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Cover of Zenyattà Mondatta by The Police
Cover: Zenyattà Mondatta

Song · The Police

“Don't Stand So Close to Me” by The Police

From the album Zenyattà Mondatta (1980)

“Don't Stand So Close to Me” by The Police appears on 104 radio countdowns from 40 stations between 1980 and 2026. It was first released in 1980 on the album Zenyattà Mondatta. Its best result is #7 on the KISW 25 Greatest Rock Songs from 1980. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #36 alternative song of 1980, #318 alternative song of all time and #99 of the '80s.

104countdowns
40stations
#7best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1980–2026years charted

Watch

The Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (ThePoliceVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Don't Stand So Close to Me" was the first single from Zenyatta Mondatta, the Police's third album, released on A&M in 1980. Sting wrote it and sings lead, playing bass and synthesizer, with Andy Summers on guitar and Stewart Copeland on drums, and the band produced it with Nigel Gray.

The subject is uncomfortable, a teacher fantasizing about one of his students, and the music matches it: an uneasy, murmuring verse that tiptoes around, then a chorus that snaps into a bright, bouncing reggae-rock hook, with all three voices joining in. Copeland's drumming is a clinic in clever, skittering percussion, and Summers' guitar hangs in the air like smoke.

It became the band's third UK number one and the country's best-selling single of 1980, moving 808,000 copies that year alone, and it also made the top ten in Australia, Canada and on the Billboard Hot 100. It won the Police the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1980 36 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980 106
1980 7 KISW Seattle-Tacoma, WA KISW 25 Greatest Rock Songs from 1980 25
1986 41 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986 90

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 19 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1982 250 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1988 293 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 228 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1988 130 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 17 91X 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989) 191
1989 11 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1991 454 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1991 113 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1992 113 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1994 185 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 302 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1994 670 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 199 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 348 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 251 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 283 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1997 256 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1998 196 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 173 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 459 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 158 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 509 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 669 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 133 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 509 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 135 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 509 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 288 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2001 277 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 509 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 486 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 418 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2002 593 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 13 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 91
2003 509 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 717 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 431 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 509 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 862 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2004 492 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2004 270 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 509 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 277 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2006 188 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2008 223 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2011 197 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 283 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 163 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 198 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2013 103 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 145 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 500 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 161 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 927 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 102 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 188 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 501 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 110 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 145 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 395 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 287 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 120 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 371 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 356 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 117 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2018 396 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 876 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 252 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 756 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 186 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 270 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 876 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2020 323 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 154 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2021 262 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 189 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 198 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 204 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 491 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2022 264 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 351 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 440 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 171 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2022 131 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 408 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 415 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 230 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2023 240 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 264 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 311 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 537 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2024 325 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 495 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 306 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 567 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 557 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 423 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2025 764 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 155 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 202 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498

Also listed as: Don't Stand So Close To Me; Don't Stand So Close to Me '86; Don't Stand (So Close to Me); Don't Stand so Close to Me; Don't Stand So Close; Don't Stand So Close T.

Charting alongside it in 1980

Best songs of 1980 →
  1. 1And the Cradle Will RockVan Halen
  2. 2Another One Bites the DustQueen
  3. 3Whip ItDevo
  4. 5Once in a LifetimeTalking Heads
  5. 6You Shook Me All Night LongAC/DC
  6. 7Even It UpHeart

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