Driven to Tears
The Police, 1980, from Zenyatta Mondatta. Solo by Andy Summers.
Summers' abrasive, off-balance solo breaks the band's usual restraint to match the song's anger.
Driven to Tears, from Zenyatta Mondatta, finds Andy Summers breaking from his usual restraint. The band typically relied on space and texture, but here his solo is abrasive, off-balance and deliberately rough, matching the anger in Sting's lyric about poverty and indifference. His phrasing is jagged, with sudden bursts and uneven rhythms that feel almost like the guitar is stumbling forward on purpose. It is a striking contrast to his more familiar chiming chord work. Listen for how the solo pushes against the song's tight reggae-influenced groove, and how the harsh tone and awkward phrasing give the break a sense of urgency that fits the song's message.
Driven to Tears by The Police is featured in our New Wave (#7) list. The solo is played by Andy Summers and the song was released in 1980.
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Who played the guitar solo on Driven to Tears?
Andy Summers played the solo on The Police's Driven to Tears (1980).