Bring On the POLL - ILM Artist Poll #116 - THE POLICE - (Results Thread)

https://i.imgur.com/kRxZH4G.jpg

1. Message in a Bottle
From: Reggatta de Blanc
Single Released: February 1979
875 Points, 22 Votes, 5 Number Ones

Whoop, not quite.

1	875	22	5	Message in a Bottle
2	802	21	2	Synchronicity II
3	753	22	3	Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
4	748	21	1	Walking on the Moon
5	672	19	4	When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around
6	653	20	1	Don’t Stand So Close to Me
7	652	20	1	Bring on the Night
8	628	19	1	Driven To Tears
9	603	19		Invisible Sun
10	601	16		Can’t Stand Losing You
11	600	19		Spirits in the Material World
12	599	17		So Lonely
13	589	17	1	Synchronicity I
14	529	17		King of Pain
15	508	15	1	Roxanne
16	492	16		The Bed’s Too Big Without You
17	486	14	2	Ωmegaman
18	473	17		Wrapped Around Your Finger
19	436	13	1	Secret Journey
20	374	11		Every Breath You Take
21	366	11	1	It’s Alright for You
22	354	11		Next to You
23	322	10	1	Darkness
24	312	10		Canary in a Coal Mine
25	276	9		De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
26	271	8		Voices in My Head
27	266	8		Truth Hits Everybody
28	245	8	1	No Time This Time
29	209	6		Demolition Man
30	200	7		Man in a Suitcase
31	183	5	1	I Burn for You
32	176	6		Tea in the Sahara
33	174	6		Bombs Away
34	170	6		Does Everyone Stare
35	165	6		Contact
36	149	5		Murder by Numbers
37	148	5		Shadows in the Rain
38	143	5		Too Much Information
39	119	4		Rehumanize Yourself
40	110	4		Mother

I will post full results later.

Good poll, thanks Bee OK!

Yes, great poll. It was my first to vote in and was a lot of fun.

So thanks for running it, Bee!

"When The World..." was my #1.

i guess this is our last goodbye

The only one of my picks that didn't show up was "O My God." In hindsight, I might have swapped it out for "Miss Gradenko" (which also failed to land in the top 40, lol).

Not for the first time, my relistening for the poll made me aware of the bassline similarities between "When the World" and Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime." On checking, those two albums came out within a week of each other — Zenyatta Mondatta on Oct. 3, 1980, and Remain in Light on Oct. 8. Both were recorded the summer of 1980. Something in the air I guess.

Let me know if anyone needs their ballot, I'll post mine in a bit...

great poll, great job Bee OK! i for one am definitely not done with this week's Police deep dive, it's been a pleasure. can't believe Miss Gradenko got shut out tho.

Wow. Great exercise. Mad thanks to Bee OK for running it.

Quite illuminating - lots of overlap but strong divisions! Like, the poll's top 5 and my top 5 are very different. My #1 (It's Alright for You") placed middling-low. My #2 ("On Any Other Day") didn't place at all. The rest is a melange. The closest I got to the ilm hivemind is that I had "Don't Stand" and "Walking on the Moon" as my #4 and 5; they came out #6 and 4 in the poll(ice).

I had "Message" at #3, "Synchronicity II" at #1.

Everything on my list placed except for the b-side "Shambelle". "Synchronicity II" was also my personal #2.

Cool to see Invisible Sun place so high. Surely the single of theirs I've heard the least in the wild (maybe a US/UK thing?). And its sound is so weird and alien... The way the chorus arrives is just like sinking into this dark solarized electronic fuzz, really unlike any other pop chorus I can think of. Together with Spirits and the cover art, it always makes me want a whole album of these icy, unsettling, synth-heavy Police album (though as of today I'm really digging all the jumped-up, horn-heavy ska exercises.)

A touch unfortunate that it's saddled with the staggeringly bad line "looking like something that the cat brought in."

The video is consistent with that vibe as well.

And, as I confirmed a couple days ago, "Message in a Bottle" peaked at #74 in America.

"like something the cat dragged in" is a pretty common phrase in the uk, so it doesn't really stick out here as particularly bad or awkward, and lord knows sting has written far worse lines. is it used at all in the US?

LOL I was the only person not to vote for “Synchronicity II” and it almost won the damn thing.

Thanks, Bee OK!

