The Police icon Sting recently wrote an article for the Times regarding his relationship with his son, Joe Sumner, and his time in the band. The singer stated that he left the band since he knew it would be diminishing returns.
Sting formed the Police along with drummer Stewart Copeland and the guitarist Henry Padovani in 1977. Then, the band briefly existed as a four-piece with the addition of another guitarist Andy Summers. However, when Summers insisted on being the only guitarist in the band, Padovani was dismissed. The Police became a trio and began performing in various venues. It didn’t take long for the group to release their debut album.
They quickly gained momentum in their musical journey and built a massive fan base. The band released successful albums one after another. Yet, they ended their career at the height of their fame following their fifth and final album, ‘Synchronicity.’ There were conflicts and creative disputes among the band members, leading Sting to leave the band. He realized he wasn’t satisfied with what the Police were offering him and wanted total freedom in his career.
In his recent article, Sting stated that he left the Police after such a massive success because he knew that it would be diminishing returns from then on. He didn’t see a future in the Police. The musician thinks his decision came as a big surprise to many people, but it gave him the chance to start his solo journey. He took that risk and didn’t care about failing much. Luckily, he made a very successful start in his solo career with his 1985 debut album, ‘The Dream of the Blue Turtles.’
About the diminishing returns of the Police’s enormous success, Sting penned:
“In 1983, I left the Police. I saw that after such huge success, it would just be diminishing returns. It surprised people but also gave me the momentum to start another career, so even if I failed, at least people would notice. I got lucky and had a hit album, ‘The Dream of the Blue Turtles.’
I’m 71 in October, but you’re as old as you feel. I’m doing the job of a 25-year-old every night on stage. You really have to prepare for retirement. You have to have a hobby. I don’t have any. My life is music. It’s like asking a fish what happens when the water goes.”
The 70-year-old singer also reflected on his retirement plans. Sting revealed that he doesn’t decide on retirement soon since he is not prepared for it yet. He said music takes over his entire life, and he doesn’t have any hobby to engage in if he takes music out of his life. Thus, he thinks he still has time to retire.
