Sobre el álbum
El cuarto álbum de The Police se titula "Ghost in the Machine" y fue lanzado el 2 de octubre de 1981 por el sello A&M. El álbum fue producido por la banda, junto al productor británico Hugh Padgham, ganador de cuatro premios Grammy y que ha trabajado con artistas como XTC, el grupo Genesis, The Human League, Sting,The Police y Phil Collins, para el que consiguió dos Grammys en 1986 por el álbum "No Jacket Required".Grabado entre la isla caribeña de Montserrat y Quebec, en Canadá, el álbum alcanzó el primer puesto en las listas británicas y el segundo en la estadounidense Billboard 200. En esta ocasión The Police hace un uso intenso de los teclados electrónicos. Todos los temas hacen uso de los sintetizadores.
El álbum está basado en el libro "The Ghost in the Machine", del escritor austro-húngaro Arthur Koestler, autor por el que el cantante de The Police siente especial predilección. El siguiente trabajo de la banda, "Synchronicity", también estaría inspirado en otra obra de Koestler.
El primer sencillo del álbum se titula "Invisible Sun" y fue lanzado el 25 de septiembre de 1981, con producción de The Police y Hugh Padgham. La canción fue escrita por Sting en Irlanda, donde residía en aquella época, en un momento álgido en la violencia del Ulster. Por su parte, Stewart Copeland vio reflejada en la canción a su ciudad natal, Beirut, devastada también por los bombardeos. En realidad es un tema que habla sobre los desastres creados por la guerra. El vídeo, prohibido en su momento por la BBC, muestra diferentes escenas del conflicto en Irlanda del Norte.
El segundo sencillo, "Every Little Thing, She Does Is Magic", fue el de mayor éxito del álbum, alcanzando el primer puesto en las listas británicas y el tercero en Estados Unidos. Escrita por Sting en 1976, destaca por la introdución de un piano, interpretado por Jean Roussel por imposición del propio Sting en contra del criterio de los otros dos miembros de la banda.
"Spirits in the Material World" se presentó como tercer sencillo del álbum "The Ghost in the Machine" el 11 de diciembre de 1981. Con los mismos productores que los sencillos anteriores, presenta sonidos jamaicanos que se transforman en rock en los coros. El tema fue escrito por Sting en un teclado, primera vez que componía con un sintetizador.
El tema hacía un uso amplio de los sintetizadores, en detrimento de la guitarra. De hecho, Andy Summers hace un papel secundario en esta canción en la que Sting no quería que participara.
El cuarto y último sencillo del álbum se titula "Secret Journey". Fue publicado en mayo de 1982. La letra, escrita por el vocalista de la banda, habla de un viaje místico en busca de una realidad espiritual y, según confesó el propio Sting, estaba basado en un libro del escritor armenio George Gurdjieff, titulado "Meetings with Remarkable Men".
