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Spirits in the Material World

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"Spirits in the Material World" is a song by the British rock trio The Police, written by Sting. The opening track for their 1981 album Ghost in the Machine, it was released as a single in 1981 and reached No. 12 in the United Kingdom[3] and No. 11 in the US in early 1982.[4]

"Spirits in the Material World"
Single by The Police
from the album Ghost in the Machine
B-side
  • "Low Life" (UK)
  • "Flexible Strategies" (US)
Released4 December 1981[1]
Recorded1981
Genre
Length2:58
LabelA&M – AMS 8194
Songwriter(s)Sting
Producer(s)
The Police singles chronology
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
(1981) 		"Spirits in the Material World"
(1981) 		"Secret Journey"
(1982)
Alternative cover
US 7-inch single cover
Music video
"Spirits in the Material World" on YouTube

Background

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"Spirits in the Material World" was written by Sting on a Casiotone keyboard while in a truck.[5] It was his first experience using a synthesizer.[5]

'Spirits in the Material World' was written on one of those Casio keyboards while I was riding in the back of a truck somewhere. I just tap, tap, tap and there it was, just by accident. That was the first time I'd ever touched a synthesizer, that album.

— Sting, Synchronicity Tour Program, 1983[5]

Andy Summers' presence on the studio track is considerably less pronounced than on the vast majority of Police songs, and in fact, Sting wanted to record it without him entirely. Having written the song on a synthesizer, he wanted to use synthesizer instead of guitar, and to play the synthesizer part himself. Summers thought the synthesizer part should be replaced by guitar. After considerable argument, they compromised by recording the part on both instruments, with a mix such that the synthesizer drowned out much of Summers's guitar.[6]

In live performances, this part was played on guitar only, with synthesizer used for background chords. The bass part is distinctively complex, with music producer and cognitive psychologist Daniel Levitin writing that it "takes this rhythmic play to such an extreme that it can be hard to tell where the downbeat even is."[7] In 2023 Stewart Copeland said that this was the hardest Police song for him as a drummer: "It's my personal bête noire ... because there's no 1 [beat]. It's all upbeat."[8]

The track was recorded at Air Studios Montserrat.

The lyrics comment on the nature of man's existence and the failure of his earthly institutions.

"Spirits in the Material World" eventually saw single release in 1981 as the follow-up to "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", making it the third single from Ghost in the Machine in Britain and the second in America. Billboard called it "less mainstream yet more captivating" than "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and said that "the repetitive rhythm creates a hypnotic effect."[9] Record World also compared it to "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," saying that it "[takes] reggae one step further into the pop world" and calling it a "hypnotic cut."[10] The single, while not as successful as its predecessors, peaked at No. 12 in Britain and No. 11 in America. It was followed up by "Secret Journey" in America.

The UK B-side of "Spirits in the Material World," "Low Life," was written by Sting around 1977 in the back of a German tour bus.[5] Although Copeland claimed to have "always loved the song," Summers claimed that "Neither Stewart or I liked 'Low Life.' I thought the lyric was snobby and it had a kind of corny jazziness to it."[5] The American B-side, an instrumental titled "Flexible Strategies", was recorded in Canada while the band was working on Ghost in the Machine. Word came that the record company wanted them to create a B-side, and the band jammed for ten minutes, resulting in this track. Copeland called this recording "a disgrace".[11][12]

Live performances

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The band performed the song live during the Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity tours (the latter of which was included on their Live! album) and it was also included on their first North American setlist during their reunion tour. Since the dissolution of the Police, Sting has often performed the song on solo tours.

In all live performances, the song is played in the key of D minor in contrast to the studio version’s A minor. In most cases, Sting plays a more simplified version of the original bassline to play while singing.[13]

Personnel

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Track listing

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7-inch: A&M / AMS 8194 (UK)

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  1. "Spirits in the Material World" – 2:59
  2. "Low Life" – 3:45

7-inch: A&M / AM 2390 (US)

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  1. "Spirits in the Material World" – 3:01
  2. "Flexible Strategies" – 3:44

Charts

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Chart (1981–1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] 50
Canadian RPM Top Singles 13
Dutch Singles Chart 6
French Singles Chart 4
German Singles Chart 44
Irish Singles Chart 6
UK Singles Chart 12
US Billboard Hot 100[4] 11
US Cashbox[17] 15
US Billboard Top Rock Tracks 7

Cover versions

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  • In 1995, reggae artist Pato Banton covered the song for the soundtrack to Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Sting is featured in the song. The song entered the UK charts at number 36 in January 1996[18] and stayed there for two weeks. Banton later rerecorded the song (without Sting) for his greatest hits album in 2008. The original version (with Sting) was also featured on the covers album Reggatta Mondatta: A Reggae Tribute to the Police (1997).

References

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  1. ^ "BPI".
  2. ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1981". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 395–396. ISBN 9781493064601.
  3. ^ The Police in the UK Charts, The Official Charts.
  4. ^ a b "The Police – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Spirits In The Material World, 7". sting.com. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  6. ^ Summers, Andy (2007). One Train Later, 1st Edition (St. Martin's Griffin), page 295-6.
  7. ^ J., Levitin, Daniel (2006). This is your brain on music : the science of a human obsession. New York: Dutton. ISBN 0525949690. OCLC 65197831.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Stewart Copeland (December 2023). The Police's Stewart Copeland Answers Drumming Questions From Twitter (Internet video). Wired. Event occurs at 1:00–1:25. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. 23 January 1982. p. 93. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 16 January 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  11. ^ "The Police – Spirits in the Material World (1982, Terre Haute Pressing, Vinyl)". Discogs. January 1982.
  12. ^ The Police Message in a Box booklet Page 58.
  13. ^ "The police - spirits in the material world (Live) - YouTube". YouTube.
  14. ^ Obrecht, Jas (September 1982). "Andy Summers: Playing Soundscapes with The Police". Guitar Player. pp. 70–96.
  15. ^ Sutcliffe, Phil (1993). "The B-sides and Other Obscure Releases". In Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings (pp.57–59) [Boxed set booklet]. A&M Records Ltd.
  16. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 235. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
  18. ^ UK Singles Chart for the week of January 20, 1996, The Official Charts.
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