[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
The Police — Wrapped Around Your Finger
Album: Syncronicity
Avg rating:
7.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2458









Released: 1983
Length: 4:57
Plays (last 30 days): 0
You consider me the young apprentice
Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis
Hypnotized by you if I should linger
Staring at the ring around your finger
I have only come here seeking knowledge
Things they would not teach me of in college
I can see the destiny you sold
Turned into a shining band of gold

I'll be wrapped around your finger
I'll be wrapped around your finger

Mephistopheles is not your name
But I know what you're up to just the same
I will listen hard to your tuition
And you will see it come to its fruition

I'll be wrapped around your finger
I'll be wrapped around your finger

Devil and the deep blue sea behind me
Vanish in the air you'll never find me
I will turn your face to alabaster
When you find your servant is your master

And you'll be wrapped around my finger
You'll be wrapped around my finger
You'll be wrapped around my finger
Comments (198)add comment
GOOD TUNE!!  I like it. I do not care what anybody says!! The hell with the discourse on grammar & syntax!   Thanx RP!   
 Finafek wrote:


"Things they would not teach me of in college"
Seriously?



Why is that not grammatically correct?

You don't teach someone 'of' something, you teach someone something.  So grammatically it should be "Things they would not teach me in college".

You're welcome.
I wrapped this song around my finger and stuck it up Sting's butt.... he loved it. He asked if I learned that in college and then I changed his FACE! haha.... that Allah Bastard 🤣
 Jelani wrote:



I think he/she might have had a motocycle accident without his or her helmet.


Sting formerly taught English before the Police broke out. Maybe it's the style to which you object.
 Finafek wrote:


Why is that not grammatically correct?



I think he/she might have had a motocycle accident without his or her helmet.
Proof that Stewart Copeland is a great drummer .. the double slap on the snare when the tempo is restored leading in to

  I will turn your face to alabaster
  When you find your servant is alabaster

Great, great drumming.
 Bultaco wrote:

I LOVE your music, Sting.........but, lyrically...........back to school, kiddo...as a STUDENT this time!

"Things they would not teach me of in college"
Seriously?



Why is that not grammatically correct?
 OneinAUS wrote:


Could it not be deliberate? perhaps, you know, wink wink...
Indeed. It could also be correct English! He was a teacher... 'Things' could such as BLM, which are not taught but taught about/of.

 Bultaco wrote:

I LOVE your music, Sting.........but, lyrically...........back to school, kiddo...as a STUDENT this time!

"Things they would not teach me of in college"
Seriously?



Could it not be deliberate? perhaps, you know, wink wink...
The genius of Stewart Copeland.
Superb. Nuf Ced.
 countyman wrote:

Quit hawking your video on almost every song tonight.
 

I will trade you Chabot for Crosby
 Rockit9 wrote:
Don't call the cops...OK

Seasons Greetings to all RP listeners..Bill & Rebecca too!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWgApS...
 
Quit hawking your video on almost every song tonight.
 Bultaco wrote:
I LOVE your music, Sting.........but, lyrically...........back to school, kiddo...as a STUDENT this time!

"Things they would not teach me of in college"
Seriously?
 
This was recorded almost 40 years ago...maybe a tantric joke here somewhere..long live RP AND long love making too!!
I LOVE your music, Sting.........but, lyrically...........back to school, kiddo...as a STUDENT this time!

"Things they would not teach me of in college"
Seriously?
 Biscobret wrote:

I saw him play with an Oysterhead in Seattle once...
 
He played with an oysterhead? I bet he got cut up pretty bad....
 sirdroseph wrote:


Sister, you preachin to the choir on this one, it is ok to here them every now and then and the true classics such as Floyd and Zep should always be played because they are the "untouchables" but I do not believe The Police fall into that category.
 
