The Police - Walking on the Moon (REACTION!) 

Stuart Copeland is an incredible drummer. The whole Police library he stands out, no question.

Stewart Copeland is one of the greats. ...as a drummer and composer.

This song is a study in musical minimalism -- there's hardly anything being played, but what is played is so perfect that it sounds very complete. Amazing stuff.

I'm a bass player, and I'm here to tell you that Sting is an absolute master of doing a LOT with as little as possible. Jeez, Louise, he understands the role of the bass so well! I really dig his playing.

Andy Summer's simple ladders and atmospheric chords make this song a classic.

Copeland is a drumming legend. Much like Neil Peart with Rush, he was the driving force behind The Police.

Spirits in the material world is 🔥

You know a drummer is fire when they only need two snare hits in an entire song

I only know two things about the Police. Sting is the singer, and their drummer is considered one of the best of all time. Very cool to hear a bit of this

“Every little thing she does is magic” The Police is awesome!!

This is one of my favourite songs about being in love. Being elated. "Walking back from your house, walking on the moon". That feeling when you think about him/her, even though it may be futile and won't last ("wishing my days away") it's all right, cause there is no gravity, nothing weighing your heart down in that moment.

The vibe this track sets is otherworldly. Copeland is a god - just those little flams he does at 9:23 alone are incredible, like a cherry on the cake. Lyrics are deep too, walking on the moon is basically a metaphor for that floating feeling you have when you're in love.

“We are spirits in the material world”is great by The Police

The drumming is what makes this song for me. Omg, that drumming.

I like the minimalist approach in this song. It's like they leave a lot of space in there for it to breath. The subtlety of Stewart's drumming. Just tasteful.

Jamaicans love The Police- The Police made Reggae mainstream and with big hits on the radio.

Stewart copeland one of my favorite drummers ever

Stewart Copeland always joked that whenever fans approached him, they told him he was their second favorite drummer (behind Neil Peart.) Stewart and Neil were good friends and admired each other greatly. You can hear some of Stewart's influence on Peart during New World Man and some songs from Rush's 80's era. One thing The Police did that was amazing for their time, is carve out an incredibly distinctive sound that no one else could reproduce. All three members were virtuosos in their own right, and it was a shame that they couldn't get along better and stay together. Their catalog is small, but damn, is it timelessly inspirational. Great reaction guys!

I believe a true test of a great band is if there sound can stand the test of time. The Police are one of those bands, if you did not know that this track was recorded nearly 45 years ago you would not believe it. The Police are a timeless band that deserves to be recognized among the greatest bands of all time.

Great reaction to a great song. Other greats: Message in a bottle, King of Pain, Everything she does is magic, driven to tears and wrapped around your finger

That snare note is actually a rim shot where the stick hits the metal rim on the snare.

"Can't stand losing you" is one of my favorites from them. Upbeat song with dark lyrics, The Police signature.

Stewart Copeland is one of the GOATs

The guitarist was Andy Summers who was with The Animals. He was a pioneer on the guitar synthesizer. His focus was on space in his playing. He played minimal notes and allowed the space to echo through. They were all excellent musicians who made serious music.

Stewart Copeland is a genius.

It was great enjoying this bop with yall Can't Stand Losing You, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, King of Pain, lots of great songs

So glad to hear you both react to this, since it's my favorite Police song. It instantly relaxes me and puts me in a good mood.

The bass line in this one really holds my attention in a very good way.

You need to try Driven to Tears sometime .. awesome groove.

"bring on the night" is another awesome track from these guys

Stewart Copeland is one of the best drummers. both powerful and subtle. a real treat for the ears. He is now a composer and a super cool and kind guy.

From the minute this album dropped when I was a kid THIS has been & continues to be my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE POLICE TUNE!! This & Zenyata Mondata are my favorite albums, but this song is a vibe all unto itself! Totally rabid fan who caught them twice in the 80s…but even with all the brilliant music they went on to create…this is my jam!

The Police never considered their music straight reggae out of respect. It's fusion of funk, jazz, reggae/ska, Middle Eastern, prog, r & b, classical...it's a mix. They're one of the most respectful bands out here. The name of the album comes from Stewart's brother. The band knows how disrespectful some of the audience can be regarding the origins of their inspiration. They've discussed this a bunch of times. They knew that certain audiences would try to prop them up as the greatest reggae artist and you can see it in the comments. Stewart continues to educate folks on music history and studying all forms of music get the truth AND to become a better musician. THAT'S why they sound so good. That's what THEY DID.

I've been a fan since I was 12 in 1983, and to this day The Police are still my alltime favourite band. With apologies to Rush, this is the greatest trio of all time. Just. So. Good.

I saw Sting perform this song in concert on Oct 7, 2023 at the Hollywood Bowl. Perfect concert.

