Roxanne (song)

:"For the song "Roxanne, Roxanne" by U.T.F.O. and the rejoinders including "Roxanne's Revenge" by Roxanne Shanté, see Roxanne Wars"Infobox Single
Name = Roxanne


Artist = The Police
from Album = Outlandos d'Amour
B-side ="Peanuts"
Released = April 1978
April 1979 (re-release)
Format = Vinyl Record (7")
Recorded = 1978
Genre = New Wave
Length = 3:14
Label = A&M Records
Writer = Sting
Producer = Stewart Copeland,
Sting,
Andy Summers
Chart position =

• #12 (UK Singles Chart) (re-release)
• #32 (Billboard Hot 100)
• #21 (Dutch Top 40)

NoReviews = Yes
Last single = "Fall Out" (1977)
This single = "Roxanne" (1979)
Next single = "Can't Stand Losing You" (1979)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Outlandos d'Amour
Type = studio
prev_track = "So Lonely"
prev_no = 2
this_track = "Roxanne"
track_no = 3
next_track = "Hole in My Life"
next_no = 4Audiosample
Upper caption = Audio sample
Audio file = Roxanne by The Police.ogg"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.

Credits

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

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.

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.

"Rolling Stone" ranked it #388 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

This was also the appropriately 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 the British television show Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978. 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.

Cover versions

Variations of this song were performed by George Michael on his 1999 covers album "Songs from the Last Century", and by Ewan McGregor, Jose Feliciano, Jacek Koman & Richard Roxburgh in the 2001 film "Moulin Rouge!", where it was made into a tango, composed by Mariano Mores, called "El Tango de Roxanne". In 2005, the song was also recorded by the Chicago band Fall Out Boy for a limited edition release of their CD, "Take This To Your Grave". On November 28th, 2006, it was featured on the reality show "", performed by Chris Pierson and later Dilana.

Incubus also performed the song along with the original members of The Police (Sting excluded) in a KROQ concert performance.

This song was also sampled by the rapper Cam'ron for his 2000 single "What Means the World to You", taken from his second album "S.D.E. (Sports, Drugs and Entertainment)".

In 2006, using Spanglish lyrics, Angela Via sampled the song in "She Used To Be A Friend".

During their 2006 shows whilst promoting their album Game Theory, hip hop group The Roots used Roxanne in their song list with drummer ?uestlove singing.

On the May 15, 2007, final 3 episode of "American Idol", Blake Lewis covered the song as the first in his set of three performances.

It was regularly used by dj Erol Alkan to close sets of his 2008 tour.

A&M Records, the band's record company, are promoting the current 2007 reunion tour as the 30th anniversary of the release of their first single and not indeed that of the band's creation. ABC reported "This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of "Roxanne," the single that broke the Police in the United States." The single itself was released in April 1978. [http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=2768878]

"Roxanne" was also used in the beginning of the remix of Fat Joe's single Make It Rain. In the beginning of the song, R. Kelly is heard saying "Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light" quoting the beginning verses of "Roxanne".

Other appearances

In a 3-song pack, along with The Police's other songs "Synchronicity II" and "Can't Stand Losing You", "Roxanne" is available for the music video game "Rock Band" as downloadable content.

Eddie Murphy's character in the 1982 film 48 Hrs is singing this song while in lock-up as Nick Nolte's character approaches the cell to let him out.

Track listing

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

# "Roxanne" - 3:00
# "Peanuts" - 2:52

External links

*youtube|_3kG-7I_Y6k|Roxanne
*youtube|Jjg5zgEjrgQ|An example of the Roxanne drinking game being played