Could be worse...hows about "Sweet home Alabama?
One of the coolest music videos, for the slow-mo-but-in-correct-tempo visuals. 
 NorthernLad wrote:
Classic space reggae
Out of this world
Drumming that is like an off-beat meteor shower
Cool keyboard bed track ebbing and flowing
 Andy Summers riffs echoing like Rosetta's fading radio signals
 Great writing
Even greater execution. 
Best song on Synchronicity
 

Inspired description. Well done!
Wrapped around your fing oh
 karljonasson wrote:
SO WEIRD -

Just reading a forum where someone quoted this song randomly, and this song came on.

How's that for SYNCHRONICITY?

No joke. I'm kinda freaked out.

 

(Homer and Otto smoking some doobs)

Homer:  Hey, Otto!
Otto:  Whut, man?
Homer:  Otto is Otto spelled backwards.
Otto:  Whooooah....Now I'm scared! 
Classic space reggae
Out of this world
Drumming that is like an off-beat meteor shower
Cool keyboard bed track ebbing and flowing
 Andy Summers riffs echoing like Rosetta's fading radio signals
 Great writing
Even greater execution. 
Best song on Synchronicity
 Cueburned wrote:
Radio killed this for me. 

 
Yea, but that was a long time ago.  Now it can come back and its great qualities shine — it is a great cut from the 80's.

                                                                      Scylla is wrapped around the toes of Charybdis,
                                                     Gets easier with something  already scribled behind the couch,
                                                        Gods have all the time in world, waiting for a continental drift.
                                          Turns out wasn't waiting. Because I always wanted to talk to sleeping cindy.
I always felt like the Police were looking forward to something like this after they got their street cred with the punk/reggae stuff (which I also like)...This is their pop achievement in my view...and nothing wrong with a good pop song, particularly one with such a fine arrangement 
I think NWA had it right.
 
 *HVB* wrote:
Sting's darker years clearly and in terms of drums as ports Copelan completely overshadowed by the great master Manu Katche

 
I suppose Katche might have the edge technically, but the difference is if Copeland is on the drums you can always recognise him. I don't think the same can be said for Katche. (Could you separate him from Omar Hakim for example?) So which do you value more, technical brilliance? Or individuality?
 katiediddler wrote:

Made sense that they hung it up after this album, It's an almost perfect nuanced pop album.



 
It is. Great way for them to go out. Even the Summers/Copeland numbers are entertaining if not on par with the rest of the record.

Saw them in 81 or 82 on the Ghost in the Machine tour. Fantastic show with 3 very energetic guys who played well together.

Copeland's "Rhythmatist" album is on the RP playlist. Fine stuff.
 DaMoGan wrote:

1983 is late 80s??
 
That Synchronicity tour rocked (way back...){#Cheesygrin}
 thewiseking wrote:
this is it. this is the middling, forgettable soundtrack of the uncool late 80s

 
1983 is late 80s??

I  like to criticize Sting.   

But this is a pretty damn good song !!

Yes. I know it is pop, but that doesn't mean Bill will start playing Neil Diamond every day.
 
Nice part of a surge of great music from the early 80s.
 kcar wrote:
He's composed some classical pieces. I think 60 Minutes did a piece years ago on his attempt to compose an opera for the Cleveland Orchestra. He's been pretty busy post-Police: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Copeland#Later_career 
 
When he hits that snare hard the first time, towards the end of this track, gets me ever single time. 
this is it. this is the middling, forgettable soundtrack of the uncool late 80s
 Seatown7 wrote:
Stewart Copeland is a drummer revered by every other drummer I've met...and fascinating to watch live. I even saw him play with an orchestra in Seattle once. Amazing!

 
He's composed some classical pieces. I think 60 Minutes did a piece years ago on his attempt to compose an opera for the Cleveland Orchestra. He's been pretty busy post-Police: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Copeland#Later_career 
 jhorton wrote:
Enough is enough! As a man who came of age in the eighties, I could easily live a long happy life without ever hearing this pop drivel again.