Part I
1. Darkness
2. Secret Journey
3. Synchronicity I
4. Message in a Bottle
5. Walking on the Moon
6. Canary in a Coalmine
7. Spirits in the Material World
8. Bring On the Night
9. Don’t Stand So Close to Me
10. Invisible Sun
11. Omegaman
12. Miss Grandenko
13. Contact
14. Bombs Away
15. When the World Is Running Down
16. Driven to Tears
17. Man in a Suitcase
18. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
19. The Bed’s Too Big Without You
20. Can’t Stand Losing You

Part 2
1. Ghost in the Machine
2. Regatta de Blanc
3. Zenyartta Mondata
4. Synchronicity
5. Outlandos D’Amour

Part 3
1. I Advance Masked (I Advance Masked)
2. Bring On the Night/When the World Is Running Down (Bring On the Night)
3. Fortress Around Your Heart
4. We Work the Black Seam
5. Be Still My Beating Heart
6. If I Ever Lose My Faith in You
7. Hardy Country (I Advance Masked)
8. Mad About You
9. China Yellow Leader (I Advance Masked)
10. Red Rain (Peter Gabriel)

is it used at all in the US?

Mostly by Poison.

I could see that might deter other adopters

I didn't vote for Synchronicity II because of "kick in the crotch."

Honestly shocked Miss Gradenko didn’t place and Mother did.

The cat-dragged idiom absolutely exists in the US - I should have clarified that what's jarring is specifically the encounter with this bland cliche that seems not at all appropriate to the situation. Could be that's Sting's intent, for this song about everyday life in seemingly unbearable circumstances...

This poll actually happened by accident. In October I figured out that ILM was about 115 polls deep and we hadn't run the Police poll. I immediately added my name to the queue and thought I would run it within about three years. Our last poll Wilco finished in end of October, then there was the abandoned Punk poll. No-one else seemed ready to run a poll and there was plenty of time left in this year. It seemed like such a simple poll to run so I rushed it to the front of my queue and then opened it up. Makes me wonder how many big gaps we have in the queue. For instance Black Sabbath is up next, who knows if it will happen this year or next because now the EOY shift is staring to happen.

Bottom line, fun poll and I had a blast running this one. Wish it happened when I wasn't so busy at work. Glad ILM was able to share this experience.

Thanks for your work and enthusiasm! Really enjoyed revisiting a major stage of my musical development.

Great poll! A lot of my faves showed up in the middle of the list but I'm hivemindy in seeing "Every Little Thing" and "Message in a Bottle" as the best two big hits. (OK I don't rate Sync II as high.)

Message in a Bottle, like King of Pain, has the virtue that there's no way it should be able to be this corny and this good.

Yeah, thanks again for running it. I haven't joined in on one of these in a while, it was fun.

Songs

When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around
So Lonely
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Bring on the Night
Can’t Stand Losing You
I Burn for You
Message in a Bottle
Voices Inside My Head
Demolition Man
Synchronicity II
Every Breath You Take
Walking on the Moon
Driven to Tears
Rehumanize Yourself
Next to You
Synchronicity I
The Bed’s Too Big Without You
Too Much Information
It’s Alright for You
Secret Journey

Albums

Regatta de Blanc
Ghost in the Machine
Zenyatta Mondatta
Outlandos d’Amour
Synchronicity

Solo tracks

“Red Rain” — Peter Gabriel w/Stewart Copeland on hi-hat
“Only You” — Sting
“Don’t Care” — Klark Kent
“I Advance Masked” — Andy Summers and Robert Fripp
“All This Time” — Sting
“Consider Me Gone” — Sting
“Fields of Gold” — Sting
“Don’t Box Me In” — Stan Ridgway w/Stewart Copeland
“Brimstone and Treacle (Theme)” — Sting
“Mr. Oysterhead” — Oysterhead

My Ballot

I Burn For You
Omega Man
Synchronicity I
When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around
Voices Inside My Head
Secret Journey
Driven to Tears
It's Alright for You
Invisible Sun
Can't Stand Losing You
Synchronicity II
Canary in a Coalmine
Wrapped Around Your Finger
Demolition Man
Rehumanize Yourself
King of Pain
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Truth Hits Everybody
Darkness
The Bed's Too Big Without You

Sting - Fragile
Stewart Copeland & Stan Ridgway - Don't Box Me In
Sting - Fortress Around Your Heart
Andy Summers & Robert Fripp - I Advance Masked
Sting - Fields of Gold
Sting - Desert Rose
Andy Summers - How Can I Forget
Sting - The Soul Cages
Sting - Seven Days
Andy Summers & Robert Fripp - Guide

Thanks again Bee OK! I mentioned upthread that the poll was great, and it doesn't get said enough that these polls --- and keeping up the rolling poll organization/communication project! --- take time and energy. It's like you're throwing the rest of us a multi-day musical picnic, or a big band-themed bar night where we can all nerd out. The magic of ILX in general, but with one person stepping up to make it extra fun. So thank you!

