The Story Behind the Song Podcast

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The Police are nothing short of iconic. The English rock band’s blend of pop sensibilities, punk-influenced attitudes, and jazz-esque technical chops brought them acclaim and a number of eternal hits — not the least of which is “Roxanne.”

One of the band’s defining tunes, “Roxanne” is a song that changed the fortunes of the The Police. The song was written by lead singer and bassist Sting for their debut album, Outlandos d’Amour, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. Yet, it would not have found its rhythmic magic if drummer Stewart Copeland hadn’t re-envisioned the song’s bossa nova stylings, turning the track into a reggae-rock anthem.

On this episode of The Story Behind the Song, Copeland joins host Peter Csathy to reveal the full history of “Roxanne.” Elsewhere, Copeland also discusses his two recent grammies from Divine Tides with Ricky Kej and the release of his new album Police Deranged for Orchestra, a studio recording of his on-going orchestral tour. Copeland has more “Police Deranged” tour dates on the horizon, with European tickets available here and upcoming US dates on sale here.

Listen to the full conversation with The Police’s Stewart Copeland about the story behind “Roxanne” and more in this episode, and watch some of the interview highlights below. Then make sure to like, review, and subscribe to TSBTS wherever you get podcasts for updates on all our new episodes.

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For more, follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our series, and check out host Peter Csathy on Twitter @pcsathy and at Creative Media.