Behind My Camel

Song infobox
Name = Behind My Camel


Type = Song
Artist = The Police
alt Artist =
Album = Zenyattà Mondatta
Published =
Released = October 2, 1980
track_no = 8
Recorded =
Genre = Rock
Length = 2:54
Writer =
Composer = Andy Summers
Label = A&M Records
Producer = The Police
Background =
Tracks =
prev = "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"
prev_no = 7
next = "Man In A Suitcase"
next_no = 9

"Behind My Camel" is the eighth track from the 1980 album, "Zenyattà Mondatta", by the British rock band, The Police. The song was composed by guitarist Andy Summers and was the first one to be composed solely by him during his career in The Police. It won the Grammy Award of 1982 (awarded in 1982, but for accomplishments in late 1980 or 1981) for the Best Rock Instrumental Performance. [cite web|title=1981 Grammy Awards|work=Infoplease|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0150591.html|accessdate=2007-10-09]

The song features a simplistic yet eerie guitar melody, which is quasi-Arabic in style. Apart from this, there is a repetitive slap bass riff played by Summers himself [http://www.sting.com/discog/?v=so&a=2&id=96 Sting.com: Song details for Behind My Camel: Artist comments] ] , drums played by Stewart Copeland and atmospheric keyboards rather deep in the mix.

Response of other band members

The song was not popular with the two other band members, especially Sting. His dislike of the song is clear from the following statement :

Stewart Copeland was not in favour of the song either:

Thus, as a part of The Police, Sting received a Grammy for a song he neither composed, nor played on.

Cover version

The song was covered by the funk metal band Primus, for their 1998 EP of cover songs, "Rhinoplasty".

In an interview, Primus bassist and vocalist Les Claypool commented on covering the song:

References