Thomas Marinelli ’26

by Thomas Marinelli ’26 on February 12, 2026

Whether you’re in love or alone, The Police are your Valentine’s band. Why? Well, even if you haven’t been the biggest music listener in your lifetime, it is impossible that you have not heard some of The Police’s songs over the radio, in public, or just out and about. For a while, the band was as big as it gets, and their music only becomes more relevant by the day.

Let’s go back to the ’70s. The classic love songs were always there. You had your Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Wonder-type popular artists, always playing to the beat of their respective genres. Disco love songs, pop love songs, and R&B love songs reigned supreme, even in the shadow of punk, which started to rage. In comes The Police, the English-and-one-American trio band. This time, a new wave, reggae-rock, and jazz-influenced band that was the perfect prescription to bring in the new decade—and they killed it. Millions of records sold, arena tours were packed, and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gordon Sumner, known as Sting, Stuart Copeland, and Andy Summers cultivated a sound so unique and powerful that they literally defined a generation of music and a legacy of unforgettable music.

Let’s be exact. “Every Breath You Take,” from their album Synchronicity in 1983, is one of the most popular songs of the ’80s, and of all time. Their songs would pack a punch musically, but they were also always emotional while being restrained, and often about waiting, wanting, or holding back. “Roxanne” is a song about desire, but riddled with guilt and frustration. “Message in a Bottle”—my personal favorite—is a song about loneliness, reaching out, and never having a guarantee of a response. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” a song about unspoken love, and “So Lonely,” a song that backs up loneliness without being dramatic, helped the band get on the map. What they have in common: they are instant vibes, love songs, while not being explicitly so, and most of all, human. They are unapologetically authentic in whatever song they have recorded or sung, and for a reason.

It was their success that led to their eventual breakup, officially in 1986, just two years after their initial split in 1984. The same intensity in the songs that they displayed and the instability that followed mirrored their own band. Even at their peak, Sting always clashed with Summers and Copeland, and soon enough, the band would have inevitably run its course. That being said, the band’s legacy continued. Sting had an amazing solo career and is still going, even reuniting with the other band members in 2007–2008 for a world tour celebrating 30 years since the band started, and it was a monumental success. When it was all said and done, they followed a stereotypical band breakup—they hated each other, but still left an undeniable impact on music.

For this Valentine’s Day, remember this: many times love is seen as a final destination, but The Police see it as a moment or a force—something essential to life, and never without pain. It is not always clean, but when it is, those times are worth celebrating. Being emotionally invested is a reward in itself, a sign that you are right where you are meant to be. When The Police broke up, it was not a failure or a tarnished memory, but rather a story that lived its course. And with that, I hope everyone has a good Valentine’s Day, and puts on The Police—it’s worth it.