Walking on the Moon

Alright, Zoo Freaks, you're tuned into THE ZOO, where your hippie DJs, the Zoo Crew, are spinning the cosmic vibes of "Walking on the Moon" by The Police from their stellar 1979 album Reggatta de Blanc. This track’s got a story that’s out of this world! Picture Sting, the band’s frontman, in a hotel room in Munich, Germany, after a wild night in 1979. He’s admitted in interviews, like one with The Independent in 1993, that he was totally drunk when the song’s iconic bass riff hit him. Stumbling around, he started singing, “Walking round the room, ya, ya, walking round the room.” By morning, he swapped that clunky title for the dreamy "Walking on the Moon", a metaphor for the weightless feeling of being in love. How’s that for a boozy burst of genius?

Here’s another nugget for you moonwalkers: the song’s signature sound wasn’t just Sting’s doing. Stewart Copeland, the drummer, revealed in interviews that the track started as a rocker before it morphed into the reggae-infused groove we know today. The shimmering guitar chord that kicks it off? That’s all Andy Summers, who layered it with a Scamp rack processor at Surrey Sound Studios, giving it that hypnotic, spacey vibe. Chris Gray, the engineer, described the effect as a mix of phaser, chorus, and echo—pure magic. The music video, shot at Kennedy Space Center on October 23, 1979, seals the lunar deal, with the band jamming among spacecraft and Copeland banging his drumsticks on a Saturn V rocket. It’s like they were ready to blast off!

Now, let’s rewind to how The Police got their start. Formed in London in 1977, the band came together when Stewart Copeland, a drummer with a knack for punk and reggae, recruited Gordon Sumner—aka Sting—a bassist and singer with a jazzy edge, and Henry Padovani on guitar. Andy Summers, a seasoned guitarist, soon replaced Padovani, and the trio’s chemistry clicked. Their early days were raw, blending punk’s energy with reggae’s laid-back rhythms, a sound that set them apart in the late ’70s new wave scene. Their debut album, Outlandos d’Amour in 1978, put them on the map, but Reggatta de Blanc, with hits like "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon", launched them to global stardom, hitting number one on the UK charts.

Zoo Freaks, want to keep up with The Police? Check out their official website at www.thepolice.com for the latest news and merch. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and X for throwbacks and updates. Fans are still grooving in communities like the The Police Fan Club on Facebook, where you can connect with fellow devotees. For more fan-driven love, visit PoliceWiki, a treasure trove of band trivia and history. Keep those lunar vibes flowing, and stay tuned to THE ZOO for more righteous tunes!