{{short description|1983 single by the Police}} {{Distinguish|King of Spain}} {{about|the song by the Police|the album by Loudness|King of Pain (album){{!}}''King of Pain'' (album)}} {{EngvarB|date=May 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}} {{Infobox song | name = King of Pain | cover = Kingofpaincover.jpg | border = yes | alt = | caption = European 7-inch sleeve | type = single | artist = the Police | album = Synchronicity | B-side = *"Tea in the Sahara" (live) (UK) *"Someone to Talk To" (US) | released = {{start date|df=yes|1983|8}} (US) *{{start date|df=yes|1984|1|6}} (UK)<ref>{{cite news|title= News: Predictions 1984 |newspaper= Record Mirror |date= 31 December 1983 |page= 4 |via= Flickr |access-date= 16 December 2020 |url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/39886739993/in/album-72157689045184133/}}</ref> | recorded = December 1982, January–February 1983 | studio = *AIR, Salem, Montserrat (basic tracks) *Le Studio, Quebec, Canada (overdubs and mixing)<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar04/articles/classictracks.htm |title=Classic Tracks: The Police's 'Every Breath You Take' |last=Buskin |first=Richard |date=March 2004 |journal=Sound on Sound }}</ref> | venue = | genre = New wave | length = 5:00 | label = A&M | writer = Sting | producer = *The Police *Hugh Padgham | chronology = Police UK | prev_title = Synchronicity II | prev_year = 1983 | next_title = Don't Stand So Close to Me '86 | next_year = 1986 | misc = {{Extra chronology | artist = Police US | type = single | prev_title = Every Breath You Take | prev_year = 1983 | title = King of Pain | year = 1983 | next_title = Synchronicity II | next_year = 1983 }}{{Extra album cover | header = Alternative covers | type = single | cover = KingofpainUS.jpg | border = yes | alt = | caption = North American 7-inch sleeve }} {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|SZlRX03BzeA|"King of Pain"}}}} }}
"'''King of Pain'''" is a song by British rock band the Police, released as the second single from their fifth and final studio album ''Synchronicity'' (1983). Written by the band's lead singer and bassist Sting as a post-separation song from his wife, "King of Pain" conjures up symbols of pain and relates them to a man's soul. A&M Records released "King of Pain" as the album's fourth single in the UK, while in many other countries it was released as the second single.
The song received acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised Sting's lyrics and cited the song as a highlight from ''Synchronicity''. It reached {{thinspace|No.|3}} in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in October 1983, and {{thinspace|No.|1}} on the ''Billboard'' Top Tracks chart for five weeks in August 1983. In the United Kingdom, it reached {{thinspace|No.|17}} in January 1984, becoming the band's last UK Top 20 hit.
Multiple artists have covered "King of Pain". Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette covered the track for her ''MTV Unplugged'' album (1999) and released it as the second single from the album.
== Background and release == "King of Pain" was released as the second single in the US and the fourth single in the UK, taken from their fifth and final album, ''Synchronicity'' (1983). The song was released after the eight-week appearance of "Every Breath You Take" on top of the charts. Sting's fascination with Carl Jung and, to a greater extent, Arthur Koestler inspired him to write the track. As a Hungarian-born novelist who resided in England, Koestler was enthralled with parapsychology and the unexplained workings of the mind (he wrote the book titled ''The Ghost in the Machine'' in the late '60s, after which the Police named their fourth album).<ref name=allmusickingofpain>{{cite web|last=DeGagne|first=Mike|title=King of Pain – The Police: Allmusic|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/king-of-pain-mt0012491421|work=Allmusic|access-date=3 April 2014}}</ref> A music video was made but only released in Australia.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/tFN5DveQH0o Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20151209023624/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFN5DveQH0o Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFN5DveQH0o| title = The Police - King of Pain (music video) | website=YouTube| date = 18 April 2015 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Engineer/co-producer Hugh Padgham remembers this song as being one of several songs that had been heavily reformed and edited during the mixing stage.<ref>{{cite podcast|url=https://www.stitcher.com/show/icon/episode/032-the-police-synchronicity-41607017|title=ICON Episode 032 The Police: Synchronicity|website=stitcher.com|date=December 11, 2015|access-date=February 21, 2021}}</ref><ref name=HPTapeOp>{{cite web|url=https://tapeop.com/interviews/55/hugh-padgham/|title=Hugh Padgham: The Police, XTC, Yes, Peter Gabriel, more...|first=Larry|last=Crane|date=September 2006|access-date=February 21, 2021}}</ref> He explains: {{blockquote|I remember this one song on ''Synchronicity'', called "King of Pain", which had basically everything going all the way through it. If you listen to it now, it's very stripped down, bits and pieces coming in here and there. Literally everything was recorded all the way through and I really remember that one well — sitting down with Sting coming in one day, when we were mixing and [Sting] going, "This is shit" and I went, "I think you're probably right." The thing at the back of my mind always is trying to keep things simple so you can then hear what's there, as opposed to the kitchen sink style, which is cool, sometimes. Some people do it incredibly well.<ref name=HPTapeOp/>}}