Listado de Canciones
- Spirits in the material world2:58
There is no political solution To our troubled evolution Have no faith in constitution There is no bloody revolution (4x) We are spirits in the material world Our so-called leaders speak With words they try to jail you They subjugate the meek But it's the rhetoric of failure (4x) We are spirits in the material world Where does the answer lie? Living from day to day If it's something we can't buy There must be another way (8x) We are spirits in the material world - Every little thing she does is magic4:20
Though I've tried before to tell her Of the feelings I have for her in my heart Every time that I come near her I just lose my nerve As I've done from the start Every little thing she does is magic Everything she does just turns me on Even though my life before was tragic Now I know my love for her goes on Do I have to tell the story Of a thousand rainy days since we first met It's a big enough umbrella But it's always me that ends up getting wet Every little thing she does is magic Everything she does just turns me on Even though my life before was tragic Now I know my love for her goes on I resolve to call her up a thousand times a day And ask her if she'll marry me in some old fashioned way But my silent fears have gripped me Long before I reach the phone Long before my tongue has tripped me Must I always be alone? Every little thing she does is magic Everything she does just turns me on Even though my life before was tragic Now I know my love for her goes on - Invisible sun3:43
I don't want to spend the rest of my life Looking at the barrel of an ArmaLite I don't want to spend the rest of my days Keeping out of trouble like the soldiers say I don't want to spend my time in hell Looking at the walls of a prison cell I don't ever want to play the part Of a statistic on a government chart There has to be an invisible sun It gives its heat to everyone There has to be an invisible sun It gives us hope when the whole day's done It's dark all day and it glows all night Factory smoke and acetylene light I face the day with my head caved in Looking like something that the cat brought in There has to be an invisible sun It gives its heat to everyone There has to be an invisible sun It gives us hope when the whole day's done And they're only gonna change this place By killing everbody in the human race And they would kill me for a cigarette But I dont even want to die just yet There has to be an invisible sun It gives its heat to everyone There has to be and invisible sun It gives us hope when the whole day's done - Hungry For You (J'Aurais Toujours Faim De Toi)2:52
Letra
Rien de dormir cette nuit Je veux de toi Jusqu’à ce que je sois sec Mais nos corps sont tout mouillés Complètement couvert de sueur Nous nous noyons dans la mare Je n'ai aucun désir Tu as ravage' mon cœur Et mois j'ai bu ton sang Mais non pouvons faire ce que nous voulons J'aurais toujours faim de toi Mais non pouvons faire ce que nous voulons J'aurais toujours faim de toi Tout le monde est a moi Je l'ai gagne' dans un jeu de cartes Et maintenant je m'en fous C’était gagne' trop facilement Ça y est alors ma belle traîtresse Il faut que je brûle de jalousie Tu as ravagée mon cœur Et moi j'ai bu ton sang Mais non pouvons faire ce que nous voulons J'aurais toujours faim de toi Mais non pouvons faire ce que nous voulons J'aurais toujours faim de toi Mais non pouvons faire ce que nous voulons J'aurais toujours faim de toi Mais non pouvons faire ce que nous voulons J'aurais toujours faim de toi No matter what I do I'm still hungry for you No matter what I do I'm still hungry for you Rien de dormir cette nuit Je veux de toi jusqu’à ce que je sois sec Mais nos corps sont tout mouillés Complètement couvert de sueur - Demolition man5:54
Letra
Tied to the tracks and the train's just coming Strapped to the wing with the engine running You say that this wasn't in your plan And don't mess around with the demolition man Tied to a chair, [and] the bomb is ticking This situation was not of your picking You say that this wasn't in your plan And don't mess around with the demolition man I'm a walking nightmare, an arsenal of doom I kill conversation as I walk into the room I'm a three line whip I'm the sort of thing they ban I'm a walking disaster I'm a demolition man You come to me like a moth to the flame It's love you need but I don't play that game 'Cos you could be my greatest fan But I'm nobody's friend I'm a demolition man I'm a walking nightmare, an arsenal of doom I kill conversation as I walk into the room I'm a three line whip I'm the sort of thing they ban I'm a walking disaster I'm a demolition man Demolition man... - Too much information3:42
Letra
Too much information running through my brain Too much information driving me insane Too much information running through my brain Too much information driving me insane I've seen the whole world six times over Sea of Japan to the Cliffs of Dover Oh I've seen the whole world six times over Sea of Japan to the Cliffs of Dover Oh Overkill Overview Over my dead body Over me Over you Over everybody Too much information running through my brain Too much information driving me insane Too much information running through my brain Too much information driving me insane I've seen the whole world six times over Sea of Japan to the Cliffs of Dover Oh I've seen the whole world six times over Sea of Japan to the Cliffs of Dover Oh Too much information running through my brain Too much information driving me insane Too much information running through my brain Too much information driving me insane I've seen the whole world six times over Sea of Japan to the Cliffs of Dover Oh I've seen the whole world six times over Sea of Japan to the Cliffs of Dover Oh Overkill Overview Over my dead body Over me Over you Over everybody Too much information running through my brain Too much information driving me insane Too much information running through my brain Too much information driving me insane (to fade) - Rehumanize yourself3:10
