EDITORS’ NOTES

The Police’s reggae rhythms and post-punk guitars may have placed them in the lineage of The Clash but they were a pop band at heart—witness the irresistible, blood-pumping choruses within “Roxanne”, “Can’t Stand Losing You”, and “So Lonely”. Those melodic impulses have continued throughout Sting’s solo career, even during his jazziest and most sombre excursions. From the stately simplicity of obsessive’s anthem “Every Breath You Take” to “Fragile”’s acoustic melancholy, this is a testament to magnetic pop-writing.