View source for Don't Stand So Close to Me

{{short description|1980 single by the Police}}
{{redirect|Don't Stand So Close|the Gangsta Boo song|Enquiring Minds}}
{{for|the ''Grey's Anatomy'' episode|Don't Stand So Close to Me (Grey's Anatomy){{!}}Don't Stand So Close to Me (''Grey's Anatomy'')}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Don't Stand So Close to Me
| cover      = Don't_Stand_So_Close_to_Me_UK.jpg
| alt        =
| caption    = 1980 single cover
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Police]]
| album      = [[Zenyatta Mondatta]]
| B-side     = {{ubl|"Friends" (UK)|"A Sermon" (US)}}
| released   = 19 September 1980
| recorded   = 1980
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = {{flatlist|
*[[New wave music|New wave]]
*[[pop rock]]
*[[reggae rock]]
}}
| length     = 4:02<ref>amazon.com, "[https://www.amazon.com/Zenyatta-Mondatta-Digipak-Police/dp/B00008BRDV/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413038175&sr=1-6&keywords=the+police Zenyatta Mondatta &#91;Digipak&#93; Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]". Accessed 11 October 2014.</ref>
| label      = [[A&M Records|A&M]] (AMS 7564)
| writer     = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| producer   = {{flatlist|
* [[Nigel Gray]]
* [[Stewart Copeland]]
* [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
* [[Andy Summers]]
}}
| prev_title = [[The Bed's Too Big Without You]]
| prev_year  = 1980
| next_title = [[De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da]]
| next_year  = 1980
| misc       = {{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative cover
 | type    = single
 | cover   = Don't_Stand_So_CloseUS45.jpg
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption = American single picture sleeve
}}{{external music video|type=single|{{youTube|KNIZofPB8ZM|"Don't Stand So Close to Me"}}}}{{external music video|type=single|header=no|{{youTube|21uWMUXmH0A|"Don't Stand So Close To Me (Christmas Version)"}}}}
}}

"'''Don't Stand So Close to Me'''" is a hit song by the English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Police]], released in September 1980 as the lead single from their third studio album ''[[Zenyatta Mondatta]]''. It concerns a teacher who has sexual fantasies about a student.

The band's third {{thinspace|No.|1}} on the [[UK Singles Chart]], it was the [[1980 in British music#Top 50 selling singles|best-selling single of 1980]] in the UK, selling 808,000 copies in that year alone.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-50-best-selling-songs-of-1980__32562/|title=The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1980|first=Rob |last=Copsey|date=26 February 2021|website=[[OfficialCharts.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.channel5.com/show/britains-favourite-80s-songs/|title = Britain's Favourite 80's Songs}}</ref> The song also charted in the top ten in Australia, Canada, and the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. The Police won the 1982 [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]] at the [[24th Annual Grammy Awards]] for this song.<ref>{{cite web |title=Winners: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/winners-nominees/212 |website=Grammy.com |access-date=21 November 2018}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' praised the song's "ingenious percussion, [[arrangement (music)|arrangement]] and [[hook (music)|hook]]".<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=February 7, 1981|page=1|accessdate=2023-02-23|title=Hits of the Week|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/80s/81/RW-1981-02-07.pdf}}</ref>

==Background==
The music and lyric of the song were written by the lead vocalist of the Police, [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]. It deals with the mixed feelings of lust, fear and guilt that a schoolteacher has for a student and the fallout when the inappropriate relationship is discovered by other adults. The line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" alludes to [[Vladimir Nabokov]]'s novel ''[[Lolita]]'' (1955), which covers similar issues.<ref>{{citation |doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1987.2102_65.x|title=Sexism and cultural lag: The rise of the jailbait song, 1955–1985 |author=JR Huffman, JL Huffman |journal=The Journal of Popular Culture |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=65–83 |year=1987}}</ref> The line was criticised for rhyming "shake and cough" with Nabokov.<ref name="sting.com" /> Sting replied, "I've used that terrible, terrible rhyme technique a few times."<ref name=sting.com />

Before joining the Police, Sting had worked as an English teacher. He referred to the song's story progression as "the teacher, the open page, the virgin, the rape in the car, getting the sack".<ref name="sting.com" />

