But is the album really any good?
One way to determine artistic merit is to turn to the critics. Back in 1979, Tom Carson of Rolling Stone wrote a review of the album, noting that "musically, Outlandos D'Amour has a convincing unity and drive," but "on the emotional level… it all seems somewhat hollow." The album ultimately fails, according to Carson, because "[The Police's] punk pose is no more than a manipulative come-on."
It's safe to say that Carson's review hurts a bit. Where I've always found a satisfying musical treat, he finds a chocolate Easter bunny: pretty on the outside; disappointingly hollow in the middle.
If I were a critic writing in 1979, I might have felt the same way. 1979 saw the release of The Clash's London Calling, a high water mark of punk albums. The punk and new wave movements were in full swing (blood on countless stages to prove it), and the very definition of punk demanded a certain level of asceticism.
The Police were no ascetics.
But does any of that really matter? The opening beats of "So Lonely" are so infectious that I would argue the lyrics take a backseat. The tone of the album is set by the beat and rarely slackens. On a first listen, most people would be so swept away by the energy that they probably wouldn't even remember any of the lyrics! As Debra Rae Cohen notes of The Police's second album, Regatta De Blanc, "such criticisms [as Carson's] are rendered moot by the sheer energy of the band's rhythmic counter-punching."
So, do lyrics even matter when "sheer energy" prevails?
Well, yes they do. And critics aren't the only ones who would say so. My argument is that where Carson finds a "poser" in Sting, I find a literate conflation of punk sensibilities that reflects the inherent instabilities of punk: The Police craft such great music because they approach it with an intentionality that transcends authenticity.
Outlandos D'Amour, as a catalogue of like-minded songs, is about obsession, paranoia, and loneliness. Combined with the hard-driving, infectious beat, the songs become epidemic. "Next To You" is not about being next to someone; it's about not being next to someone. It's about obsession born of rejection. "Roxanne" is an appeal to a prostitute. The speaker offers his pleas of love to coax her off the street—but his persistence implies that she would rather keep hooking than be saved. "Sally (Be My Girl)" is about someone who finds happiness with an inflatable doll because reality disappoints.
In the end, I choose to agree with Susie Goldring from the BBC: "Suicide, abandoned loves, desperation and loneliness…hardly subjects for a pop album." Yet, precisely because the thematic down-notes match the "punky" up-beats, Goldring proclaims "Outlandos D'Amour is not only the first Police album, it's the best."
What can I say?
I may not be a critic, but I know what I love.
I still love this album.
____
Works Cited
Carson, Tom. Rev. of Outlandos D'Amour, by The Police. Rolling Stone 14 Jun. 1979. Rollingstone.com. 16 Feb. 2009 (http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thepolice/albums/album/269239/review/6067752/ outlandos_damour).
Cohen, Debra Rae. Rev. of Regatta De Blanc, by The Police. Rolling Stone 13 Dec. 1979. Rollingstone.com. 18 Feb. 2009 (http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thepolice/albums/album/269240/review/19544195/reggatta_de_blanc).
Goldring, Susie. Rev. of Outlandos D'Amour, by The Police. BBC /music and artists 9 Mar. 2007. BBC.com. 16 Feb. 2009 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/889x/).
Kapica, Steve. "My Love, My Outlandos D'Amour." Weblog entry. Teacher Man's World Of Words. 22 Jan. 2009. 16 Feb. 2009 (http://teachermansworldofwords.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-love-my-outlandos-damour.html).
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