Zenyatta Mondatta Songs Ranked
Zenyatta Mondatta (stylised as Zenyattà Mondatta on the album cover artwork) is the third studio album by English rock band the Police, released on 3 October 1980 by A&M Records. It was co-produced by the band and Nigel Gray. Zenyatta Mondatta was released to commercial success, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and producing the hit singles “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da”. The album won the band two Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” and Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Behind My Camel”. Here are all of Zenyatta Mondatta songs ranked.
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11. When the World is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around
“Great song with a long song title. It is The Police at its funkiest. Sting`s basslines are not short of brilliance, here, not to mention Andy`s guitar work and Stewart`s steady drumming”
10. Man in a Suitcase
“A short-but-effective ska/rock tune about what is like being in a band touring around the world. Energetic, fantastic and catchy. Great track to crank on your stereo.”
9. The Other Way of Stopping
“Great way to close this album: noteworthy is Andy Summers` excellent guitar work combined with Stewart Copeland`s precise drumming, which, in a way, overshadows Sting’s bassline (that is, if he actually plays the bass, here)”
See more: The Police Albums Ranked
8. Canary in a Coalmine
“It is a ska-rock tune and most danceable track of all. Picking up right after is the very un-Police fast paced “Canary In A Coalmine”. The complex writing and sociopolitical themes are all showing a massive maturity in the group’s writing capabilities.”
7. Driven to Tears
“An amazing track and, probably, one of the most well-crafted songs ever done. Sting`s social comments are present here, as well, as Andy`s brilliant guitar solo and Stewart’s strong drumming”
6. Bombs Away
“Stewart Copeland-penned tune sung by Sting (he unwillingly accepted to sing on this song, BTW). It is a brilliant comment of the USSR invasion in Afghanistan, filled with some Eastern music sounds, courtesy of Mr. Andy Summers on the guitar”
5. Shadows in the Rain
“Sting`s darkest but clever song with a slight reggae feel to it, Andy Summers’ subdued guitar textures and Stewart Copeland’s technically proficient drumming are also present here. Some people feel that it is one of the weakest tracks. Well, I say it is simply one of the hidden gems of this album. . Five years later, Sting found himself redoing “Shadows …..” for his debut solo album “The Dream of the Blue Turtles”
See more: The Police Songs Ranked
4. Voices Inside My Head
“Like “When The World Is Running Down”.., it is a Police funky song and, at the same time, hypnotic, due to Sting`s repeating basslines and Andy Summers`guitar work, completed by the chorus”Voices Inside My Head/Echoes of the Things that You Said”
3. Behind My Camel
“Andy Summers composed this instrumental song, which came out as an internal joke between producer Nigel Gray and band manager Miles Copeland that goes like this: “What do you normally find behind a camel? A monumental pile of sh*t!” Incidentally, Sting buried the master tape on the recording studio`s garden, as a sign that he would not play his bass part, leading Andy to record the bass part. Jokes and incidents aside, Andy Summers proved that he is a brilliant musician, although sometimes underrated. Anyway, the band won a Grammy Award for this instrumental track”
2. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
” It is a smart comment on messages delivered by poets, priests and politicians, whose over-the-top language is barely understood by the masses. It is also one of The Police`s most popular songs ever. NOTE: The song has four different versions: 1) the one presented here in its original English language; 2) a Japanese language import released as a B-Side of the original English “De, Do, Do, Do…); 3) a Spanish version aimed to several Latin American countries; 4) a 1986 remixed version. The former three tracks are available on the bootleg “Missing In A Box”
1. Don’t Stand So Close to Me
“It is the opening track of the album and, of course, one of the Police`s hits on it. It was partly inspired , by Vladimir Nabokov`s “Lolita”, which delves into a forbidden relationship between a teenage girl in her 16 or 17, and a grown-up man in his 40`s, and partly by Sting`s experience as a school teacher. The song is about a sickening relationship between a school girl and her teacher, with her stalking him, badly. Brilliant songwriting by Sting, completed by a great guitar and drum work by Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, respectively. Six years later, The Police remade this song for their first Greatest Hits compilation. But, it will never ever beat the original version”
