Walking on the Moon

"Walking on the Moon" is a song by English rock band The Police, released as the second single from their second studio album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979). The song was written by the band's lead vocalist and bassist Sting when he was drunk. It has since become a number one UK hit for the band, and it has appeared on numerous compilation albums.

The song has also been covered by numerous musicians, including Christian McBride, Intwine, and William Shatner.

Background

Sting said that he wrote the song when he was drunk one night after a concert in Munich. That following morning, he remembered the song and wrote it down.

In his autobiography, Sting alludes that the song was partially inspired by an early girlfriend:

According to Sting, the song was originally recorded "as a rocker" in early versions, but it was reworked. The riff, which is played on the bass, was described as "weird" and "jazzy" by Sting. The chord "which hits after the bass notes" throughout the song, was invented by guitarist Andy Summers.

The Police

The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting (lead singer, bassist and principal songwriter), Andy Summers (guitarist) and Stewart Copeland (drummer). The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and are generally regarded as one of the first new wave groups to achieve mainstream success, playing a style of rock that was influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. They are also considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the U.S. They disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a one-off world tour that ended in August 2008.

Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d'Amour, reached No. 6 in the UK, and their second album Reggatta de Blanc became the first of five consecutive UK No. 1 albums.Synchronicity from 1983 was No. 1 in both the UK and U.S., selling over 8 million copies in the U.S. alone. The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. They were the world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, thanks to their reunion tour.

Moon

The Moon (in Greek: σελήνη Selene, in Latin: Luna) is Earth's only natural satellite. It is one of the largest natural satellites in the Solar System, and, among planetary satellites, the largest relative to the size of the planet it orbits (its primary). It is the second-densest satellite among those whose densities are known (after Jupiter's satellite Io).

The Moon is thought to have formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago, not long after Earth. There are several hypotheses for its origin; the most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia.

The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. It is the second-brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth's sky after the Sun, as measured by illuminance on Earth's surface. Although it can appear a very bright white, its surface is actually dark, with a reflectance just slightly higher than that of worn asphalt. Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have, since ancient times, made the Moon an important cultural influence on language, calendars, art, and mythology.

On the Moon

On the Moon is an album by jazz pianist, singer and composer Peter Cincotti, released on the Concord label. Produced by Phil Ramone.,

Track listing

Personnel

Walking On

Walking On is a studio album by musicians Ananda Shankar and State of Bengal, released on 12 September 1999 by Real World Records.

Background

State of Bengal (Zaman) learned to play bass in three weeks for the project.

Critical response

Peggy Latkovich of AllMusic said of Walking On, "It's all delivered with lavish abandon and a sense of fun. Dig it." Prasad Bidaye of Exclaim! said of the album, "It simply rocks, albeit in a different language, and that's rare in such instances of east-west fusion.

Indian Electronica rated the album 5/5 and called it "...an extremely fun album that has oodles of 1960s/70s Bollywood Funk. Not cheesy, but 'paneery.'." Biz of EthnoTechno said, "Folk instrumental melodies, phat beats, mesmerizing loops, and swirling flourishes of sonic waves. Have yourself a taste!"

Track listing

References

External links