The multitrack recording bore little or no resemblance to the final mix that was included on the album. The introductory section with the piano and vocals was recorded separately on a different date and was edited into the main song.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Ralph|last=Denyer|title=The Producer Series - Hugh Padgham|magazine=Studio Sound|date= March 1984|page=42|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-Studio-Sound/80s/Studio-Sound-1984-03.pdf}}</ref>
== Composition and lyrics == "King of Pain" was written by Sting, while production was done by the Police and Hugh Padgham. The song was inspired by Sting's then-recent separation from his first wife. He remarked, "I conjured up symbols of pain and related them to my soul. A black spot on the sun struck me as being a very painful image, and I felt that was my soul up there on the sun. It's just projecting your state into the world of symbolism, which is what poetry's all about, really."<ref name=sting.com>{{cite web |title=Sting.com: THE POLICE: King Of Pain, 12 |url=https://www.sting.com/discography/index/album/albumId/164/tagName/Singles+(The+Police) |work=Sting.com |access-date=3 April 2014 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>
{{blockquote|Actually, it was something I said. I'd just left my first wife – a very painful break – and I went to Jamaica to try and pull myself together. I was fortunate to be able to go to Jamaica, I have to say, and stayed at this nice house and was looking at the sun one day. I was with Trudie who is now my current wife and said 'Look, there's a little black spot on the sun today'. And there's a pause. I said, 'That's my soul up there'. I was full of hyperbole. I said that! I went back in and wrote it down on a piece of stuff, and wrote some other stuff.|Sting, ''In The Studio'' Radio Show<ref name=sting.com />}}
== Reception == === Critical === The song received acclaim from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of ''Allmusic'' retrospectively picked the song as a highlight from the album, writing that "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "are devilishly infectious new wave singles."<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r15509|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|access-date=18 June 2011}}</ref> ''Sputnikmusic'' website picked it as an "essential track", writing that "King of Pain", "Every Breath You Take" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "rely on gorgeous, understated melodies, embracing the primary sonic overtones encompassing the record."<ref name=sputnikmusic>{{cite news|title=The Police Synchronicity: Sputnikmusic|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/34984/The-Police-Synchronicity/|access-date=3 April 2014|newspaper=Sputnikmusic}}</ref> Michael Roffman of ''Consequence of Sound'' chose the track as "one of his personal favorite Sting-led tracks," pairing it next to his other works like "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" or "Fields of Gold".<ref>{{cite news|last=Roffman|first=Michael|title=Dusting 'Em Off: The Police – Synchronicity|url=https://consequence.net/2013/06/dusting-em-off-the-police-synchronicity/|access-date=4 April 2014|newspaper=Consequence of Sound|date=1 June 2013}}</ref> ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Mike Duquette rated "King of Pain" as the Police's 5th best song, saying "that singsong piano hook, the melodic bass and a simple, effective solo by Summers make what could have been a pity party into a sterling pop/rock offering that not even "Weird Al" Yankovic could improve upon."<ref name=ucr>{{cite web|title=All 70 Police Songs Ranked Worst to Best|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/police-songs-ranked/|author=Duquette, Mike|accessdate=2022-06-05|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=May 6, 2022}}</ref> In its contemporary review of the single, ''Cashbox'' said that the song "doesn’t connect as immediately as 'Every Breath You Take' but grows in evocative power," as "primeval rhythms and gruesome natural imagery seem to place the darkly complex piece in another world."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Reviews|magazine=Cash Box|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1983/CB-1983-08-20.pdf|date=August 20, 1983|accessdate=2022-07-20|page=8}}</ref>
