Synchronicity

Synchronicity, the fifth and final studio album by the British rock band the Police, was released on 17th June 1983 by A&M Records. Widely considered their most successful work, the album features hit singles such as “Every Breath You Take”, “King of Pain”, “Wrapped Around Your Finger”, and “Synchronicity II”. The album’s title and thematic content were heavily influenced by Arthur Koestler’s book The Roots of Coincidence (1972).

At the 1984 Grammy Awards, Synchronicity was nominated for five awards, winning three, including Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. During this period, the Police reached the pinnacle of their popularity, often referred to as the “biggest band in the world” by BBC and The Guardian.

Synchronicity topped both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, selling over eight million copies in the US alone. Critics acclaimed its cohesive blend of genres and innovative use of synthesizers, with Rolling Stone describing each track as “a miniature, discrete soundtrack”. The album has been consistently featured in Rolling Stone’s lists of the greatest albums, including the “100 Best Albums of the Eighties” and the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In recognition of its cultural significance, Synchronicity was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009 and added to the US National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2023.

Recording sessions took place over six weeks at AIR Studios in Montserrat, beginning in December 1982. The band employed a unique recording method where each member recorded their parts separately in different rooms to achieve optimal sound quality and creative independence. Producer Hugh Padgham facilitated this approach to enhance the clarity and balance of each instrument, a technique that contributed to the album’s distinct sonic character.

Artwork for the album, conceived by Jeff Ayeroff and Norman Moore, featured a series of photographs overlaid with transparent coloured stripes, presenting different variations across its 36 editions. The cover prominently displayed Sting reading Carl Jung’s Synchronicity (1960), reinforcing the album’s thematic underpinning.

Upon release, Synchronicity received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for its musical depth and lyrical complexity. It earned accolades such as Album of the Year at the Rolling Stone readers’ poll and multiple Grammy Awards. Despite internal tensions during its production, notably during the recording of “Every Breath You Take”, the album’s artistic cohesion and commercial success solidified its place as a landmark in rock music history.