The Time Sting Literally Tried To Bury A Police Song

Guitarist Andy Summers was the musical brains behind the instrumental track “Behind My Camel,” which made it onto The Police’s 1980 album Zenyatta Mondatta. While the song ended up winning a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1982, not everyone was thrilled about it—especially Sting, who wasn’t a fan.

Behind My Camel Track Completes Album

Sting’s dislike for the song was so intense that he wanted nothing to do with it and even tried to stop the recording. “I actually believe he did bury the tape in the garden,” Summers shared in an interview. He added:

“I was always more interested in weirder stuff, but Sting wasn’t playing on it. Stewart Copeland was up for it, so I just played the bass.”

By mid-1980, after months on tour, The Police were under pressure to deliver a new album. “The entire industry was waiting for it,” Sting recalled in the liner notes for a Zenyatta Mondatta reissue.

“I was getting messages from the record company saying retailers were waiting. I felt like thousands of people were waiting on me while I was struggling to write it.”

Zenyatta Mondatta’s Unexpected Success

Despite the internal struggles, Zenyatta Mondatta turned out to be a huge success, becoming The Police’s first Top 5 album in the U.S. It produced two massive hits, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.”

But even with the album’s success, Sting remained critical of the project. “Zenyatta was our most flawed record,” he admitted. “Surprisingly, that was also the one that made us big.” Summers, however, couldn’t resist a bit of irony. He said:

“I loved the irony.
“I’m sure there was some smug self-satisfaction: ‘See? I f*cking told you!’”

In the end, Zenyatta Mondatta boosted their career, and Summers’ unusual contribution to the album’s legacy was recognized.