Dont Stencil Close To Me!!! Lol!!! I remember listening to walking on the moon the first time at about 3 in the morning driving home from a night in Dallas and it fit so perfectly. I will never forget it. It is like the perfect late night song❤

Sting said this is one of his favorite Police songs with a nice clean edge to the Police which is another side of them. He also said he knew he made it as an artist when he heard a window cleaner whistle the melody by him.

The Police were the absolute best

Glad you liked this song. Definetely a gem. Bring on the Night, Bed's too Big without You, and Shadows in the Rain may be up your alley if you like this jam.

This whole album is great - probably the 2nd best of the 5 they released. I just got to see Sting in concert in September and he is still playing these songs (including this one). Great stuff.

Need to react to their songs "Driven To Tears" and "The Bed Is Too Big Without You"

The reggae and ska sound was really popular back then, and The Police used it a lot early on. I hope at some point you guys can listen to an English Beat (known in England as just The Beat) song or two. Mirror in the Bathroom was a popular one by them, for instance. Sting was known to wear an English Beat t-shirt during concerts.

The Police. Definitely one of the best British groups of the 70's and 80's. True musicians at work.

The drumming in this in anything but “subtle!” It’s classic Copeland, but right out front. My hero for decades, man.

For a couple years, there was no bigger band on planet Earth than The Police. Long live The Police! Almost everything they did was magic.

Thus song blew me away back in the day

Forgot how much I loved The Police

Stewart is one of the finest percussionists of our time. Their catalogue is deep.

Great reaction! It's a subtle song, so a lot of people might not vibe with it at first, great to see both of you really jump into this. The Police have a good handful of songs that have this kind of other-worldly sound, and I think Andy Summers guitar really helps with this vibe. They're a perfect 3 piece band, in that they all bring 1/3rd of the bands sound to the table, exactly. You couldn't replace a single one of them.

One of my favorite drummers of all time!

The Police were in the conversation about THE best band for several years. Try “Spirits In the Material World “!🖖🏼

Stewart Copeland is a Master and Andy Summers' guitar riffs on this one are amazing + Sting's voice and Bass = Magic

That song is fire. Lot of artists that came out of the UK punk scene got into reggae.ska which lead to the ska punk subgenre. You guys should check out The Clash's reggae/ska influenced tunes. This is Radio Clash, Magnificent Seven, Revolution Rock, One More Time. That was some of the best stuff they ever did.

Driven To Tears, Voices Inside My Head and Darkness are phenomenal Police songs. The first two having monster drum parts.

It's a good driving song, watching the world go by.

If you listen to the intro on the song The Real Thing by Faith No More, you can clearly hear that their drummer Mike Bordin lifted this ( very slick drum rhythm using the muted rimshot ) from this very song. And since there was an interview with Bordin where he listed Stuart Copeland as 1 of his drum influences, it makes perfect sense now.

My Top 12 songs from The Police 👮‍♂️ 1. Spirits In The Material World 2. Voices Inside My Head 3. The Bed’s Too Big Without You 4. Message In A Bottle 5. Walking On The Moon 6. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic 7. Wrapped Around Your Finger 8. Every Breath You Take 9. Invisible Sun 10. Walking On Your Footsteps 11. So Lonely 12. Roxanne

This has been my jam for decades!! The spaces they created is defying gravity. A man floating home from seeing his love. I cloud 9. I'm the biggest Stew fan of all but it's NOT just the drumming. It's the collective work and amazing songwriting. Walking on the moon indeed. Jazzy, spacey, blue bass, infinity texture by Andy Summers, sick drumming. This is the result of 3 guys who studied Ray Brown, Art Blakey and Wes Montgomery. Folks fail to realize the jazz component. That's not even the tip of the influence. FOREVER 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

uk here.i had most of my teens in the 80's so grew up with the police.i love the regae.they had a unique sound that i like.

Walking On the Moon is the way he feels because he's in love.

This is my favorite Police tune. I love the concept of the song lyrically, but musically... it's just a masterpiece. The lyrics are based on feeling lighter than air when you're with someone you're enamored with.

Reggae was huge in London in the late 70s, and definitely one of the major threads in early Police. Eventually, their song “The Bed’s Too Big Without You” did get a hit cover by Jamaican artists.

Stuart Copeland is one of the most underrated drummers of all time. He's amazing. He also made the soundtrack for the original Spyro the Dragon trilogy of games on the original PlayStation.

Andy Summers is a very underrated guitarist, IMHO. I feel a lot of his playing doesn’t stand out as much as the other two and at times seems simple in comparison, but he plays just enough to make the song sound right without being flashy or going overboard and that is his gift. Since I am a drummer, I think the same of Pink Floyd’s drummer, Nick Mason. Ringo Star was also often underrated as a drummer for the Beatles. They were the anchors of their bands and actual drummers know how musically skilled they were rather than just being based on pure technical ability alone. Some may just not realize it because it fits the music so well. That’s how I see Andy Summers in the Police, he’s the often the anchor rather than the lead, which is uncommon for a guitarist.

