Another Godley & Creme technological artistic experiment in the form of a music video, the clip for "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" was a farewell
song to The Police a year later after the band break up, a new version of a previous classic of theirs (which already had two music videos made and you can
see small excerpts of them in this one). Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers moved on to solo careers until the band's return in 2007 to great acclaim
and welcome back from fans.
Computer flashing effects are a constant in the clip which turns the power trio spinning over and over as small portions of some previous Police music
videos are presented on small screen, setting references are used (the candles from "Wrapped Around Your Finger" pop in a dark background), and flying instruments
are also part of the strange spectacle.
Groundbreaking technique in the 1980's, weird to look at it in the years that came, but this '86 song version is a hundred
times better than the original one that made the teacher's story about the girl student who was obsessed with him sound cute and funny (one of the clip versions present the school scenario but without the girl. Fun to watch as Sting plays the teacher, a profession he was once). The new take looks more
reflective, a little serious, and it's heavily supported by the great use of synthesizers and a more powerful beat to it. Too bad it didn't got much popular,
but I know that a lot of fans and listeners agree that the later "Don't Stand..." works and sounds better. 8/10.
