Roxanne

"Roxanne"
Single by The Police
from the album Outlandos d'Amour
B-side	"Peanuts"
Released	April 7, 1978 April 1979 (re-release)
Format	Vinyl record (7")
Recorded	January 1978
Genre	New Wave, reggae fusion
Length	3:14
Label	A&M
Writer(s)	Sting
Producer	Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers
The Police singles chronology
"Fall Out" (1977) "Roxanne" (1978) "Can't Stand Losing You" (1978)
Outlandos d'Amour track listing "So Lonely" (2) "Roxanne" (3) "Hole in My Life" (4) Audio sample file info · help

"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 from the point-of-view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute.

History

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.^[1]

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.^[2] 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, but when re-released in April 1979, it reached #12 in the UK^[3] In the US, the single entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1979 and peaked at #32 in April. The song went on to become a staple of Sting's performances during his solo career.

Roxanne has appeared on all of the Police's Greatest hits albums. Rolling Stone ranked it #388 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

This was also the first song the band performed live (at the 2007 Grammy Awards) to kick off their 30th Anniversary Reunion Tour.

Music video

There were three different music videos released for "Roxanne". The first shows the band performing the song on a stage on what is perhaps a sound check to a show. Many slow motion shots of the group live appear here as well. The second version was shot on a soundstage and shows the band performing before a red backdrop. The third version is identical to the second except the footage was transferred from videotape to film and has a grainy quality to it.^{[citation needed]}

Personnel

• Sting - bass, lead vocals, backing vocals
• Andy Summers - guitar, backing vocals
• Stewart Copeland - drums, backing vocals

Track listing

7": A&M / AMS 7348 (UK)

1. "Roxanne" - 3:00
2. "Peanuts" (single edit) - 2:52

Cultural references

In the 1980s-1990s, this song was used as the intro to Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" with Dennis Miller.

Rapper Cam'ron sampled "Roxanne" for his single "What Means The World to You?".

Eddie Murphy (as convict Reggie Hammond) is found singing "Roxanne" in his prison cell in the 1982 movie 48 Hrs.

The song was one of the many remixed covers in the film Moulin Rouge!, named "El Tango de Roxanne".

The Arctic Monkeys song "When the Sun Goes Down", refers to Roxanne in the lyrics: and he told Roxanne to put on her red light.

The song was also featured in The A-Team episode, "Steel", while being listened to by Hannibal (George Peppard), B.A. (Mr. T), and Murdock (Dwight Schultz), while posing as window washers before B.A. throws the stereo off the platform in anger and destroys it.

The song was briefly featured in Two and a Half Men episode, "Winky-Dink Time", sung by Alan while he's waiting for his prostitute to arrive.

In Family Guy's "Ocean's Three and a Half" episode, Brian lists many songs named after women. 'Roxanne' is the second mentioned.

In The Office, episode 03.16 "Phyllis's Wedding", Kevin Malone's band Scrantonicity sings this song during the wedding reception.

In Friends, Phoebe emplores Ross to get tickets for a Sting concert by singing 'Ross can' to him.

"Roxanne" has been played during the 2009 John Galliano Haute Couture runway show.

In Community, the song plays during the episode "Remedial Chaos Theory".

Other cover versions

• In 1997, Sting re-recorded the song with rapper Puff Daddy as "Roxanne '97 (Puff Daddy Remix)" for the compilation album The Very Best of Sting & The Police. Only the 1997 A&M and 1998 PolyGram releases have this song, as it is omitted in the 2002 Universal Music re-release.
• In 1997, Michael Franti & Spearhead covered the song in the film Good Burger during the introduction of a female character with the same name.
• In 1997, British reggae group Aswad covered the song on their album Big Up.
• In 1997, saxophonist Warren Hill covered the song on his album Shelter.^[4]
• In 1999, George Michael covered the song on his album Songs from the Last Century.
• In 2001, the song was covered as "El Tango de Roxanne" in the film Moulin Rouge!
• In 2003, Fall Out Boy covered the song in the deluxe version of Take This To Your Grave.
• In 2008, Idina Menzel covered the song on her "I Stand" Summer Tour. She also performed the song on her 2010-2011 Symphony Tour as a mashup with Cole Porter's Love For Sale, which appears on her live album "Live: Barefoot at the Symphony."
• In 2009, the song was parodied by Flight of the Conchords in You Don't Have to be a Prostitute, in episode 2 of their second television series.
• In 2012, the song was covered by singer Juliet Simms for the reality television show, The Voice. Her cover reached #86 on the Billboard Hot 100.

References