It may not have found success immediately upon release, but The Police’s early single “Roxanne” eventually became one of the band’s signature songs. Today, the track continues to reach new milestones, hitting one billion streams on Spotify. “Roxanne” is the group’s second song to hit one billion streams on the platform, following “Every Breath You Take,” which has now surpassed three billion streams.
“Roxanne” was originally released in 1978 as the band’s first single with A&M records ahead of their debut album, Outlandos d’Amour. As the group tells it, they originally had mixed feelings about the track. “We went into Surrey Sound Studios and it was working pretty well,” Sting shared in a documentary. “We recorded a few tracks, one of which I wrote more or less as a throwaway. That was ‘Roxanne.’”
Their attitude shifted when they played the song for Miles Copeland III, guitarist Stewart Copeland’s brother and the band’s future manager. “Far from saying he thought it was a piece of shit, he said it was amazing,” Sting reflected. “I thought, ‘He likes this song. This is fantastic!” It was then that he became the group’s manager, and secured their deal with A&M.
Despite the vote of confidence, “Roxanne” failed to chart upon release. In early 1979, the song was released in North America, where it entered the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number 32. The song was then re-released in the U.K., and managed to reach number 12 in the U.K. Singles Chart. “Roxanne” was followed by the singles “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “So Lonely.”
“Roxanne” has been on all of The Police’s greatest hits albums, and been featured in numerous “best of” lists, including Rolling Stones’ 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004. In 2008, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Buy The Police’s Outlandos d’Amour on CD here.