Letra
He goes out at night with his big boots on None of his friends know right from wrong They kick a boy to death 'cause he don't belong You've got to humanize yourself A policeman put on his uniform He'd like to have a gun just to keep him warm Because violence here is a social norm You've got to humanise yourself Re-humanise yourself Re-humanise yourself Re-humanise yourself Re-humanise yourself I work all day at the factory I'm building a machine that's not for me There must be a reason that i can't see You've got to humanise yourself Billy's joined the national front He always was (just) a little runt He's got his hand in the air With the other cunts You've got to humanise yourself Re-humanise yourself Re-humanise yourself Re-humanise yourself Re-humanise yourself I work all day at the factory I'm building a machine that's not for me There must be a reason that i can't see You've got to humanise yourself A policeman put on his uniform He'd like to have a gun just to keep him warm Because violence here is a social norm You've got to humanise yourself Re-humanise yourself... - One world (Not three)4:45
Letra
One world is enough for all of us One world is enough for all of us It's a subject we reraly mention But we do we have this little invention By pretending they're a difference world from me I show my responsability One world is enough for all of us One world is enough for all of us The third world breathes our air tomorrow We live on the time we borrow In our world there's no time for sorrow In their world there is no tomorrow One world is enough for all of us One world is enough for all of us Oh Lines are drawn upon the world Before we get our flags unfurled Whichever one we pick It's just a self deluding trick One world is enough for all of us One world is enough for all of us I don't want to bring a sour note Remember this before you vote We can all sink or we all float Cause we're all in the same big boat One world is enough for all of us One world is enough for all of us One world is enough for all of us One world is enough for all of us One world is enough for all of us It may seem a million miles away But it gets a little closer everyday It may seem a million miles away But it gets a little closer everyday It may seem a million miles away But it gets a little closer everyday One world - Omegaman2:47
Letra
The night came down, jungle sounds were in my ears City screams are all I've heard in twenty years The razor's edge of night it cuts into my sleep I sit upon the edge now shall I make that leap? I'm the Omegaman I'm the Omegaman The sky's alive with turned on television sets I walk the streets and seek another vision yet The echo makes me turn to see that last frontier The edge of time closes down as I disappear I'm the Omegaman I'm the Omegaman I'm the Omegaman I'm the Omegaman Always talking to myself The time that's best is when surroundings fade away The presence of another world comes close to me It's time for me to throw away this paper knife I'm not alone in reaching for a perfect life I'm the Omegaman I'm the Omegaman I'm the Omegaman I'm the Omegaman I'm so tired Of the Omegaman I'm so tired Of the Omegaman I'm so tired Of the Omegaman I'm so tired Of the Omegaman I'm so tired Of the Omegaman - Secret journey3:32
Letra
Upon a secret journey I met a holy man His blindness was his wisdom I'm such a lonely man And as the world was turning It rolled itself in pain This does not seem to touch you He pointed to the rain You will see light in the darkness You will make some sense of this And when you've made your secret journey You will find the love you miss And on the days that followed I listened to his words I strained to understand him I chased his thoughts like birds You will see light in the darkness You will make some sense of this And when you've made your secret journey You will find the love you miss You will see light in the darkness You will make some sense of this You will see joy in this sadness You will find this love you miss And when you've made your secret journey You will be a holy man (repeat to fade) - Darkness3:11
Letra
I can dream up schemes when I'm sitting in my seat I don't see any flaws till I get to my feet I wish I never woke up this morning Life was easy when it was boring I could make a mark if it weren't so dark I could be replaced by any bright spark But darkness makes me fumble For a key To a door That's wide open Instead of worrying about my clothes I could be someone that nobody knows I wish I never woke up this morning Life was easy when it was boring I can dream up schemes when I'm sitting in my seat I don't see any flaws till I get to my feet I wish I never woke up this morning Life was easy when it was boring