Andy Summers Explains Why The Police Songs Weren’t Only Sting’s

Guitarist Andy Summers recently gave an interview to Total Guitar and reflected on his musical journey, including his time in the Police, and talked about how the band’s songs evolved owing to their harmony.

Andy Summers rose to fame as the guitarist of the Police and significantly contributed to the band’s vast success with his recognizable guitar style. After the disbandment of the Police, Summers embarked on a solo career and released several solo studio albums. His latest release, ‘Harmonics of the Night,’ arrived on October 15, 2021, which is composed of instrumental tracks.

The album is the third piece of his trilogy of recordings, following his 2015 album, ‘Metal Dog,’ and 2017 album, ‘Triboluminescence.’ It stood out with its introspective side and well-structured making. During the interview, the guitarist looked back and reflected on the Police’s creative process and how all the band members contributed to it.

Summers explained that the creative process was collaborative even though all the songwriting credit went to Sting. What the fans heard on the records was utterly different from the first version of the songs. All three members would add their touch, and the songs would evolve into something else. The guitarist noted that punk dominated the music scene at the time, but their great harmony and fierce determination brought them huge success.

Andy Summers speaking on the evolution of the Police songs:

“All credit to Sting as a songwriter, but the start of those songs was nothing like what happened on the record. They were transformed by the three of us playing together – Stewart’s unique drumming style, my approach to harmony, and Sting’s abilities.

What people bought was the sound of the three of us and the way we play together, this kind of heady, intoxicating combination. In a way, we were sort of anti-punk. Punk was so prevalent at that time, so we didn’t get many gigs. But we soldiered on, and the rest is history.”

As Andy pointed out, the Police emerged during the height of punk. Punk rockers built a reputation by rejecting mainstream pop music and creating a new space for younger people to express themselves. However, the Police managed to survive thanks to the unique sound and style.