About The Song
“De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” is a song by the Police, released as a single in 1980. Released as the lead single in the US and second single in the UK from their album Zenyatta Mondatta, the song was written by Sting as a comment on how people love simple-sounding songs. The song was re-recorded in 1986 as “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da ’86” but not released until 1995.
According to lead singer Sting, the song is about the attraction that people have to simple songs. Sting later criticised those who labelled the lyrics of the song as “baby talk,” claiming that the song was grossly misunderstood. He explained, “The lyrics are about banality, about the abuse of words,” saying that “the lyrics have an internal logic.”
I was trying to make an intellectual point about how the simple can be so powerful. Why are our favourite songs ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’ and ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’? In the song, I tried to address that issue. But everyone said, ‘This is bullshit, child’s play.’ No one listened to the lyrics. Listen to the lyrics. I’m going to remake it again and put more emphasis on what I was talking about.
— Sting, Rolling Stone, 2/1988
Sting also said that “I was trying to say something which was really quite difficult – that people like politicians, like myself even, use words to manipulate people, and that you should be very careful.”
The phrase “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” supposedly was made up by Sting’s son. Sting said of this, “In fact, my son came up with it. I’ve never paid him – so that’s another possible lawsuit. He writes songs himself these days. He’s got a lot of self-confidence – I don’t know where from.”
Its B-side, “A Sermon,” was originally written by Stewart Copeland in 1977 and is a parable about a band ruthlessly making it to the top. Copeland played most of the guitar as well, including the intro riff, while Andy Summers can be heard in the middle. Sting said of the song, “It’s arrogant, but Stewart is good at being arrogant in a funny way – as in that Klark Kent line about ‘If you don’t like me, you can suck my socks’.” In the US version of the single, “De Do Do Do De Da Da Da” was paired with “Friends”, a composition by Andy Summers.
Video
Lyrics
Don’t think me unkind
Words are hard to find
They’re only cheques I’ve left unsigned
From the banks of chaos in my mind
And when their eloquence escapes me
Their logic ties me up and rapes me
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Is all I want to say to you
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Their innocence will pull me through
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Is all I want to say to you
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
They’re meaningless and all that’s true
Poets, priests and politicians
Have words to thank for their positions
Words that scream for your submission
And no one’s jamming their transmission
And when their eloquence escapes you
Their logic ties you up and rapes you!
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Is all I want to say to you
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Their innocence will pull me through
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Is all I want to say to you
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
They’re meaningless and all that’s true
Ahh!
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Is all I want to say to you
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Their innocence may pull me through
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Is all I want to say to you
De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
They’re meaningless and all that’s true