Stuart Copeland is such an underated guitarist. He Kills Me! Great band. Peace!

The reggae influence is because of Copeland. One of the best to ever do it.......

The police were an instant favorite of mine back in ‘83. If you like a chilled out song to zone to by The Police, you will definitely enjoy Tea In The Sahara off their Synchronicity album.

This group is a rabbit hole you need to go down. Message in a bottle, Roxanne coo coo coo ba dadada, spirits in a material world, syncrinisity 2

Stewart first started with, "I refuse to kick on beat one." He then started playing with adding the sharp beat 3 rimshot of reggae. Then, most likely just to amuse himself, he starts playing ridiculously complex high-hat, tom, and click fills over the top of it. It's truly insane, but amazing.

Stewart Copeland is a genius, Sting is a God and Andy is terribly underrated. Have you two heard "Message in a Bottle"?? If not - you must. One of their best.

Neil Peart of RUSH once said Stewart was one of his favorite drummers.

Each member of the police is a unique and superb musician. This song was incredible live. The drums.........

Irony is...Sting is a Geordie (Newcastle Upon Tyne, north east UK), and the accent when sung is in some part of the vowels, close to tCarribean and completely different in other parts of it, but he is for sure playing up a Carribean accent. But for example Bacon and Beer can, BOTH sound like the same words with a Carribean accent, but the same is true in a Geordie accent (Newcastle Upon Tyne, north east UK) They are different accents but its funny that there are some vowel inflections that are shared/similar, but like I said , Sting is for sure putting on a Carribean accent

"Driven To Tears" from Zenyatta Mondatta is one of their all-time great songs.

The super band that introduced me to the charm of a three-member group first time in my life.

There is NO band like the Police. Their albums are great all the way through with diversity, groove, and structure that makes them timeless.

The grove and feal from The Police were such a trend setting thing back when this came out. gave way for so many artists. That's whats so cool with this band, they pay homage to all the different sounds of their time.

The late 70's/early 80's were an incredible time in the UK for chart music in which Reggae/Ska/2 Tone really peaked. You should really check out Ghost Town by The Specials if you haven't already.

Glad you guys dug this one! I grew up with their albums playing all the time in our house. Them and Genesis. Feel like you'd probably dig Driven to Tears off the Zenyatta Mondatta album, but there are a dozen other songs I could recommend.

stewart copeland... that kick drum at the end legendary

Nobody does subtle drumming better than Stewart Copeland.

Back again, technically there is almost no snare in this song. Those are rimshots. Drummer braces stick against one side of the rim and pops the stick on the other side. Very jazz.

If you liked "Walking on the Moon" you should review "The Bed's too Big Without You." Very trippy and catchy guitar riffs, also great bass line

Fabulous stuff. Thanks so much for this ☺. 'So Lonely', 'Everything She Does is Magic', 'Message in a Bottle' and 'Can't Stand Losin You' are also fab tracks.

One of the greatest drummers. like a nerdy well behaved Keith Moon, playing what he wanted. Bring on the night by this band, you should do next

Copeland (drummer) is a beast, studied a lot of African polyrhythms and it shows in his style, love the guitar tone , its beautiful, and melodically its brilliant. The only bit I don't like is the bridge/chorus "some may say...this is our etc etc etc" never liked the chordal stuff in that part. It feels like it breaks the mood, but it does make the bass line hit harder when it kicks back in. Really, it is the Chorus but it never felt like a chorus to me , more like a bridge because although its more upbeat, in mood. The hi hat really simplifies and feels less energetic, so it does not feel like a crescendo, but I suppose it is technically a Chorus. Anyway the song as a whole is exceptional, I like the other parts so much I can tolerate the bit I don't like as it does make the bits I like hit harder (or deeper? as its such a smooth song)

For more Caribbean influence by them ; Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.

This song is tied with When The World Is Running Down as my favourite Police songs.

UNTOUCHABLE. 💯😎

There were a lot of Prog-Ska/Pop-Reggae bands coming out of UK and US at that time, like Madness (OUR HOUSE, or ONE STEP BEYOND).

They blend rock & reggae so well. This is one of the best examples. Great record.

I think you guys nailed the vibe of this song. Nice work 👏 👌 👍

I love this song so much

One of the headbangingest riffs is in "Driven To Tears" when they bring it back after the bridge.

three brilliant musicians, one brilliant singer/songwriter-sting !!

police has some badass drumming very cool message in a bottle has that too

There were a lot of Prog-Ska-Pop-Reggae bands coming out of UK and US at that time, like Madness (OUR HOUSE, or ONE STEP BEYOND).

Stuart Copeland stated that his beats are reminiscent of the Reggae beat, but are in fact Arabic drum beats he learned while living in the Middle east as a child .

They are the epitome of Progressive Rock!!!

They were my fav as a kid. I bought all 5 Police albums and Stewart Copeland's Rumblefish soundtrack. '83 film by Francis Ford Copolla