zenyattà mondatta

zenyattà mondatta was the result of a feverish month of recording just before they started an ambitious world tour. the title hints at a worldly wisdom that the band had embraced with their playing in unlikely places like mexico, india, and egypt; as well as a more political tone to their lyrics. these men in suitcases recording on the fly have expressed dissatisfaction with the album; but it has stood the test of time. themes of temptation, frustration, and alienation still ring true from the afghanistan hills to old bombay. though they are taking the punky reggae party a little deeper, they still retain their cheeky humor. likewise, their own brand of world beat music is flavored with a little arabic spice. sting allegedly refused to play on summers' 'behind my camel' (perhaps inspiring it's title); though it won a grammy a year later (for best rock instrumental performance), as did the leadoff single (for best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal) 'don't stand so close to me'.

the fact that there are several instrumentals on the album has been a criticism of the album; but i think that it added to its international appeal. onomatopoetic chants and portmanteau might be an attempt at going beyond the hurtful power of language and logic and getting at the inarticulate speech of the heart.






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'Don't Stand So Close To Me' was a number one smash in the UK




'de doo doo doo, de da da da' went to number ten in the US and number five in the UK.

"don't think me unkind
words are hard to find
the only cheques i've left unsigned
are from banks of chaos in my mind
but when the eloquence escapes me
their logic ties me up and rapes me."

"voices inside my head: echoes of things that you said."

"a comfortable existence is reduced to a shallow, meaningless party."

'driven to tears' (buh-bum-bum buh-bum-bum bum-bum):

nihilism or acceptance?

'when the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around':

Zenyatta Mondatta
full album:  




01.Don't Stand So Close To Me 00:00
02.Driven To Tears 03:57
03.When The World Is Running Down,You Make The Best Of Whats Still Around 07:17
04.Canary In A Coalmine 10:50
05.Voices Inside My Head 13:12
06.Bombs Away 17:01
07.De Do Do Do,De Da Da Da 20:02
08.Behind My Camel 24:00
09.Man In A Suitcase 26:50
10.Shadows In The Rain 29:12
11.The Other Way Of Stopping 34:13