Be My Girl - Sally by The Police

Album: Outlandos d'Amour (1978)

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

"Sally" is an inflatable sex doll. This is made clear by a short poem written and recited by Andy Summers during the middle section of the song. The rest of the track was based on an unfinished Sting piece.
This was an early example of the band's twisted sense of humor, which would resurface in later Police songs such as "On Any Other Day", "Bombs Away" and "Murder By Numbers." >>>
Suggestion credit:
Joshua - La Crosse, WI, for above 2
A song like this is an example of one that would get selective radio play when it came out, but wouldn't be considered for air on most commercial radio stations these days. In the book MTV Ruled the World - The Early Years of Music Video, Police drummer Stewart Copeland says that the early-'80s music business felt like a "mom-n-pop" operation compared to modern big-business juggernauts: "With each radio station, the chain of command would go up to the owner of that station in that city, and it wouldn't go any further than that. The MD (music director) and the owner of the station - they were right there in your face. Nowadays, the record company A&M is owned by Universal, which is owned by Seagrams, which is owned by Halliburton, which is owned by the dark planet. And there is no upper echelon that you could even get to. It's sort of like it disappears into the haze, the hierarchy. Directives come down, and it's difficult to make requests that go up, to get permits, licenses, or decisions."

Comments: 8

Apple-o from UsaThis is so damn catchy, I love it, and can still recite the spoken part word for word. The Police were bloody brilliant!
Sandgroper Norm from Perthbloody brilliant! I grew up with the police. our local band - Spiny Norm - played this all the time. great leaping about music and lovely funny poem :)
Wintermute from FranceThegripester if one's girlfriend can get this humour, better get rid of her.
Terry from UkObviously no sense of humour (from Brsbane and NZ), personally I love it and feel it fits in nicely on the album - some decent music features as well!
Talisman78 from BrisbaneThe start and end bits are so strong but it's wasted on a silly poem breakdown! It infuriates me to no end!!!
Miles from Vancouver, CanadaFunny you mention that, Wade! My friend and former roommate thought the poem sounded like Nadsat when he first heard me play the album. Yes, a song like this wouldn't make it on the radio.
Wade from TopekaThe poem always sounded like it was being recited by Alex DeLarge :)
Thegripester from Wellington, New ZealandI always thought that this was the most useless track on any top-selling album of the era. Especially if you had it on while entertaining your girlfriend. If you didn't get up from the couch to change the album before it started playing this song, that might be your last date!

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Beverly HillsWeezer

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo wrote "Beverly Hills" after seeing a photo of the group Wilson Phillips and imagining what it would be like to marry someone famous.

TeardropMassive Attack

"Teardrop" by Massive Attack has vocals by Elizabeth Fraser of The Cocteau Twins, who wrote the lyric after learning that Jeff Buckley had died.

Last NiteThe Strokes

The Strokes admitted to purloining Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "American Girl" for their hit "Last Nite."

John Lennon's lead guitar work on Yoko Ono's "Walking On Thin Ice" proved to be his final creative act. It was upon their return home after completing laying down the track that Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman.

Everybody Have Fun TonightWang Chung

"Everybody Have Fun Tonight" is a rare hit with the band's name used as a verb: "Everybody Wang Chung tonight." The band says it can mean whatever you'd like it to.

At This MomentBilly Vera & the Beaters

"At This Moment" was first released by Billy Vera & the Beaters in 1981, and hit #79. After it was used in two episodes of Family Ties in 1985-1986, it went to #1.