Sting has been inconsistent on sources of inspiration for the song. In a 1981 interview, he stated, "I'd done teaching practice at secondary schools and been through the business of having 15-year-old girls fancying me - and me really fancying them! How I kept my hands off them I don't know... Then there was my love for ''Lolita'' which I think is a brilliant novel."<ref name="sting.com" />

Yet he spoke somewhat differently in a series of 1993 interviews, saying, "You have to remember we were blond bombshells at the time and most of our fans were young girls, so I started roleplaying a bit. Let's exploit that."<ref name="sting.com" /> He further distanced himself, citing business reasons: "To be frank, it was right in our market. A lot of teenage girls were buying our records. So the idea was, let's write a Lolita story." In a 2001 interview for the concert DVD ''[[All This Time (Sting album)|...All This Time]]'', Sting again denied the song being autobiographical.{{full citation needed|date=July 2021}}

== Production ==
"Don't Stand So Close to Me" appeared on the Police album ''[[Zenyatta Mondatta]]'' ([[A&M Records|A&M]]), and became a No. 1 single on the [[UK singles chart|UK Singles Chart]],<ref name="UK Charts">[http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/police/ The Police in the UK Charts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026172803/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/POLICE/ |date=26 October 2011 }}, The Official Charts.</ref> with a corresponding music video. In the US, it reached the top 10 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, peaking at No. 10. In the UK, the track was confirmed by the end of 1980 to have been the [[1980 in British music#Top 50 selling singles|biggest-selling single of that year]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

The B-side, "Friends", was written by Andy Summers and is inspired by ''[[Stranger in a Strange Land]]'', a science fiction novel by [[Robert A. Heinlein]].<ref name=sting.com>{{cite web|title='Don't Stand So Close to Me' / 'Friends'|url=http://www.sting.com/discography/index/ablum/albumId/148/tagName/Singles+(The+Police)|website=sting.com|access-date=19 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023300/http://www.sting.com/discography/index/ablum/albumId/148/tagName/Singles+(The+Police)|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Summers described the track as "Very quirky. A touch of [[Long John Silver]] on Acid."<ref name=sting.com />

Sting was asked to perform on [[Dire Straits]]’ "[[Money for Nothing (song)|Money for Nothing]]" as he was in [[Montserrat]] at the time. The song reused the melody from "Don't Stand So Close to Me" in the counterpoint line "I want my [[MTV]]." It was only after this story was relayed to reporters during promotions for the ''[[Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits album)|Brothers in Arms]]'' album that lawyers for Sting became involved, and later copies of the album co-credit the song to Sting. The initial pressings list only [[Mark Knopfler]].<ref>[https://ultimateclassicrock.com/mark-knopfler-sting-money-for-nothing/ When Mark Knopfler and Sting Connected for Money for Nothing] (Ultimate Classic Rock website)</ref>

==Composition==
"Don't Stand So Close to Me" features Sting on lead vocals. Like many Police songs, the verses are more subdued, while the chorus is bolder and louder. The song also bears a [[reggae]] style, another common trait in Police songs.

The track features a [[guitar synthesiser]] in the middle of the song, used by guitarist [[Andy Summers]]. Summers said, "After Sting had put the vocals on 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' we looked for something to lift the middle of the song. I came up with a guitar synthesiser. It was the first time we'd used it. I felt it worked really well."<ref name=sting.com /> The verses and choruses do not feature this effect.<ref name=sting.com />

The verses are in the key of [[G minor]], and the chorus is in [[D major]].<ref>[https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0068305 The Police "Don't Stand So Close to Me" Sheet Music]</ref>

==Track listing==
'''7-inch – A&M / AMS 7564 (UK)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – 4:03
# "Friends" – 3:37

'''7-inch – A&M / AMS 2301 (US)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – 4:03
# "A Sermon" – 2:34

'''2003 Stereo Remastered Version'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me’86" - 4:51

==Personnel==
*[[Sting (musician)|Sting]] – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, [[bass pedals]]
*[[Andy Summers]] – guitars, [[guitar synthesiser]]
*[[Stewart Copeland]] – drums

