June 17 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Police’s fifth studio album, Synchronicity.
The band’s most successful record, Synchronicity went to #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, and topped the chart in the U.K. and several other countries, as well. It went on to be certified eight-times Platinum by the RIAA.
Synchronicity contained several hit singles, including “Every Breath You Take,” which spent eight weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. It wound up being the biggest hit of 1983 in both the U.S. and Canada. The song also topped the U.K. singles chart for four weeks, making it their fifth U.K. #1.
Other hit singles on the record include “King of Pain,” which peaked at #3 on the Hot 100, “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” which went to #8, and “Synchronicity II,” which peaked at #16.
The album turned out to be The Police’s final studio release, and frontman Sting tells ABC Audio he’s happy the band ended on a career high.
“I think that was a pretty good strategy because the legend still lives on, it hasn’t really been tarnished or diminished,” he says. “I’m very proud of the work we did. I think it was a fantastic seven-year adventure and we couldn’t have expected any better result.”
In 2009 Synchronicity was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2023 it was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” It’s also ranked on several greatest albums lists, including Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, where it ranked at 159 as of 2020.
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