10 Mistakes Purposefully Left In Classic Rock Songs
2. Roxanne - The Police
Over the years, The Police have built up a reputation as some of the most professional musical thinkers in the history of rock and roll. As opposed to other acts that get a career off of a fluke hit, this power trio combined everything from jazz to avant garde music to punk and made some of the most magical rock music of the '70s and '80s. That's not to say that every single sound on record was necessarily flawless though.
When taken with the rest of their catalog, the band's debut record Outlandos D'Amour is also their dirtiest, as they lean into their punk rock energy. However, their most enduring hit from this time is actually the roughest recording of the bunch. As Sting was listening to playback for Roxanne, he absent-mindedly sat down only to hit the keys of a piano. After a barrage of notes, Sting can be heard laughing at the top of the song, knowing that he screwed up the take.
While there's been debate as to whether or not this was intentional, the guys at least had a sense of humor about it when it came time to do the packaging, as Sting was credited for "butt piano" on the tune. Even though these songs could be a bit messy, we were just getting accustomed to some of the most talented musicians of the modern age.