The Police Hit No.1 with “Walking on the Moon”

On this day 7th December 1979.

On this day in history, The Police reached No.1 on the UK Singles Chart with the hypnotic, reggae infused track “Walking on the Moon.” It became the band’s second UK No.1, following the success of “Message in a Bottle” earlier the same year, and was taken from their groundbreaking second album, Reggatta de Blanc.

“Walking on the Moon” began life as a simple riff Sting hummed to himself after a night out originally titled “Walking Round the Room”before it evolved into one of their most atmospheric and distinctive songs. The track perfectly captures the band’s unique blend of tight musicianship, sparse production, and the reggae rhythms that set them apart from so many of their late 70s peers.

By the time the single hit No.1, The Police were no longer an underground act they were fast becoming one of the biggest bands in the world. But just two years earlier, they were still finding their feet in tiny venues across London, including one particularly legendary Soho club that would become part of their story.

On my Rock & Roll Tour of Soho, we stop outside the iconic music venue where The Police played their first Soho gig back in 1977 a modest stage that helped launch countless British bands during the 1960s and 70s. This room, now music history, once echoed with the early sounds of artists who would later conquer the charts, change genres, and influence generations.

Walk the same Soho streets, stand on the same ground and hear the stories that helped shape so many global superstars.

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