 
Seconded.
Live versions of this are better, but even the studio version holds up pretty well. This, Murder by Numbers and Walking in your footsteps are the only songs on Sychronicity that I can still stand.
Enough is enough! As a man who came of age in the eighties, I could easily live a long happy life without ever hearing this pop drivel again.
Sting's darker years clearly and in terms of drums as ports Copelan completely overshadowed by the great master Manu Katche
 Seatown7 wrote:
Stewart Copeland is a drummer revered by every other drummer I've met...and fascinating to watch live. I even saw him play with an orchestra in Seattle once. Amazing!

 
I saw him play with an Oysterhead in Seattle once...
SO WEIRD -

Just reading a forum where someone quoted this song randomly, and this song came on.

How's that for SYNCHRONICITY?

No joke. I'm kinda freaked out.
The lyrics for this one are actually pretty embarrassing. Still, it's better than the average multimillion-selling pop record.

{#Eek}


Another example of a big hit, played often on the radio and MTV in my day, which still deserves to be heard on RP.

Why - BECAUSE ITS A GREAT FREAKING SONG
Stewart Copeland is a drummer revered by every other drummer I've met...and fascinating to watch live. I even saw him play with an orchestra in Seattle once. Amazing!
 jimmpypowder wrote:

Stewart is certainly one of the finest drummers in rock history. I was very happy to see him a few years ago

during the Police's reunion tour.

 
I saw them during the same tour, too. But it was obvious who's the boss this time, for real. Whole concert sounded more Sting then Police oriented. They were missing... an edge.

 msbella wrote:
Okay, I've refrained till now, but these "classic" retreads that were played MILLIONS of times over and over and over again in their heyday are SO not what I want to hear on RP. There's a huge selection of interesting, beautiful, NOT-overexposed music out there... like the wonderful piece by Ray LaMontagne that followed this one today. Okay, rant over, except to plead with you (the programmers) to just skip the well-worn in favor of roads less traveled....
 

Second, with caveat.  There is a great song on this CD never played.  The title track of the CD (# II) is wonderful (as is the rest of this great CD).

 MiracleDrug wrote:
THIS was the album and song...

that cemented in my muscle memory, the certainty that I'd internalized Stewart's playing style
to the point of Memorex... {#Drummer}

 
Stewart is certainly one of the finest drummers in rock history. I was very happy to see him a few years ago

during the Police's reunion tour.

THIS was the album and song...

that cemented in my muscle memory, the certainty that I'd internalized Stewart's playing style
to the point of Memorex... {#Drummer}

Went to a Philharmonic concert last weekend with a group called "Jeans n' Classics" from Toronto that were terrific. Did a show of Sting and Police music (including this, obviously). Besides "impersonating" the originals so well, I was amazed at how well they transferred the music to an orchestra fronted my guitars and drum kit. Based on that experience, I'm probably upping my Police ratings, henceforth.

I got married in '83 when this song was "overplayed".

Still married so this song has good connotations for me.

Made sense that they hung it up after this album, It's an almost perfect nuanced pop album.


msbella wrote: Okay, I've refrained till now, but these "classic" retreads that were played MILLIONS of times over and over and over again in their heyday are SO not what I want to hear on RP. There's a huge selection of interesting, beautiful, NOT-overexposed music out there... like the wonderful piece by Ray LaMontagne that followed this one today. 
  
 
Johnny_Wave wrote:

I'd agree with this point in general, but occasionally queuing up a classic track seems OK to me.  Songs should stand on their own merits, and just because a given song may have been wildly popular in the past, that should not disqualify it from being part of the RP roster.  Besides, what happens if that "wonderful piece by Ray LaMontagne" caught on with the mainstream somewhere down the road and ended up getting massive airplay  over and over and over again — if it appeared on RP a couple of years later, would it suddenly be any less interesting and beautiful?

