THE POLICE - DRIVEN TO TEARS / WHEN THE WORLD IS RUNNING DOWN, YOU MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT’S STILL AROUND

Llançament: 2 d’octubre de 1980

Àlbum: Zenyatta Mondatta

“Driven to Tears” és una cançó escrita per Sting inclosa a l’àlbum “Zenyatta Mondatta”. Tot i no ser llançada com a single, va arribar al lloc 35 de la llista Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks. Aquesta peça marca l’inici de l’exploració de temes polítics per part de Sting, un motiu recurrent en el seu treball posterior i el de la banda. A les emissores de ràdio de rock clàssic, sovint s’emet juntament amb el tema que la segueix a l’àlbum, “When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around”.

La cançó aborda la divisió extrema entre rics i pobres i va ser la primera peça amb temàtica política escrita per Sting i llançada per The Police. Inspirada per imatges de televisió que mostraven nens morint de gana a Biafra durant la gira nord-americana del 1979, Sting, profundament commogut, va escriure la cançó en una habitació de motel, explicant que aquelles imatges el van deixar “Driven to Tears” (literalment a punt de plorar). La lletra qüestiona com reaccionen les persones davant veritats incòmodes, subratllant la ironia que es pugui permetre una televisió però no alimentar els qui passen gana.

“Driven to Tears” va ser interpretada per The Police durant la seva gira europea i australiana del 1980 abans de ser enregistrada. Sting també va la tocar en esdeveniments humanitaris importants, com el Live Aid de 1985 i el Live 8 de 2005. Una versió en directe de la seva primera gira en solitari es va incloure a l’àlbum “Bring On The Night” de 1986. Sting va assenyalar al llibre “Lyrics By Sting” que els temes d’aquesta cançó, sobre la desigualtat i el patiment humà, continuen sent tràgicament rellevants dècades després.

“When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around” és una altra peça escrita per Sting inclosa a “Zenyatta Mondatta”. Juntament amb “Voices Inside My Head”, va arribar al número 3 de la llista Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles el 1981. Una versió remixada per Different Gear vs. The Police va assolir el lloc 28 de les llistes del Regne Unit i el número 7 de la llista de música de ball de Billboard el 2000. El vídeo, dirigit per Derek Burbidge, es va filmar a Sugarloaf Mountain, a Rio de Janeiro.

La cançó retracta la resiliència davant l’adversitat, possiblement reflectint un escenari apocalíptic. Amb el pas del temps, la seva temàtica ha guanyat nova rellevància, especialment després de la pandèmia de la COVID-19, evocant la idea d’adaptar-se a circumstàncies difícils amb recursos limitats. Sting va escriure la peça amb un toc d’humor irònic, imaginant un futur on la vida es manté amb menjar enllaunat, un reproductor de vídeo i cintes de James Brown i Otis Redding. La cançó destaca la necessitat d’un esforç col·lectiu, fins i tot quan retracta fantasies de supervivència individuals.

El títol, el més llarg de qualsevol cançó de The Police, va cridar l’atenció per una lletra sovint malinterpretada: “You make the best of what’s still around” es confonia amb “You make the best homemade stew around.” La segona frase fa referència a The T.A.M.I. Show, un concert filmat l’any 1964 amb actuacions icòniques de James Brown i The Rolling Stones.

Sting va interpretar “When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around” al seu àlbum en directe “Bring on the Night”. Aquesta versió és un medley de 11 minuts que combina aquesta peça amb “Bring on the Night” de l’àlbum “Reggatta de Blanc” de The Police. La interpretació en directe compta amb Branford Marsalis al saxofon i Kenny Kirkland als teclats, oferint una versió influenciada pel jazz de les pistes originals.

THE POLICE - DRIVEN TO TEARS / WHEN THE WORLD IS RUNNING DOWN, YOU MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT’S STILL AROUND

Released: October 2, 1980

Album: Zenyatta Mondatta

“Driven to Tears” is a song written by Sting and featured on the album “Zenyatta Mondatta”. Although not released as a single, it reached #35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song marks the beginning of Sting’s exploration of political themes, a motif that would continue in his and the band’s later work. On classic rock radio, it is often paired with the album’s following track, “When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around.”

“Driven to Tears” addresses the stark divide between rich and poor and was the first politically themed song written by Sting and released by The Police. Inspired by television footage of starving children in Biafra during their 1979 U.S. tour, Sting was deeply moved and wrote the song in a motel room, describing how the images left him “literally driven to tears.” The song questions how people respond to uncomfortable truths, highlighting the irony that people can afford television but not food for the starving. 

“Driven to Tears” was performed by The Police during their 1980 European and Australian tour before it was recorded. Sting also played the song at significant humanitarian events, including Live Aid in 1985 and Live 8 in 2005. A live version from Sting’s first solo tour was included in his 1986 album “Bring On The Night”. Sting noted in the book “Lyrics By Sting” that its themes of inequality and human suffering remain tragically relevant decades later, highlighting humanity’s struggle to address such atrocities.

“When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around” is a song written by Sting and released on the album “Zenyatta Mondatta”. Along with the track “Voices Inside My Head,” it reached No. 3 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in 1981. A remix version by Different Gear vs. the Police peaked at No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 7 on the Billboard Dance chart in 2000. The song is frequently played back-to-back with “Driven to Tears” on radio stations. The video, directed by Derek Burbidge, was filmed at Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.

“When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around” portrays resilience in the face of adversity, potentially reflecting an apocalyptic scenario. Over time, its themes have gained new relevance, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, as it evokes imagery of adapting to difficult circumstances with limited comforts. Sting wrote it with a tongue-in-cheek perspective, imagining a future sustained by canned food, a VCR, and tapes of James Brown and Otis Redding. The song highlights the need for collective effort, even as it portrays individual survival fantasies.

The title, the longest of any Police track, gained attention for a frequently misheard lyric: “You make the best of what’s still around” often mistaken as “You make the best homemade stew around.” The second line references The T.A.M.I. Show, a legendary 1964 concert film featuring iconic acts like James Brown and The Rolling Stones. 

Sting performed “When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around” on his solo live album “Bring on the Night”. This version is an extended 11-minute medley combining it with “Bring on the Night” from the Police’s 1979 album “Reggatta de Blanc”. The live rendition features contributions from Branford Marsalis on saxophone and Kenny Kirkland on keyboards, showcasing a jazz-influenced interpretation of the original tracks.