"Invisible Sun" is a song by British rock band

the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...

, released as a single in Europe in September 1981.Sutcliffe, Phil (1993). "A Police Discography". In ''Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings'' (pp.60–61) oxed set booklet A&M Records Ltd. It was the first single to be released in the United Kingdom from the album ''

Ghost in the Machine The "ghost in the machine" is a term originally used to describe and critique the concept of the mind existing alongside and separate from the body. In more recent times, the term has several uses, including the concept that the intellectual part ...

'' and it reached on the official chart. The song also reached in Ireland and in the Netherlands. It was not released as a single in the United States. In most other territories, "

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is a song by the British rock band The Police from their fourth studio album, ''Ghost in the Machine'' (1981). It was a hit single that reached the top of the charts in the United Kingdom in November 1981

" was chosen as the lead single from the album.

Background

Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...

said of writing "Invisible Sun": The song's lyrics stem from songwriter Sting's pondering how people living in war-torn and/or impoverished countries find the will to go on living, and despite the dark music and often morbid lyrical statements, the song carries an uplifting and optimistic message. The song was deeply personal for drummer

Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the British rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with the Polic ...

, whose hometown of

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

was being heavily bombed at the time of the song's recording:

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

performed duets of it with Sting when U2 and the Police appeared at the same concerts: the first such instance was in 1982 at a festival in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

, England, and two subsequent instances occurred at the last two shows of

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

A Conspiracy of Hope Tour A Conspiracy of Hope was a short tour of six benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International that took place in the United States during June 1986. The purpose of the tour was not to raise funds but rather to increase awareness of human righ ...

in 1986. The song is a departure from Police songs before it; "Invisible Sun" contains a dark, looping synthesizer beat, and powerful, haunting lyrics. Among other things, the lyrics refer to the

ArmaLite ArmaLite, or Armalite, is an American small arms engineering company, formed in the early 1950s in Hollywood, California. Many of its products, as conceived by chief designer Eugene Stoner, relied on unique foam-filled fiberglass butt/stock fur ...

rifle used by paramilitary organisations, but mainly by the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

. The music video for "Invisible Sun" features a collection of video clips taken from the conflict in Northern Ireland. Owing to its subject matter, it was banned by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

.Garbarini, Vic (Spring 2000)
"I think if we came back..."
, ''Revolver''. In 1998, Sting recorded a new version of "Invisible Sun" with the British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

group

Aswad Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one "Don't Tu ...

. The song was revised as a duet between Sting and vocalist Tony "Gad" Robinson with an upbeat tempo and a prominent horn section. The track was featured in '' The X-Files: The Album'', a promotional

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

released to accompany the film '' The X-Files: Fight The Future''.

Composition

"Invisible Sun" is composed in the key of E-flat major/C minor with the verses alternating between these keys. The verses give off an ominous and desperate feeling. The chorus is in G major and is heavier and more bombastic.

Track listings

7-inch: A&M / AMS 8164 (UK) # "Invisible Sun" – 3:35 # "Shambelle" – 5:42 7-inch: A&M / AMS 8164 (NL) # "Invisible Sun" – 3:35 # "Flexible Strategies" – 3:42

Personnel

– bass guitar, keyboards, lead and backing vocals *

Andy Summers Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist best known as a member of the rock band the Police. Prior to joining the Police, Summers had been a member of several bands during the 1960s, including Zoot Money's Big Roll ...

– guitars, effects *

– drums

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control The Police songs 1981 singles The X-Files music Songs about the military Songs written by Sting (musician) Song recordings produced by Hugh Padgham Songs about The Troubles (Northern Ireland) A&M Records singles 1981 songs Anti-war songs Songs banned by the BBC