=== Commercial === The song was a success in the United States, peaking at {{thinspace|No.|3}} on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and {{thinspace|No.|1}} on the Mainstream Rock chart, while also reaching {{thinspace|No.|33}} on the Adult Contemporary chart.<ref name=allmusiccharts/> "King of Pain" entered Canada's ''RPM'' chart at {{thinspace|No.|48}}, on the edition of 20 August 1983.<ref name=rpm1>{{cite web|title=Item Display – Top Singles – Volume 38, No. 25, August 20, 1983|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6232&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=f1d1setbkhubbktjo3d4djdq60|work=RPM|access-date=3 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407094141/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6232&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=f1d1setbkhubbktjo3d4djdq60|archive-date=7 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The song climbed to {{thinspace|No.|1}} on the edition of 15 October 1983.<ref name=rpm>{{cite web|title=Item Display – Top Singles – Volume 39, No. 7, October 15, 1983|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4365&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=f1d1setbkhubbktjo3d4djdq60|work=RPM|access-date=3 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129233236/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4365&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=f1d1setbkhubbktjo3d4djdq60|archive-date=29 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Elsewhere, the song performed modestly. In the United Kingdom, the song reached {{thinspace|No.|17}}, one of the lowest charting-singles since their first single, "Fall Out" (1979).<ref name=uk/> In Ireland, the song proved to be more successful, reaching {{thinspace|No.|7}}, becoming their third top-ten single.<ref name="irish"/> In Belgium (Flanders) and Germany, the song became their lowest charting-single.<ref name=belgium/><ref name=german/>
== Track listing == ''' 7": A&M / AM 176 (UK) ''' # "King of Pain" – 4:59 # "Tea in the Sahara" (Live) – 5:05
''' 7": A&M / AM-2569 (US) ''' # "King of Pain" – 4:59 # "Someone to Talk To" – 3:08
''' 7": A&M / AMS 9722 (NL) ''' # "King of Pain" – 4:59 # "Once upon a Daydream" – 3:28
''' 12": A&M / AMX 176 (UK) ''' # "King of Pain" – 4:59 # "Tea in the Sahara" (Live) – 5:05
==Personnel== *Sting – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, piano, synthesizers *Andy Summers – electric guitars *Stewart Copeland – drums, marimba, percussion
== Charts == {|class="wikitable sortable" !Chart (1983–1984) !Peak<br>position |- |Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=235}} N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|44 |- {{Singlechart|Flanders Tip|19|refname=belgium|artist=The Police|song=King of Pain}} |- |Canada Top Singles (''RPM'')<ref name=rpm/> |align="center"|1 |- |Ireland (IRMA)<ref name="irish">{{cite web |url=http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&search_type=title&placement=King%20of%20Pain|title=The Irish Charts - All there is to know - King of Pain|publisher=irishcharts.ie}} </ref> |align="center"|7 |- |UK Singles (OCC)<ref name=uk>{{cite web|title=Police | Artist | Official Charts|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/police/|work=The Official Charts Company|access-date=3 April 2014}}</ref> |align="center"|17 |- |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="allmusiccharts">{{cite web|title=The Police – Awards – Allmusic|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-police-mn0000413524/awards|work=Allmusic|access-date=3 April 2014}}</ref> |align="center"|3 |- |US ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary<ref name="allmusiccharts"/> |align="center"|33 |- |US ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock<ref name="allmusiccharts"/> |align="center"|1 |- |US ''Cashbox''<ref name="Cash Box">{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996|publisher=Sheridan Books, Inc.|year=2014|isbn=978-0-89820-209-0}}</ref> |align="center"|5 |- |Venezuela (AP)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TzhEAAAAIBAJ&dq=canciones+mas+populares+la+opinion&pg=PA10&article_id=1473,3708531|title=Las canciones más populares en América Latina|newspaper=La Opinión (Los Angeles)|language=es|access-date=September 30, 2024|date=November 21, 1983}}</ref> |align="center"|8 |- {{Singlechart|West Germany|57|refname=german|artist=The Police|song=King of Pain|songid=12556|access-date=27 March 2019}} |}
==Sales== {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=The Police|title=King of Pain|nocert=true|relyear=1983|salesamount=50,000|salesref=<ref>{{cite magazine |title='Synchronicity' Sets A&M Sales Mark|date=24 December 1983|page=83 }}</ref>}} {{table end}}
==Alanis Morissette version== {{Infobox song | name = King of Pain | cover = alanis-morissette-king-of-pain.jpeg | alt = | type = single | artist = Alanis Morissette | album = MTV Unplugged | B-side = * "Thank U (MTV Unplugged)" * "Baba (MTV Unplugged)" * "Your House (MTV Unplugged)" | released = 19 April 2000 | recorded = 18 September 1999 | studio = | venue = Brooklyn Academy of Music (Brooklyn, NY)<ref>{{cite web | last=Lavin | first=Will | title=MTV Unplugged: the 20 best performances – ranked and rated in order of greatness | website=NME | date=2020-06-17 | url=https://www.nme.com/features/best-mtv-unplugged-performances-nirvana-jay-z-mariah-carey-2688255 | access-date=2025-09-03}}</ref> | genre = Acoustic rock | length = 4:05 | label = *Maverick *Reprise | writer = Sting | producer = Alanis Morissette | prev_title = You Learn (MTV Unplugged) | prev_year = 1999 | next_title = Hands Clean | next_year = 2002 }}
Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette covered "King of Pain" for her ''MTV Unplugged'' album, on 18 September 1999. The song was released as the album's third and final single on 19 April 2000. Morissette shifted the word "king" to "queen" towards the end of the track. Critics gave the track favourable reviews, with some calling a "tender" ballad, and others naming it outstanding. The song only managed to chart in Brazil and Netherlands.