 
Perfect response - should be reposted everywhere somewhere complains about a song that was "overplayed on commercial radio" getting played on RP.

 chasech5 wrote:


And they had something similar to say about Neil Peart. Which just goes to show you that Blender sucks, and I guess they'd rather everyone just sing about gettin' chicks and not being able to drive 55. Thank goodness RP is better than that.
 
{#Whisper} I love Rush.

Copeland laid down a terrific drum track for this number.
I had that line "You consider me the young apprentice / caught between the Scylla and Charibdis" rattlin around in my head just the other day.

Some of Sting's best lyrics ever in this one!

Our 9th grade English teacher had us analyze this song. Mr. Sinese was a cool dude.
What a cool transition— Otis Redding to the Police.  Love ya Bill!!
LastChance wrote:
I thought Stuart Copeland was a good drummer until I saw the Police in concert a few years back. Then I saw that Stuart Copeland is a tremendous drummer. Wow.
Thanks for opening my ears to this aspect!

 msbella wrote:
Okay, I've refrained till now, but these "classic" retreads that were played MILLIONS of times over and over and over again in their heyday are SO not what I want to hear on RP. There's a huge selection of interesting, beautiful, NOT-overexposed music out there... like the wonderful piece by Ray LaMontagne that followed this one today.
 
I'd agree with this point in general, but occasionally queuing up a classic track seems OK to me.  Songs should stand on their own merits, and just because a given song may have been wildly popular in the past, that should not disqualify it from being part of the RP roster.  Besides, what happens if that "wonderful piece by Ray LaMontagne" caught on with the mainstream somewhere down the road and ended up getting massive airplay  over and over and over again — if it appeared on RP a couple of years later, would it suddenly be any less interesting and beautiful?

 LastChance wrote:
I thought Stuart Copeland was a good drummer until I saw the Police in concert a few years back. Then I saw that Stuart Copeland is a tremendous drummer. Wow.
 
Totally agree. And especially on this track.
I thought Stuart Copeland was a good drummer until I saw the Police in concert a few years back. Then I saw that Stuart Copeland is a tremendous drummer. Wow.
If I never hear this song again it will be too soon!  Too much air play!

I've heard this song a lot, because I listen to good music. {#Bananajam}


 stephw wrote:


To each his own I guess, but I personally haven't heard this Police classic on any regular radio station so thanks RP!!{#Bounce}
 
Thanks to RP, I haven't listened to any radio stations lately!

 sirdroseph wrote:


Sister, you preachin to the choir on this one, it is ok to here them every now and then and the true classics such as Floyd and Zep should always be played because they are the "untouchables" but I do not believe The Police fall into that category.
 

To each his own I guess, but I personally haven't heard this Police classic on any regular radio station so thanks RP!!{#Bounce}
 msbella wrote:
Okay, I've refrained till now, but these "classic" retreads that were played MILLIONS of times over and over and over again in their heyday are SO not what I want to hear on RP. There's a huge selection of interesting, beautiful, NOT-overexposed music out there... like the wonderful piece by Ray LaMontagne that followed this one today. Okay, rant over, except to plead with you (the programmers) to just skip the well-worn in favor of roads less traveled....
 

Sister, you preachin to the choir on this one, it is ok to here them every now and then and the true classics such as Floyd and Zep should always be played because they are the "untouchables" but I do not believe The Police fall into that category.
I think its the classics that make the new stuff exciting.... sometimes its just nice to remissness about what it was like the first few times you heard one of the all time classics..... never gets old

 
msbella wrote:
Okay, I've refrained till now, but these "classic" retreads that were played MILLIONS of times over and over and over again in their heyday are SO not what I want to hear on RP. There's a huge selection of interesting, beautiful, NOT-overexposed music out there... like the wonderful piece by Ray LaMontagne that followed this one today. Okay, rant over, except to plead with you (the programmers) to just skip the well-worn in favor of roads less traveled....
 