==Chart history==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
!Chart (1980–1981)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Argentina<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cash Box - International Best Sellers|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1981/CB-1981-03-07.pdf|website=worldradiohistory.com|publisher=Cash Box. 7 March 1981. p. 40.}}</ref>
|align="center"|6
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=235}}</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|8|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
|Canadian Top Singles (''[[RPM100|RPM]]'')
|align="center"|2
|-
|-
|Denmark Top Singles (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Hits Of The World]]'')
|align="center"|1
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|3|year=1980|week=44|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|3|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Ireland2|1|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me}}
|-
|Italy (''[[Musica e dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php |title=Classifiche |work=[[Musica e dischi]] |language=it |access-date=4 June 2022}} ''Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Don't stand so close to me" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".''</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|2|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Norway|9|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
|South Africa ([[Springbok Radio]])<ref>{{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965–March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(P).html|access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
|Spain ([[Los 40 Principales]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://los40.com/lista40/numeros1/1980/|title=Números 1 del año 1980 de la Lista LOS40|last=LOS40|website=LOS40|language=es|access-date=10 May 2019}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
{{single chart|Sweden|14|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|1|artist=The Police|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|10|artist=The Police|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|11|artist=The Police|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|-
|US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' Top 100 <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19810418.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 18, 1981 |access-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603142057/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19810418.html |archive-date=3 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
{{single chart|West Germany|23|songid=18437|artist=The Police|song=Don't Stand So Close to Me|access-date=23 September 2021}}
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1980)
! style="text-align:center;"|Position
|-
|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="aus80">{{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/kTGdGUZ|title= National Top 100 Singles for 1980|publisher= [[Kent Music Report]] |issue= 341 |via= [[Imgur]] |date= 5 January 1981 |access-date= 17 January 2022 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|63
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1981)
! style="text-align:center;"|Position
|-
|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="aus81">{{cite web|title= National Top 100 Singles for 1981 |publisher= [[Kent Music Report]] |issue= 393 |page= 7 |via= [[Imgur]] |date= 4 January 1982 |access-date= 11 January 2022 |url= https://i.imgur.com/RgsDOOc.jpg}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|75
|-
|Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1980|title=Jaaroverzichten 1980|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|58
|-
|Canadian Top Singles (''RPM'')<ref>The 1981 Top 100 Singles chart is identified by the [[RPM Year-End]] article {{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4689&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 |title=Top 100 Singles (1981)|publisher=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]] |access-date=5 January 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|67
|-
|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1980|title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1980|publisher=Dutch Top 40|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|-
|Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1980&cat=s|title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980|website=dutchcharts.nl|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1981.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1981/Top 100 Songs of 1981|publisher=musicoutfitters.com |access-date=13 September 2017}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|71
|-
|US ''Cash Box'' <ref>http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1981YESP.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022115158/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1981YESP.html |date=22 October 2016 }} Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1981</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|59
|-
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications and sales==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|title=Don't Stand Close To Me|artist=the Police|type=single|salesamount=250,000|nocert=yes|salesref=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.top-france.fr/html/45tours/45t1980.htm|title=TOP – 1980|work=40 ans de tubes : 1960–2000 : les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles|author=[[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]] (SNEP)|editor=Fabrice Ferment|access-date=8 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008120913/http://www.top-france.fr/html/45tours/45t1980.htm|archive-date=8 October 2021|language=fr|via=Top-France.fr|oclc=469523661}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=The Police|title=Don't Stand So Close to Me|award=Platinum|relyear=1980|certyear=2023|source=radioscope|accessdate=8 February 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=The Police|title=Don't Stand So Close to Me|award=Gold|id=1902-2080-1|relyear=1980|certyear=1980|salesamount=1,000,000|salesref=<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629035906/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/police/|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/police/|publisher=[[Official Charts]]|title=Police|archive-date=29 June 2012|date=26 February 2021|accessdate=14 July 2021}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|noshipments=true|nosales=true}}

=== UK chart history ===
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" quickly ascended to {{thinspace|No.|1}} in its first week of release on 27 September 1980,<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Virgin Book of Top 40 Charts|last=McAleer|first=David|publisher=Virgin Books|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7535-2200-4|location=UK|pages=421–424}}</ref> confirming their status as one of the UK's leading contemporary groups. It was also their third UK chart-topper in 12 months—in tandem with the {{thinspace|No.|1}} success of their new album ''Zenyatta Mondatta''.

