Two versions, both released within a couple years of each other in the '80s. One is the original.
I never really cared for Robert Palmer when he was popular in the ‘80s (too preppy and not enough rockin’ for my juvenile tastes), but I quite enjoy some of his stuff these days, including this song. I first heard the Cherrelle version a couple years ago, and was just kind of going with the groove when it hit me that the reason it felt so fun and familiar was because I already knew the lyrics from a different version of the song.
Listen for the bass drum roll in this one. I’m guessing it’s probably a drum machine, which makes it a little less impressive, but it’s one of the things that caught my ear the first time I heard this song.
At about the 30 second mark, Palmer oh-so-briefly rolls his eyes in a sort of semi-smirk, and I think I start to get why some folks find him sexy.
I think they make a neat pair, and I’d have a hard time choosing one over the other, so I’m going with the checkbox-style poll.
OK. By now, you should all know that I have terrible taste.
But…
Bear with me for a moment, because this might be really good.
I went back and forth the first few times I listened, but I ultimately decided that it’s quite fun and I very much like it (it helps to play it really loud on some decent speakers – the youtube version doesn’t do it justice).
I was going to say that I included the original for comparison purposes, only, but when I listened to it I was reminded that Stewart Copeland is, like, two thirds of that band, and I can’t just dismiss it as 80’s era kitsch.
In any case, here are your voting choices:
Don't Stand So Close To Me
Louchie Lou & Michie One
The Police
wtf? you really do have terrible taste!
0voters
ETA: to the person who picked the third option in the poll: well-played!
When I was watching the Falco video I was thinking to myself, “I remember the version of this song that was always on the radio being in English. When he said “original” he really meant it. I’ll have to go find the English radio version just for grins after I listen to this other cover.”
And then I watched the After the Fire video, and that was the version I was remembering as always being on the radio!
I’ve always thought that they were both Falco and it was just a bilingual release, sort of like that “99 Red Balloons/99 Luftballons” song.
I give the Falco video bonus points for being totally comprehensible1 even though I don’t speak a lick of German, but After the Fire had the cooler video.
obviously, i voted for Bowie, but that little spoken word bit by Shawn Cassidy is just so bad that i was tempted to vote for him on the strength of that alone.
I thought it was an amusing bit of fucking around by Todd Rundgren. If he’d actually sung it himself, it would have been better, although still inferior.
I’ll have to go find the English radio version just for grins after I listen to this other cover.”