Okay, I've refrained till now, but these "classic" retreads that were played MILLIONS of times over and over and over again in their heyday are SO not what I want to hear on RP. There's a huge selection of interesting, beautiful, NOT-overexposed music out there... like the wonderful piece by Ray LaMontagne that followed this one today. Okay, rant over, except to plead with you (the programmers) to just skip the well-worn in favor of roads less traveled....
A classic. Thatisall.
saw the police at the nassau colisseum (n.y.) in nineteen-hundred-seventy-something. they rocked, really. but not all music ages gracefully. a lot of their tunes — like some perfectly decent wines — have turned to vinegar.
EssexTex wrote: The music's fine.

The spiky haired mosquito spoils it though.....tantric sex my ass
apd wrote:

er... that could be read as a request...
 
{#High-five} lmao

 EssexTex wrote:
The music's fine.

The spiky haired mosquito spoils it though.....tantric sex my ass

 
er... that could be read as a request...


The music's fine.

The spiky haired mosquito spoils it though.....tantric sex my ass

Lyrics, lyrics, lyrics.  Couple that with a snappy pop melody and arrangement and you have ... a classic.
nice song
 jagdriver wrote:


Funny.... that's what I was going to write! I guess I agree with myself.
 

Regarding the bass and drum playing, that is.

Unfortunately, I finished the book long ago. I write that because I enjoyed Andy's writing style and anecdotal narrative so much.
 jagdriver wrote:
Funny.... that's what I was going to write! I guess I agree with myself.
 
Hehe {#Cheesygrin}. Slow reader, eh?

Anyway. Loved this song in the 80s, and it's still special to me.
Radio power play can't ruin the real classics.

So very nice to hear this again, especially since I'm in the midst of reading (link ==>) Andy's very interesting memoir.

The recording of both the drumming and bass playing are outstanding on this track.


Great song! I love the sound of Copeland's drums.{#Jump}
 chasech5 wrote:


And they had something similar to say about Neil Peart. Which just goes to show you that Blender sucks, and I guess they'd rather everyone just sing about gettin' chicks and not being able to drive 55. Thank goodness RP is better than that.
 

Does Neil write those lame lyrics?  I always figured it was Getty.  I'm not a Rush fan - the lyrics alone kept me away. 

Blender said that about Rush, huh?  I'll have to check them out, I really couldn't agree more.  I like the music, but not the vocals and forget the lyrics. 

Sting, on the other hand, had me cracking open a dictionary and reading classics as a young impressionable lad.
The Syncronicity tour was the first concert I ever attended, UNIdome at the U of Northern Iowa. Won two tickets on the local radio station and my best friend and I got dropped off by my mom.... ugh how revolting, we had her drop us off a few blocks away in the cold Iowa November.

This song just brought back that night. I loved them then and still love the Police.

As for Blender, I have always found that magazines that use words like pretentious or banal usually need more pictures of music video chicks and less music critics.


Never realized how much he slurs on this song. It doesn't make him sound cooler. I would've given it a 6 on the crappy car fm stereo, but now it's a 3.

mjwstickings wrote:
The Blender list is amusing, but there's no way Sting deserves the top spot. He can be pretentious, yes, but hardly banal and pointless.

I can hardly make out what he sings anyway...I guess he tries to mask his duff lyrics with distorted squealing.

 chasech5 wrote:


And they had something similar to say about Neil Peart. Which just goes to show you that Blender sucks, and I guess they'd rather everyone just sing about gettin' chicks and not being able to drive 55. Thank goodness RP is better than that.
 

Amen to that.
They had the most gorgeous video for this song.
 chasech5 wrote:
And they had something similar to say about Neil Peart. Which just goes to show you that Blender sucks, and I guess they'd rather everyone just sing about gettin' chicks and not being able to drive 55. Thank goodness RP is better than that.

 
haha nice!  I actually laughed out loud at that!!