Also, man, I've listened to Demolition Man like seven times today. Definitely the day I first "really heard" it. In addition to whatever else I said about it earlier, it's this really tight, loopy high-speed post-punk number, almost No Wavey,

nicely done; thanks bee!

Adding to the chorus of praise for Bee in running this down (npi).

I have two minor regrets about my ballot. One is that I accidentally triple-listed "Don't Stand." I meant to do one vote for the original and one for the '86 remake. Absent-mindedly omitted "The Bed's too Big" and "Red Rain." But otherwise I stand by my votes.

1. It's Alright for You
2. On Any Other Day
3. So Lonely
4. Don't Stand So Close to Me
5. Walking on the Moon
6. Contact
7. Can't Stand Losing You
8. Don't Stand So Close to Me
9. Next to You
10. Message in a Bottle
11. Does Everyone Stare
12. No Time This Time
13. Don't Stand So Close to Me 86
14. Synchronicity II
15. Murder by Numbers
16. De Do Do Do
17. Roxanne
18. Wrapped Around Your Finger

Albums

1. Regatta de Blanc
2. Outlandos d'Amour
3. Ghost in the Machine
4. Dream of the Blue Turtles

Sting Solo and collab

1. Why Should I Cry for You
2. Shape of My Heart
3. Fortress Around Your Heart
4. If You Love Somebody
5. Love is the Seventh Wave
6. Long Long Way to Go

Tracks
Driven To Tears
Synchronicity II
Can’t Stand Losing You
The Bed’s Too Big Without You
Spirits In The Material World
Walking On The Moon
Invisible Sun
King Of Pain
Roxanne
So Lonely
Canary In A Coalmine
Bring On The Night
Wrapped Around Your Finger
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Message In A Bottle
Synchronicity I
No Time This Time
Darkness
Does Everyone Stare
When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around

Albums
Regatta De Blanc
Ghost In The Machine
Zenyatta Mondatta
Synchronicity
Outlandos D’Amour

I was disappointed to see "Mother" at #40, for two reasons:
1. I voted for it.
2. If it hadn't charted at all, it would have been a frighteningly plausible joke #1.

Not as plausible for #1, but "Friends" would work as a good joke top 10 placement.

Full Results

Solo:

Place, Points, Votes, Number Ones, Song-Artist

1	445	10	2	Fortress Around Your Heart - Sting
2	210	5	1	Fragile - Sting
3	204	5	1	All This Time - Sting
4	198	5		If You Love Somebody Set Them Free - Sting
5	189	4	2	Don’t Care - Klark Kent
6	168	4	1	I Advance Masked - Andy Summers and Robert Fripp
7	150	4		Fields of Gold - Sting
8	149	4		We'll Be Together - Sting
9	132	3	2	Red Rain -  Peter Gabriel w/Stewart Copeland on hi-hat
10	126	3	1	If I Ever Lose My Faith In You - Sting
11	112	3		Englishman In New York - Sting
12	109	3		Money for Nothing - Dire Straits w/Sting
13	96	2	1	Away From Home - Klark Kent
14	92	2		Children's Crusade - Sting
15	90	2	1	Why Should I Cry for You? - Sting
16	83	2		We Work the Black Seam - Sting
17	82	2		Consider Me Gone - Sting
18	79	2		Don’t Box Me In - Stan Ridgway w/Stewart Copeland
19	78	2		Love Is the Seventh Wave - Sting
20	74	2		Desert Rose - Sting
21	50	1	1	Across the River - Peter Gabriel/Stewart Copeland/Shankar/David Rhodes
22	50	1	1	I Burn For You - Sting
23	46	1		Bring On the Night/When the World Is Running Down (Bring On the Night) - Sting
24	46	1		Only You - Sting
25	46	1		Shape of My Heart - Sting
26	43	1		I Hung My Head – Sting
27	43	1		Excesses - Stewart Copeland
28	40	1		There's A Spy (In The House Of Love) - Animal Logic w/Stewart Copeland
29	38	1		Be Still My Beating Heart - Sting
30	38	1		The Equalizer Busy Equalizing - Stewart Copeland
31	36	1		Long Long Way to Go - Phil Collins and Sting
32	35	1		Big Time - Peter Gabriel w/Stewart Copeland
33	35	1		Hardy Country - Andy Summers and Robert Fripp
34	35	1		How Can I Forget - Andy Summers
35	34	1		Mad About You - Sting
36	34	1		The Soul Cages - Sting
37	33	1		Brimstone and Treacle (Theme) - Sting
38	33	1		China Yellow Leader - Andy Summers and Robert Fripp
39	33	1		Seven Days - Sting
40	32	1		Brand New Day - Sting
41	32	1		Guide - Andy Summers and Robert Fripp
42	32	1		Mr. Oysterhead - Oysterhead w/Stewart Copeland
43	32	1		The Ballad of Mack The Knife - "Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill"

