” by Paul Bowles. A tale is told of three sisters who wait for a prince to have tea with them in the Sahara, but the prince never shows. The guitar work is innovative and toys with the threat of feedback, a very fitting ambiance of song. Sting described this as one of his favorite songs and it’s now one of mine.
- King of Pain: The repeated backup vocal of “That’s my soul up there” is something I never picked out before, but really ties the lyrics together.
- Every Breath You Take: Over 1 billion listens. Best song Grammy winner. Not a love song. It’s a breakup song, sinister and obsessive. At least, that’s what Sting says.
🥈Silver
- Synchronicity I: Sounds a bit like Nobuo Uematsu (composer of classic adventure video games). Just take the lyrics away and you’ve got yourself a boss-battle.
- Walking in Your Footsteps: I guess Synchronicity I left me in a video-game mood because when this track came on I thought, ‘Huh. This sounds like Donkey Kong’. It’s got a chill jungley vibe and dinosaur lyrics (literally).
- Mother: The least popular song on the album. It’s quite jarring and different than the rest of the album. A positive from my perspective. It sounds like The Police collaborated with The Talking Heads and tried punk, I quite like it. It deserves more listens.
- Murder By Numbers: a good song, but lyrics are on the generic side especially when compared to the rest of the album.
- Miss Gradenko:📈 Good beat. Bass reminds me of Makeba by Jain. The lyrics imply a taboo relationship, but the imagery doesn’t quite land like Don’t Stand So Close To Me does.
🥉 Bronze
- O My God
Changes
The only thing I would change is switching the placement of Tea in the Sahara and Murder By Numbers. Tea in the Sahara is just such a good closer. I think it would be better know if it was mixed in that order. Tea in the Sahara might very well be much more well know if the album highlighted it more.
Here’s the reordered playlist if you like:
