The Police – When The World Is Running Down…

A Post-Apocalyptic Vision Set to an Irresistible Beat

In the fall of 1980, as The Police were ascending to the pinnacle of new wave stardom, they released When The World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around as part of their third studio album Zenyatta Mondatta. With the longest title in the band’s entire catalog, this hypnotic track showcased Sting’s lyrical ambition at its most dystopian, painting a portrait of solitary survival in a world that had crumbled into isolation and decay. While it never became a conventional hit single, the song would eventually find unexpected new life two decades later and cement its place as one of The Police’s most intellectually compelling compositions.

Written entirely by Sting, When The World Is Running Down represented one of his earliest attempts to look beyond personal relationships and examine broader societal concerns. The narrative follows a solitary figure trapped in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic existence, surrounded by aging technology and fading memories. The protagonist mentions watching the same James Brown performance on the T.A.M.I. Show for years, listening to Otis Redding on a worn-out stereo, and filling lonely hours with outdated entertainment. Sting later acknowledged the song’s deliberately bleak vision, admitting he had his tongue firmly in his cheek when composing this misanthropic scenario, imagining himself as the sole survivor of a holocaust with all his favorite possessions still intact. The theme shared significant common ground with an earlier Police track from Reggatta de Blanc, using the same chord progression and exploring similar apocalyptic territory.

Musically, When The World Is Running Down exemplified The Police’s signature ability to create infectious grooves from minimalist foundations. Built on a repetitive three-chord progression that cycles throughout its nearly four-minute duration, the song relies on Stewart Copeland’s characteristically inventive drumming and Andy Summers’ textured guitar work to maintain momentum. The result is a hypnotic, almost trance-like quality that perfectly mirrors the monotonous existence described in the narrative. Critics noted structural similarities to other Police songs that employed this approach, particularly tracks from Reggatta de Blanc that demonstrated the band’s mastery of making compelling music from deceptively simple building blocks. Guitarist Andy Summers considered it one of the strongest compositions Sting brought to the Zenyatta Mondatta sessions, ranking it alongside major singles and album highlights as part of the record’s core material.

The song found its initial audience not through massive radio airplay but through the album’s overall success. Zenyatta Mondatta debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and reached number five on the Billboard 200 in the United States, spending nearly three years on the chart. The album produced hit singles including the chart-topping success and another top ten entry, both of which overshadowed the deeper album tracks. However, When The World Is Running Down became a favorite among serious Police fans who appreciated its darker thematic content and sophisticated musical construction. The band even paired it with another album track for a promotional single release that reached number three on the Billboard Dance Music Club Play Singles chart in 1981, proving the song’s appeal to club audiences who responded to its driving rhythm.

Two decades after its original release, When The World Is Running Down experienced an unexpected renaissance. In early 2000, a bootleg remix began circulating in prominent nightclubs, spun by influential DJs including Pete Tong, David Morales, and Terry Farley. The remix, eventually revealed to be the work of production duo Different Gear (Gino Scaletti and Quinn Whalley), transformed the song into a contemporary dance floor anthem while maintaining its essential character. After the bootleg gained significant traction, Pagan Records secured permission from A&M Records to release it commercially under the credit Different Gear versus the Police. The remix reached number 28 on the UK Singles Chart and number seven on the US Billboard Dance chart, introducing the song to an entirely new generation. The remix was even featured in the soundtrack for the science fiction film Red Planet, perfectly suited to the song’s apocalyptic themes.

The connection between The Police and bands like Travis extends beyond simple chronology into shared musical philosophy. Both groups understood the power of restraint, the art of building compelling songs from relatively simple musical frameworks enhanced by impeccable musicianship and intelligent arrangement. Just as The Police could create a hypnotic four-minute journey from a three-chord progression, Travis would later demonstrate similar economy of means in their own guitar-driven compositions. The emphasis on rhythmic integrity, melodic clarity, and lyrical substance over flashy virtuosity became a template that influenced countless alternative rock bands. The jangly, interlocking guitar work that Andy Summers brought to The Police’s sound found echoes in the careful, textured approach that characterized Travis’s best work in the late 1990s and beyond.

When The World Is Running Down also became notable for an unusual linguistic phenomenon. In an online poll of 2,000 music fans seeking the most commonly misheard pop lyrics, one line from the song topped the list. The actual phrase was regularly misinterpreted as something about homemade stew, demonstrating how Sting’s sometimes abstract vocal delivery could lead listeners down unexpected interpretive paths. This misunderstanding actually added to the song’s mystique, becoming part of its cultural legacy and a talking point among fans. Sting himself would later revisit the song during his solo career, performing it as a medley with its thematic predecessor on his live album, featuring contributions from jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis and keyboardist Kenny Kirkland that added new dimensions to the composition.

More than four decades after its creation, When The World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around endures as one of The Police’s most intellectually ambitious tracks. It captured a band at the height of their creative powers, willing to explore darker thematic territory while maintaining the musical accessibility that made them stadium-filling superstars. The song’s vision of technology failing, human connection severed, and individuals retreating into loops of nostalgic media consumption feels eerily prescient in an age of algorithm-driven entertainment and digital isolation. What Sting intended as a somewhat tongue-in-cheek post-apocalyptic fantasy has become an unexpectedly resonant commentary on modern existence. The track stands as testament to The Police’s artistic reach and their refusal to be confined by the commercial expectations of new wave radio, proving that sometimes the deepest cuts leave the longest-lasting impressions.