My Evolution of Understanding of the song "Don't Stand So Close To Me".

Hello,

This blog is a brief timeline of my understanding of The Police's "Don't Stand So Close To Me":

"Don't Stand So Close To Me"

Young teacher, the subject
Of schoolgirl fantasy
She wants him so badly
Knows what she wants to be
Inside her there's longing
This girl's an open page
Book marking - she's so close now
This girl is half his age

Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me

Her friends are so jealous
You know how bad girls get
Sometimes it's not so easy
To be the teacher's pet
Temptation, frustration
So bad it makes him cry
Wet bus stop, she's waiting
His car is warm and dry

Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me

Loose talk in the classroom
To hurt they try and try
Strong words in the staffroom
The accusations fly
It's no use, he sees her
He starts to shake and cough
Just like the old man in
That book by Nabakov

Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me

Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me

(Thanks to azlyrics.com for the above lyrics.)

The Police released "Don't Stand So Close To Me" on September 19th, 1980. On that day I was 13 years old. As I was huge into music at the time, and still am, I'm sure I heard this song pretty soon after it's release. When I first heard the song I had no idea what "that book by Nabotov" was. In fact I doubt I had more than a cursory knowledge of what the song's lyrics were about.

It took me awhile to realize "that book" was Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita". From amazon.com: "Nabokov's most famous and controversial novel, which tells the story of the aging Humbert Humbert's obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze."

After figuring out which book was referred to, it took me awhile to figure out what "Lolita" was about. It makes me feel like a pervert to even think about reading it, so I still haven't read it. But several years ago I did see the movie with my then wife. We were both quite shocked, honestly the below trailer is much better than the movie:

Now 34 years after first hearing the song "Don't Stand So Close To Me", I understand the concept a lot more. Of course it helps that I understand life a lot more.

Of course "Glee" set in a high school was poised to comment on the theme of "Lolita":

Obviously the Police were huge in the 80's and Sting went on to enjoy a successful post Police career. I previously have written about Andy Summers and his band Circa Zero, I quite like their "Circus Hero" CD.

I also love the Police's very literate "Wrapped Around Your Finger":

I was pleased that 5 Seconds of Summer "Wrapped Around Your Finger" wasn't a cover of the Police classic. One of the things I love about blogging is the discovery of new things. I'd never heard of 5 Seconds of Summer's "Wrapped Around Your Finger", but it's a damn fine song on it's own:

Although the Police essentially broke up in 1986, they reunited in 2007 to celebrate their 30th anniversary and to generate more revenue (let's be honest here.) I'll usually only invest my money in these so-called reunion tours if they are actually decent. Thanks to my friends at Rdio, I've quite enjoyed the Police's reunion tour CD "Certifiable". It's the sound of a band 30 years on from their beginnings that still knew how to rock and kick butt at the same time. I strongly suggest you listen to "Certifiable" in your downtime.

themusicaddict