Albums:

Points, Votes, Number Ones, Albums

1	190	22	7	Reggatta de Blanc
2	174	20	7	Ghost in the Machine
3	164	20	4	Zenyattà Mondatta
4	147	19	2	Synchronicity
5	126	18	1	Outlandos d'Amour
6	10	1	1	The Soul Cages - Sting
7	8	1		...Nothing Like The Sun - Sting
8	8	1		Klark Kent
9	7	1		Dream of the Blue Turtles - Sting
10	6	1		Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings

Songs:

Place, Points, Votes, Number Ones, Tracks, *Notes

1	875	22	5	Message in a Bottle	
2	802	21	2	Synchronicity II	
3	753	22	3	Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic	
4	748	21	1	Walking on the Moon	
5	672	19	4	When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around	
6	653	20	1	Don’t Stand So Close to Me	1986 Version 2 Votes
7	652	20	1	Bring on the Night	
8	628	19	1	Driven To Tears	[live in Fréjus 1980, from "Urgh! A Music War" 1 Vote
9	603	19		Invisible Sun	
10	601	16		Can’t Stand Losing You	
11	600	19		Spirits in the Material World	
12	599	17		So Lonely	
13	589	17	1	Synchronicity I	
14	529	17		King of Pain	
15	508	15	1	Roxanne	
16	492	16		The Bed’s Too Big Without You	
17	486	14	2	Ωmegaman
18	473	17		Wrapped Around Your Finger
19	436	13	1	Secret Journey
20	374	11		Every Breath You Take
21	366	11	1	It’s Alright for You
22	354	11		Next to You
23	322	10	1	Darkness
24	312	10		Canary in a Coal Mine
25	276	9		De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
26	271	8		Voices in My Head
27	266	8		Truth Hits Everybody
28	245	8	1	No Time This Time
29	209	6		Demolition Man
30	200	7		Man in a Suitcase
31	183	5	1	I Burn for You
32	176	6		Tea in the Sahara
33	174	6		Bombs Away
34	170	6		Does Everyone Stare
35	165	6		Contact
36	149	5		Murder by Numbers
37	148	5		Shadows in the Rain
38	143	5		Too Much Information
39	119	4		Rehumanize Yourself
40	110	4		Mother
41	101	3		Regatta De Blanc
42	100	3		Walking in Your Footsteps
43	92	3		Miss Gradenko
44	74	2		On Any Other Day
45	65	2		O My God
46	57	2		Hungry For You (J'Aurais Toujours Faim De Toi)
47	51	2		Deathwish
48	49	2		Behind My Camel
49	47	2		Hole in My Life
50	32	1		Low Life
51	28	1		Masoko Tanga
52	26	1		Be My Girl - Sally
53	25	1		Born in the ‘50s
54	24	1		Shambelle
55	24	1		The Other Way of Stopping

love the raga rock thing that 'deathwish' does, surprised that it came so low down. has a good dose of andy's psych-rock heritage in that one

You guys are gonna be mad but listening to Ghost in the Machine again I still think there's too many horns on it

too many notes?

Any guesses as to which album tracks will receive zero votes?

― Halfway there but for you, Friday, November 25, 2022 5:19 PM (two weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink

"Peanuts"

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Friday, November 25, 2022 9:46 PM (two weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink

Correct! The other album track no-one voted for was "One World".

It's fine!

"Zero Votes (Not One)"

Peanuts was a late cut from my ballot.

I wonder how much the voting thread title affected the result for When the World is Running Down? It sure focused me on how much I love that track.

I really dislike that Sting rhymed "rain" with "reign". feels like you're not supposed to do that

have you spoken to Bernard Sumner about rules

Wow, I had no idea “Fortress Around Your Heart” was held in such high regard. More than twice the number of 2nd place votes! I need to listen to solo Sting again.