The band's four-week run at {{thinspace|No.|1}} was the most for any single in the UK in 1980. Having held off considerable competition from [[Ottawan]] with "[[D.I.S.C.O.]]" and "[[Baggy Trousers]]" by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], the Police fell to {{thinspace|No.|3}} (being replaced at {{thinspace|No.|1}} by "[[Woman in Love]]" by [[Barbra Streisand]]). "Don't Stand So Close To Me" spent a total of 8 weeks inside the UK top 40, dropping out on 22 November. Three weeks later, their follow-up hit "[[De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da]]" charted at {{thinspace|No.|9}}, eventually peaking at {{thinspace|No.|5}}.

=== US chart history ===
"Don't Stand So Close To Me" broke into the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Top 40 on 21 February 1981 at {{thinspace|No.|39}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1981-02-21|title=Billboard Hot 100 1981-02-21|date=2018|website=Billboard.com}}</ref> By 25 April, it reached a peak position of {{thinspace|No.|10}}, matching their previous US hit "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". It dropped out of the top 40 on 23 May after a 13-week run.

=== Legacy ===
The song was heard in the 1994 [[Friends season 1|season one]] episode "The One Where Underdog Gets Away" of the [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]] sitcom ''[[Friends]]''.

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic|2020 COVID-19 pandemic]], "Don't Stand So Close To Me" took on a very different meaning in the context of [[COVID-19]], as people worldwide practiced social distancing.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Police's 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' Gets a Social Distancing Remix Courtesy of Dave Audé|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/9386538/the-police-dont-stand-so-close-to-me-social-distancing-remix-dave-aude|access-date=2021-04-07|magazine=Billboard|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last1=Shaffer|first1=Claire|date=2020-04-10|title=Sting, Jimmy Fallon, the Roots Remix 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' at Home|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sting-jimmy-fallon-the-roots-dont-stand-so-close-to-me-remix-coronavirus-981574/|access-date=2021-04-07|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>

=="Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Don't Stand So Close to Me '86
| cover      = Don't Stand So Close to Me 86.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Police]]
| album      = [[Every Breath You Take: The Singles]]
| B-side     = "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (Live)
| released   = {{Start date|df=yes|1986|09|29}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr00stro/page/636/mode/2up?q=Police|title=Great Rock discography|date=12 May 1995 |page=636|isbn=978-0-86241-541-9 |last1=Strong |first1=Martin Charles |publisher=Canongate Press }}</ref>
| recorded   = July 1986
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = {{flatlist|
* [[Rock music|Rock]]
* [[New wave music|new wave]]
}}
| length     = 4:51<ref>amazon.com, "[https://www.amazon.com/Every-Breath-You-Take-Classics/dp/B0006VXMDU/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413038521&sr=1-4&keywords=the+police Every Breath You Take: The Classics]". Accessed 11 October 2014.</ref>
| label      = [[A&M Records|A&M]]
| writer     = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| producer   = {{flatlist|
* [[Stewart Copeland]]
* Sting
* [[Andy Summers]]
* [[Laurie Latham]]
}}
| prev_title = [[King of Pain]]
| prev_year  = 1984
| next_title = Can't Stand Losing You
| next_year  = 1995
| misc       = {{External music video|header=Audio|1={{YouTube|E_fNYoENHuU|"Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" by the Police}}}}
}}

The song was re-recorded in 1986 with a new, brooding arrangement, a different chorus and a more opulent production. The new version appeared as "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" on the album ''[[Every Breath You Take: The Singles]]'', and was released as a single, reaching {{thinspace|No.|24}} in the British charts.<ref name="UK Charts"/> It also reached {{thinspace|No.|11}} on the [[Irish Singles Chart]], {{thinspace|No.|14}} in New Zealand, {{thinspace|No.|19}} on the Netherlands MegaCharts Singles Chart (number 20 on Dutch Top 40), {{thinspace|No.|27}} in Canada<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0759&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=cf9tjc9auqg8h1n8oj2d342h10 |title=Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Singles – Volume 45, No. 14, December 27 1986 |access-date=24 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023211622/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0759&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=cf9tjc9auqg8h1n8oj2d342h10 |archive-date=23 October 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and {{thinspace|No.|46}} on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ({{thinspace|No.|10}} on the ''Billboard'' [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Mainstream Rock]] chart).

