Spirits in the Material World
"Spirits in the Material World" is a song by the British rock trio The Police, written by Sting. It is the opening track for their 1981 album Ghost in the Machine. It was released as a single in 1981 and reached No. 12 in the United Kingdom and No. 11 in the US in early 1982.
US 7-inch single cover
Image: Spirits in the material world UK Single
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, Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland, and remained unchanged for the rest of the band's history. The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early to mid 1980s. Emerging in the British new wave scene, they played a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz.
Andy Summers (far right), Sting (front), Stewart Copeland (drums). The Police performing at Madison Square Garden on 1 August 2007.
BBC Television Centre, where the Police made their television debut on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978, and where they made their first appearance on Top of the Pops in 1979
Summers performing with the band in 1979
Sting with the Police in Buenos Aires, 1980