Reggatta de Blanc

Album: Reggatta de Blanc (1979)
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Songfacts®:

  • The first three Police albums, Outlandos d'Amour, Reggatta de Blanc, and Zenyatta Mondatta, were named by their manager, Miles Copeland (Police drummer Stewart Copeland's brother), using words he made up. "Reggatta de Blanc" is the only one that is also the name of a song. In Copeland's language, it translates to "White Reggae," indicating the reggae rhythms the band was using. The fourth and fifth Police albums got away from this naming convention and were titled by Sting: Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity.
  • An instrumental (save for a few random words and vocalizations by Sting) this song developed out of live performances of "Can't Stand Losing You" when they would do an extended jam in the middle of the song to fill time - they didn't have a lot of songs back then. When it came time to record their second album, they turned this jam into its own song and made it the title track.
  • Along with "Deathwish," this is one of just two songs credited as written by all three members of the band: Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. Sting has the sole songwriting credit on most Police songs.

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