=== Background and writing === "King of Pain" was one of the songs Alanis selected to perform on her ''MTV Unplugged'' special on 18 September 1999. "King of Pain" was released as the second single from the album on 19 April 2000.<ref name=amazon.com>{{cite web|title=Amazon.com: King of Pain: Music|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004TF93|work=Amazon.com|access-date=4 April 2014}}</ref> The CD Single features "King of Pain" and three songs recorded for the ''Unplugged'' special, but not included on the album: "Thank U", "Baba" and "Your House".<ref name=discogs>{{cite web|title=Alanis Morissette – King of Pain (CD) at Discogs|url=http://www.discogs.com/Alanis-Morissette-King-Of-Pain/release/1672161|work=Discogs|access-date=4 April 2014}}</ref>
=== Critical reception === Neva Chonin of ''Rolling Stone'' wrote that "songs with lusher orchestral backdrops – "You Oughta Know," "Uninvited" and the Police's "King of Pain" – still carry lengthy, vocalcentric intros."<ref name=rs>{{cite news|last=Chonin |first=Neva |title=Rolling Stone: Alanis Morissette: MTV Unplugged |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/alanismorissette/albums/album/245788/review/5944757/mtv_unplugged |access-date=4 April 2014 |newspaper=Rolling Stone |date=3 February 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527125507/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/alanismorissette/albums/album/245788/review/5944757/mtv_unplugged |archive-date=27 May 2007 }}</ref> Beth Johnson of ''Entertainment Weekly'' called it " a tender cover".<ref name=ew>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Beth|title=MTV Unplugged Review | Music Reviews and News|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/11/22/mtv-unplugged/|access-date=4 April 2014|newspaper=Entertainment Weekly|date=22 November 1999|archive-date=11 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111072013/https://ew.com/article/1999/11/22/mtv-unplugged/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Chris Massey of ''PopMatters'' called it a "folksy cover which comes across exceedingly well." Massey commented that, "Sting's haunting vocals on the original song by The Police are almost overshadowed by the similarly chilling vocals of Alanis herself —almost. When the band kicks in – the bass is almost overpowering – and Alanis belts out the familiar chorus 'I have stood here before inside the pouring rain / With the world turning circles, running around my brain,' the power is outstanding."<ref name=popmatters>{{cite news|last=Massey|first=Chris|title=Alanis Morissette: MTV Unplugged | PopMatters|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/morissettealanis-mtv/|access-date=4 April 2014|newspaper=PopMatters}}</ref>
===Track listing=== # "King of Pain" (''MTV Unplugged'') – 4:05 # Thank U (MTV Unplugged) – 4:11 # Baba (MTV Unplugged) – 5:11 # Your House (MTV Unplugged) – 4:37
=== Charts === {|class="wikitable sortable" !Chart (2000) !Peak<br>position |- |Brazil (''Hot 100'')<ref name=hot100>{{cite web|title=Hot 100 Brasil (PDF)|url=http://ivetesangalonews.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/hot100br1999-2013.pdf|work=Hot 100 Brasil|access-date=4 April 2014}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|54 |- {{Singlechart|Dutch40|92|refname=dutch|artist=Alanis Morissette|song=King of Pain (Unplugged)}} |- |}
==Other cover versions== American alternative metal band Mudvayne included a cover of "King of Pain" on their 2007 album ''By the People, for the People''.
At the 2011 iHeart Radio Festival, Lady Gaga performed "King of Pain" as a duet with Sting. The performance was lauded by critics. Louis Virtel of ''The Backlot'' called it "the best version of the song you'll ever hear," praising Gaga for "sporting teal streaks and some Stevie Nicks drapery, and Sting is (of course) wearing Under Armour, basically. Excellent performance."<ref name="thebacklot">{{cite news |last=Virtel |first=Louis |author-link=Louis Virtel |date=9 July 2013 |title=Watch: Lady Gaga Destroys "King Of Pain" With Sting |url=http://www.thebacklot.com/watch-lady-gaga-destroys-king-of-pain-with-sting/07/2013/ |access-date=4 April 2014 |newspaper=The Backlot}}</ref>
"Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song as "King of Suede" in his 1984 album ''"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D.''
== See also == *List of RPM number-one singles of 1983 *List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)
== References == {{reflist}}
{{The Police}} {{Alanis Morissette}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:King Of Pain}} Category:1983 singles Category:1983 songs Category:The Police songs Category:Alanis Morissette songs Category:A&M Records singles Category:Reprise Records singles Category:Maverick Records singles Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:Songs written by Sting (musician) Category:Song recordings produced by Hugh Padgham