Hard to pick a favorite Police album but this is up there. Good song but not my favorite off the album. Man, this takes me back to the 80s. In a good way. :)
tupicetti wrote:
i I always enjoyed this video. Especially the part when Sting burns his foot dancing between the candles. Bet he curse a lot his foolishness...
Yeah..I "Bet he curse a lot his foolishness too!"
Well, this night The police will sing in "Heineken Jammin' Festival" in Mestre(Venice, Italy) and I'll be there... I hope their performance will be good.
Really loved this album when it came out - listened to it over and over. Still like most of the cuts from it - esp. Synchronicity II and Every Breath You Take. However, this one now annoys me a bit. Rating = 4. In terms of lyrics, isn't Sting just too easy of a target to say he's the worst? Clearly, more annoying pretension as he 'matured' - but there are some still some pretty awesome Police tracks with lyrics that are just fine. Roxanne, So Lonely, Every Little Thing She Does...
mjwstickings wrote:
The Blender list is amusing, but there's no way Sting deserves the top spot. He can be pretentious, yes, but hardly banal and pointless.
Yeah, he's not the worst. Hard not to groan when he mentions Scylla and Charibdes. It's like...ooh Sting! You're so well read!
Alexandra wrote:
i I always enjoyed this video. Especially the part when Sting burns his foot dancing between the candles. Bet he curse a lot his foolishness...
always hated it! Please cross it off the playlist!
Watch Everyone Stares.
Honeyman wrote:
Blender magazine just named Sting worst lyricist ever.
And they had something similar to say about Neil Peart. Which just goes to show you that Blender sucks, and I guess they'd rather everyone just sing about gettin' chicks and not being able to drive 55. Thank goodness RP is better than that.
Police good..."Stink" bad
jsjacob wrote:
I love how the bass part quickens for the last verse. I think it adds a sense of doom.
Yeah, who was the bass player, and whatever happened to him?
Honeyman wrote:
Blender magazine just named Sting worst lyricist ever.
The Blender list is amusing, but there's no way Sting deserves the top spot. He can be pretentious, yes, but hardly banal and pointless.
I can see the destiny you sold turn into a shinning band of gold. Thats brilliant and I sometimes can relate to this 100%
chix wrote:
8
Halte ich.
Blender magazine just named Sting worst lyricist ever.
QueenLucia wrote:
I will never understand the appeal of this whiney drivel.
Could I interest you in some Counting Crows?
8
I will never understand the appeal of this whiney drivel.
jsjacob wrote:
I love how the bass part quickens for the last verse. I think it adds a sense of doom.
Yeah, it's a totally different progression, that continues to climb and climb, never resting on the notes we've heard thus far. It does a great job of adding tension and underscoring what is basically the turning point of the song. Brilliant.
Rhyming apprentice and Charybdis..dang.
Truly great song!
he sings of deep, deep, yearning, burning, lusting, possessive, consuming Love ... just like I used to feel for all those girls, all those years ago. damn him, he's so good - every one a winner
I love how the bass part quickens for the last verse. I think it adds a sense of doom.
TonyBear wrote: Great band, Sting's solo stuff never came close purple_love wrote:
Nods.... yes..
Maybe you take another listen to The Dream of the Blue Turtles....
slartibart_O wrote:
Kanye West rapping with the Police on Message In Bottle at Live Earth was simply...... horrifying.
AGREED! WTF??? Do they have to sell out that much?? Guess they have to give the 20 and under crowd something to recognize. How about just getting Andy to play on time??
slartibart_O wrote:
Kanye West rapping with the Police on Message In Bottle at Live Earth was simply...... horrifying.
I bet, glad I didn't tune in for that!
Nothing reminds me of my life in the 80s more than this song.
Kanye West rapping with the Police on Message In Bottle at Live Earth was simply...... horrifying.
wilwheaton wrote:
I will never get tired of this song.
Me either. This is a great song
I will never get tired of this song.
This is the beach. Warm toes, beautiful girl, and an endless horizon.
TonyBear wrote:
Great band, Sting's solo stuff never came close
Nods.... yes..