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Cover of Synchronicity by The Police
Cover: Synchronicity

Song · The Police

“Wrapped Around Your Finger” by The Police

From the album Synchronicity (1983)

“Wrapped Around Your Finger” by The Police appears on 38 radio countdowns from 21 stations between 1983 and 2025. It was first released in 1983 on the album Synchronicity. Its best result is #29 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #78 alternative song of 1983 and #2,140 alternative song of all time.

38countdowns
21stations
#29best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1983–2025years charted

Watch

The Police - Wrapped Around Your Finger (Official Music Video)

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

"Wrapped Around Your Finger" comes from Synchronicity, the Police's fifth and last studio album, in 1983, released as the second single in Britain and the fourth in America. Sting wrote it and counted it among the songs on that record that were about his own life, calling it a spiteful tale of turning the tables on someone who used to hold the reins.

He dresses the grudge up in classical costume, dropping in Scylla and Charybdis and the legend of Faust, and the music moves from brooding, slow-creeping verses to a chorus that suddenly lifts like a victory. Andy Summers keeps his guitar spare and shimmering, Stewart Copeland plays with feather-light menace, and Hugh Padgham co-produced with the band. The British single carried the non-album "Someone to Talk To" on the flip, while the American one got a live "Tea in the Sahara".

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1983 29 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1988 393 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1989 91 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1994 496 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 232 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1996 288 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 316 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1997 304 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1999 638 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 399 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 495 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2002 779 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 337 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2002 812 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 1957 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 805 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2013 208 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 434 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 328 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 591 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 220 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 430 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 913 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 230 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2018 227 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 280 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 469 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 650 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2021 681 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2022 282 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 290 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 357 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2023 218 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 844 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 806 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 343 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 398 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2025 1032 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043

Also listed as: Wrapped around your finger.

Charting alongside it in 1983

Best songs of 1983 →
  1. 1New Year's DayU2
  2. 2Let's DanceDavid Bowie
  3. 3The LovecatsThe Cure
  4. 4Every Breath You TakeThe Police
  5. 5Rebel YellBilly Idol
  6. 6In a Big CountryBig Country

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