"Roxanne" is a song by the British rock band The Police. The song was written by lead singer and bassist Sting and was first released as a single on April 14, 1978. It was released before their first album, Outlandos d'Amour, which came out on November 17. The song is told from the perspective of a man who falls in love with a prostitute. When the song was released again on April 13, 1979, it reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. "Roxanne" was also The Police's second single and their first single released on A&M Records.

The song ranked number 388 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and was named number 85 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Rock Songs."

"Roxanne" was the first song The Police performed live at the 2007 Grammy Awards to start their 30th Anniversary Reunion Tour. In 2008, the song was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Background

In October 1977, the band The Police stayed at a hotel in Paris, France, to perform at the Nashville Club. Police lead singer Sting wrote a song inspired by the women he saw working as prostitutes near the hotel. The song’s title was taken from a character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, as an old poster from the play was displayed in the hotel’s entrance.

Sting originally planned the song to be a bossa nova, but he credits the band’s drummer, Stewart Copeland, for suggesting its final rhythm as a tango. During recording, Sting accidentally sat on a piano keyboard in the studio, creating an unusual piano chord that was included at the start of the track. At first, The Police were not excited about the song, but Miles Copeland III, who later became their manager, was immediately interested. He helped the band secure their first record deal with A&M Records.

— Sting, A Visual Documentary, 1978

— Andy Summers, Guitar World, 1/94

Release

"Roxanne" was the first single released by the band for A&M Records. Although Miles Copeland praised the song, it did not appear on any charts when it was first released. Bev Briggs, a singles reviewer for Record Mirror, wrote, "This must be the big breaker for the Police… what the hell, go out and buy it immediately."

Later that year, the band released two more singles in the UK: "Can't Stand Losing You," which reached number 42 on the charts, and "So Lonely," which did not chart. In early 1979, "Roxanne" was released in North America as the band's first single there. In the United States, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1979 and reached number 32 in April. In Canada, it peaked at number 31. Cash Box magazine described the song as having "fast slashing rhythm guitar work, spacious arrangement, and good singing." The Fort Worth Star Telegram ranked it as the fifth-best single of 1979.

The song's success led to a re-release of "Roxanne" in the UK in April 1979, where it reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. A live solo version of the song, performed by Sting on the 1982 album The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, received moderate airplay on album-oriented rock radio and reached number 28 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. The song became a regular part of Sting's performances during his solo career, and The Police performed it again in 2003 when they reunited for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1997, "Roxanne" was remixed by American rapper and producer Puff Daddy for the compilation The Very Best of Sting & The Police. The remix, titled "Roxanne '97," included raps by Pras and samples from UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne." The remix reached number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Acclaim

The song "Roxanne" is included on all of The Police's greatest hits albums. In 2004, Rolling Stone listed it as number 388 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2000, VH1 ranked the song number 85 on its list of the "100 Greatest Rock Songs." In 2003, VH1 ranked it number 90 on its list of the "100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years." The song is also part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2008, "Roxanne" was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Cover versions

In 1999, English singer-songwriter George Michael performed a version of the song for his fourth solo studio album, Songs from the Last Century. In 2006, singer Dilana performed "Roxanne" on the CBS reality television show Rock Star: Supernova and later released the version as a single. In 2012, singer Juliet Simms performed "Roxanne" on the reality television show The Voice. Her version reached No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100.

For the 2001 musical romantic drama film Moulin Rouge!, directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann, the song "El Tango de Roxanne" was created by combining "Roxanne" with "Tanguera" by Mariano Mores. A character in the film says, "Never fall in love with a woman who sells herself." The song was performed by Jacek Koman, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, and José Feliciano. In the film, the song blends scenes, memories, and characters, with the ensemble cast dancing tango.

In 2022, lead singer Sting and the Swedish house music group Swedish House Mafia used parts of "Roxanne" in a new song called "Redlight." The song was released on February 25, 2022, as the fourth single from the group's debut studio album Paradise Again.