A slight lyric change is found in the line "Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov" (the word 'famous' was added). A new music video was produced for the reworked song by [[Godley and Creme]], notable for its early use of animated [[computer graphics]].  The version of the song used on the music video was subtly different to the version released as the single.  It was approximately 6 seconds shorter, with a longer atmospheric break before the first lyric, but part of the chorus edited out towards the end.  This version is only available on the music video; it has never been separately released as an audio recording.

Because drummer [[Stewart Copeland]] had broken his collarbone and was unable to drum, he opted to use his [[Fairlight CMI]] to program the drum track for the single, while singer/bassist Sting pushed to use the drums on his [[Synclavier]] instead. The group's engineer found the Synclavier's programming interface difficult; it ended up taking him two days to complete the task. Copeland ultimately finished the drum programming and claimed that the Fairlight's then-legendary "Page R" (the device's sequencing page) saved him and put him on the map as a composer.

As the Police had already disbanded by the time the 1986 single was released, this, aside from the then-unreleased "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '86," was the last recording before the band's reunion and the most recent studio recording the band has released.

===Track listing===
'''7-inch – A&M / AM 354 (UK)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – 4:47
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (live) – 3:40

'''12-inch – A&M / AMY 354 (UK)'''
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" (dance mix) – 6:32
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – 4:47
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (original version) – 4:03
# "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (live) – 3:40

===Charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Chart (1986)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=235}}</ref>
|align="center"|32
|-
|Spain ([[Los 40 Principales]])
|style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|[[Dutch Top 40]]
|style="text-align:center;"|19
|-
| Finland ([[Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref>{{cite book | first= Timo | last= Pennanen |year= 2006 | title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 | publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava | location= Helsinki | language= fi }}</ref> 
|style="text-align:center;"| 13
|-
|[[Irish Singles Chart]]
|style="text-align:center;"|11
|-
|[[UK singles chart|UK Singles Chart]]
|style="text-align:center;"|24
|-
|US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]
|style="text-align:center;"|46
|-
|Canadian Singles Chart
|style="text-align:center;"|27
|}

==''Glee'' cover==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Don't Stand So Close to Me
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Glee (TV series)|Glee cast]]
| album      = [[Glee: The Music, Volume 2]]
| B-side     = [[Young Girl (song)#Glee cover|Young Girl]]
| released   = 2009
| recorded   = 2009
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = Pop
| length     =
| label      = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| writer     = [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| producer   = [[Ryan Murphy (writer)|Ryan Murphy]], [[Adam Anders]]
| prev_title = [[I'll Stand by You#Other versions|I'll Stand by You]]
| prev_year  = 2009
| next_title = [[Crush (Jennifer Paige song)#Live performances and cover versions|Crush]]
| next_year  = 2009
}}

The song was covered in the [[Glee season 1|first season]] episode "[[Ballad (Glee)|Ballad]]" of the American television series ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'' in 2009. It was performed by the character [[Will Schuester]] (played by [[Matthew Morrison]]) as a musical [[mashup (music)|mashup]] with "[[Young Girl (song)|Young Girl]]" by [[Gary Puckett & the Union Gap]]. It was included on the [[Glee: The Music, Volume 2|second soundtrack album]] from the series.

The single version charted at {{thinspace|No.|67}} in [[Canadian Hot 100|Canada]], {{thinspace|No.|64}} in the United States and {{thinspace|No.|50}} in Ireland.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{The Police}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal}}
{{UK best-selling singles (by year) 1970–1989}}
{{Lolita}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1980 songs]]
[[Category:1980 singles]]
[[Category:1981 singles]]
[[Category:1986 singles]]
[[Category:The Police songs]]
[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:Songs about crime]]
[[Category:Songs about teenagers]]
[[Category:Songs written by Sting (musician)]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Nigel Gray]]
[[Category:Songs about school]]
[[Category:A&M Records singles]]
[[Category:Columbia Records singles]]
[[Category:Songs about educators]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Godley and Creme]]
[[Category:Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]]
[[Category:Lolita]]