Synopsis

The Police perform "So Lonely" against a fast-moving backdrop of Hong Kong streets and Tokyo subway trains. The trio wander through crowded urban spaces, using walkie-talkies as improvised microphones while Stewart Copeland turns buses, shop displays, and other everyday objects into percussion instruments. Rather than following a conventional storyline, the video captures the band's playful, restless energy during an Asian tour, mixing candid travel footage with staged lip-syncing and quick-cut performance moments.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in 1980 and combines footage from Hong Kong with scenes shot on Tokyo's subway system.

• The band members lip-sync into walkie-talkies, giving the performance a deliberately improvised and slightly absurd character.

• Stewart Copeland's percussion parts extend beyond a conventional drum kit, using buses and objects encountered in the streets and shops as visual and rhythmic props.

• "So Lonely" first appeared as a single in November 1978. It was reissued in the United Kingdom in February 1980, when it reached No. 6 on the chart.

• The album recording runs about 4 minutes 50 seconds, while the single and video edit is approximately 3 minutes 10 seconds.

• The song was written by Sting and incorporates lyrics from "Fool in Love," a song associated with his earlier band Last Exit.