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"Don't Stand So Close to Me"
1980 single cover
Single by The Police from the album Zenyattà Mondatta
Released	October 1980
Format	vinyl record (7")
Recorded	1980
Genre	New Wave
Length	4:03
Label	A&M - AMS 7564
Writer	Sting
Producer	Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers
The Police singles chronology
"Walking on the Moon" (1979) "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (1980) "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (1980) Alternate Covers [[Image:|U.K. 7–inch cover|200px]] U.K. 7–inch cover

"Don't Stand So Close to Me" is a 1980 song and hit single by the British rock band The Police. It concerns a schoolgirl's crush on her young teacher and the teacher's nervousness about the situation. The Police won the 1982 Grammy Award for "Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" for this song. A remixed version of the song was re-released in 1986 as "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86".

Contents 1 Background 2 Personnel 3 Cultural references 4 1980 single release 5 Track listing 5.1 7": A&M / AMS 7564 6 1986 remix single release 7 Track listing 7.1 7": A&M / AM 354 7.2 12": A&M / AMY 354 8 See also 9 External links 10 References

The song deals with the mixed feelings of the teacher, his lust on one hand, and the inappropriateness leading to "strong words in the staff room; the accusations fly", and to the girl being teased. The title expresses the second feeling.

Similar to another Police song ("Every Breath You Take") "Don't Stand So Close to Me" may be considered an example of a paranoia song because of the situation of the schoolteacher—trying to avoid temptation with the girl who lusts after him. The music and lyrics of the song were written by the lead singer of The Police, Sting, who had previously worked as an English teacher. In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD ...All This Time, Sting denied that the song is autobiographical.

The line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" alludes to Vladimir Nabokov's famous novel Lolita which covers similar issues.

Sting was asked to perform on Mark Knopfler's "Money for Nothing" as he was in Montserrat at the time, and reused the melody from the chorus of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" in the counterpoint lyric 'I want my MTV'. It was only after this story was related to reporters during promotions for the Brothers in Arms album that lawyers for Sting became involved, and later copies of the album co-credit the song to Sting. The initial pressings list only Mark Knopfler. It is one of only two shared songwriting credits on any Dire Straits album.

• Sting - Lead vocals, bass guitar
• Andy Summers - Guitars
• Stewart Copeland - Drums

• The chorus of the song was featured in the season one Thanksgiving episode of Friends, "The One Where Underdog Gets Away." Joey Tribbiani accepts what he believes to be a modelling gig for a series of public health posters, but it turns out to be a picture depicting Joey as someone with a sexually transmitted disease. A montage of scenes is shown with city workers putting up the posters all across the city as the song is played. ^[1]

• On the season two finale episode "Casino Night" of NBC's The Office, the character Kevin is in a Police cover band Scrantonicity that performs "Don't Stand So Close to Me" on their audition tape.

• Memphis Rapper Gangsta Boo features the most recent version on her 2001 album, Both Worlds *69.

• In the webcomic Irregular by David Morgan-Mar, the sword of the hobbit Lambert(sting)sings it whenever Orcs are near.

• Name of an episode from the TV show Grey's Anatomy.

• In the Veronica Mars episode "Mars vs. Mars", a group of girls tease a classmate who has allegedly had an affair with a teacher by regaling her with the song during a lunch break.

• In the Gym Class Heroes song, "Scandalous Scholastics", a reference is made to "Don't Stand So Close to Me" as the song is about a young student who has an affair with his teacher: "This isn't how it was supposed to be, reminiscent of Don't Stand So Close to Me".

• In the sixteenth season episode of The Simpsons, "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister", "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is played during the Lisa/Bart montage.

"Don't Stand So Close to Me" appeared on The Police's album Zenyatta Mondatta (A&M), and became a hit 'No.1' UK single along with a corresponding music video. It was the single that 'broke' The Police in the USA, as it reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. In the U.K, the track was confirmed by the end of 1980 to have been the biggest selling single of that year.

1. "Don't Stand So Close To Me" - 4:03
2. "Friends" - 3:37

Preceded by "Feels Like I'm in Love" by Kelly Marie

UK number one single September 21, 1980 (1980-09-21)

Succeeded by "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand

"Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"
Single by The Police from the album Every Breath You Take: The Singles
B-side	"Don't Stand So Close To Me" (Live)
Released	October 1986 (1986-10)
Format	7" / CD single
Recorded	1986
Genre	Rock
Length	4:40
Label	A&M Records
Writer	Sting
Producer	Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers
The Police singles chronology
"King of Pain" (1984) "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" (1986) "Can't Stand Losing You (live)" (1995)

The song was re-recorded in 1986 in a new, brooding arrangement with a different chorus and a more opulent production. The new version appeared as "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" on the album Every Breath You Take: The Singles.

A slight change occurs in the lyrics where the line becomes "Just like the old man in that famous book by Nabokov" (adding the word 'famous'). A new music video was produced for the reworked song that was notable for its early use of animated computer graphics. This single was reportedly also one of the first commercial CD singles ever produced.

As The Police had already disbanded by the time the 1986 single was released, this is technically the most recent recording the band has released to the present day.

1. "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86" - 4:47
2. "Don't Stand So Close To Me" (Live) - 3:40

1. "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86" (Dance Mix) - 6:32
2. "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86" - 4:47
3. "Don't Stand So Close To Me" (Original Version) - 4:03
4. "Don't Stand So Close To Me" (Live) - 3:40

• Lolita

• "Don't Stand So Close To Me" music video with lyrics

v • d • e The Police
Sting | Andy Summers | Stewart Copeland
Henry Padovani
Discography
Studio albums: Outlandos d'Amour | Reggatta de Blanc | Zenyattà Mondatta | Ghost in the Machine | Synchronicity
Singles: "Fall Out" • "Roxanne" • "Can't Stand Losing You" • "So Lonely" • "Message in a Bottle" • "Walking on the Moon" • "Don't Stand So Close to Me" • "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" • "Invisible Sun" • "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" • "Spirits in the Material World" • "Every Breath You Take" • "Wrapped Around Your Finger" • "Synchronicity II" • "King of Pain" • "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"
Compilations: Every Breath You Take: The Singles | Greatest Hits | Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings | Every Breath You Take: The Classics | The Very Best of Sting & The Police | The Police
Live albums: Live!
Tours
The Police Around the World Tour | Zenyattà Mondatta Tour | Ghost in the Machine Tour | Synchronicity Tour | A Conspiracy of Hope Tour | The Police Reunion Tour