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Cover of Synchronicity by The Police
Cover: Synchronicity

Song · The Police

“Murder By Numbers” by The Police

From the album Synchronicity (1983)

“Murder By Numbers” by The Police appears on 18 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 1994 and 2016. It was first released in 1983 on the album Synchronicity. Its best result is #337 on the KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,383 alternative song of all time.

18countdowns
5stations
#337best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1994–2016years charted

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Murder By Numbers

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"Murder By Numbers" slipped onto The Police's 1983 album Synchronicity as a genuine partnership, with Andy Summers writing the music and Sting supplying the words. It's just the trio at work: Summers on electric guitar, Sting on electric bass and vocal, Stewart Copeland on drums, with Hugh Padgham engineering and co-producing alongside the band.

What comes out is sly and slinky, a jazzy after-hours shuffle with Sting crooning like a lounge singer who knows where the bodies are buried and Copeland keeping the whole thing on a light, nervous simmer.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1994 337 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1999 817 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 772 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 823 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 824 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 824 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2003 824 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 926 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 824 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 825 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 1551 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1484 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1500 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 1530 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 1597 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 1661 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 1730 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2016 533 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913

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