10 Mistakes That Made It Onto Famous Rock Songs
1. Take A Seat - The Police's Roxanne
Perhaps the most famous musical mistake to ever make it to record, one The Police's biggest ever songs features an unexpected contribution from Sting's backside.
Roxanne, which was written by the Stinger upon observing sex workers near the band's Paris hotel, served as the lead single to The Police's debut album, Outlandos d'Amour. Initially not a hit, it got re-released a year later in 1979, when it rocketed up to number 12 in the UK singles charts.
The song begins with its trademark short, sharp chords, as played by guitarist Andy Summers, but towards the beginning of the third bar, a strange collection of notes can be heard.
What happened was, whilst the song was being recorded, Sting went to sit down and accidentally planted his buttocks on a keyboard, creating the weird noise. Rather than abandon the take, the sound was left in, alongside Sting's laughter at his own gaffe.
A simple mistake in the studio has grown into a huge musical legend, with the Roxanne mystery piano taking on a life of its own. It's even got a place in the liner notes of the album, where Sting is credited as playing "butt piano" on the track.