Synopsis

The Police perform "Can't Stand Losing You" in a stark, highly stylized setting dominated by a red backdrop. Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland play with the band's early punk energy, while close-ups, performance footage, and slow-motion shots emphasize their aggressive stage presence. In another circulating version, the trio appears in a television performance setting, with Sting's oversized glasses becoming an especially memorable visual detail. The video reflects the band's stripped-down beginnings before their later, more elaborate productions.

Factoids & Trivia

• Two video versions are associated with the song. One presents the band performing against a red background, while another combines performance footage with slow-motion shots.

• The red-background video was filmed on the same day as the similarly styled video for "Roxanne."

• The television-performance version is linked to The Police's appearance on BBC2's "The Old Grey Whistle Test" in 1978, their first television appearance.

• Sting wore the large glasses after a hairspray accident during the makeup process reportedly required a trip to the hospital. The unusual accessory became one of the performance's defining images.

• The song came from The Police's 1978 debut album, "Outlandos d'Amour," and was their second single.

• The single attracted controversy because its cover depicted Stewart Copeland standing on a block of ice with a noose around his neck while a heater melted the ice.

• The record was widely described as being banned by the BBC, although the band later acknowledged that it may simply have been excluded from the network's playlist. The publicity still helped turn the controversy into part of the single's identity.

• "Can't Stand Losing You" became The Police's first UK chart hit, reaching No. 42 on its original 1978 release.

• The extended instrumental passage that The Police developed during live performances of the song eventually became the basis for "Reggatta de Blanc."