King of Pain

Pretty much since about the age of 10 or 11 I have been a big fan of the Police. I remember unwrapping my copy of Zenyatta Mondatta for Christmas one year and needing to play it straightaway. I think the Police have a great sound. The trio of Sting (Gordon Sumner), Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland playing that mix of rock and reggae (often described as part of the ‘New Wave’ style) reached out to a mix of audiences. As musicians the three of them are very accomplished. Stewart Copeland easily makes it into my top ten percussionists – I love to watch him play. As lyricists s they always provided interesting and clever lyrics – from the story of a prostitute in Roxanne, the troubles in Northern Ireland in Invisible Sun to the clever anti-love song lyrics of Every Breath You Take to a very love song type piece of music.
As you can imagine after they went on a extremely long hiatus following the Synchronicity album and tour I was gutted. They were certainly the first band that I wanted to see live. After this I did get to see Sting a few times and he would play a few Police songs, but it wasn’t what I really, really wanted to see.

So Fast Forward a good few years and, again, you can imagine my delight that they decided to reform and do a final tour. I was over the Moon! I kept my eyes out for the concert dates and managed to get tickets for myself and a few friends (and of course the better half) at the Millennium Stadium. However, fate, as it is its wont decided it had other things in store. Captain Chaos was struck down seriously ill with a sepsis. I know I say this a lot but this certainly is a story for another post. It’s still early days on this blog and I will eventually get around to it. So, after seven weeks of stress and worry fate decides, much to our relief the hospital planned to release her the week of the concert. That left us with a no brainer, the tickets had to go.

However it transpired that fate, with its notoriously fickle finger, decided I’d get one final chance to see the Police. Due to Sting suffering with a sore throat first time around a number of concerts were cancelled and rescheduled. This meant that there were some returned tickets available and, needless to say, I pounced on a couple of them. And in fate’s grand scheme of things (and maybe compensation) these tickets where a lot closer to the stage.

The day of the concert came around and I was very excited. I remember driving to Manchester, grabbing a fine dinner with Sarah, walking to the venue and descending the many, many steps to the arena floor. But after the support act I remember very little specific about it. I just remember singing along to every song, clapping and cheering and being in awe of seeing those three musicians playing together. I had waited nearly thirty years to see the Police and I was determined to enjoy every single second they were on the stage.

I say I forget the details but one song that stuck with me is King of Pain. Of all the many, many Police tracks, of which there are very few I skip over when listening to them, this one is a favourite. It’s one of those songs that if I hear it once I have to play it several times. There is something about the music and the lyrics that fascinates me. It’s a very personal song that I believe was a tough one to for them to record as Sting wouldn’t accept any input from Andy or Stewart. A sign of the fiery personal relationships that drove divisions in the band during the eighties. The imagery of despair in the verses and the chorus requesting that release from whatever demons are haunting him but the feeling that nothing is ever going to change. But enough from me…






There's a little black spot on the sun today
It's the same old thing as yesterday
There's a black cat caught in a high tree top
There's a flag-pole rag and the wind won't stop


I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain


There's a little black spot on the sun today
(That`s my soul up there)
It's the same old thing as yesterday
(it`s my soul up there)
There's a black cat caught in a high tree top
(it`s my soul up there)
There's a flag-pole rag and the wind won't stop
(it`s my soul up there)


I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain


There's a fossil that's trapped in a high cliff wall
(it`s my soul up there)
There's a dead salmon frozen in a waterfall
(it`s my soul up there)
There's a blue whale beached by a spring tide's ebb
(it`s my soul up there)
There's a butterfly trapped in a spider's web
(it`s my soul up there)


I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain


There's a king on a throne with his eyes torn out
There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt
There's a rich man sleeping on a golden bed
There's a skeleton choking on a crust of bread
King of pain


There's a red fox torn by a huntsman's pack
There's a black-winged gull with a broken back
There's a little black spot on the sun today
It's the same old thing as yesterday


I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain


King of pain
I'll always be king of pain
I'll always be king of pain