# Police Band Fissures

> The Police's internal conflicts during Ghost In The Machine album creation exposed band tensions.
- Title: Police Band Fissures · American Songwriter | Shortify
- Summary: The Police's internal conflicts during Ghost In The Machine album creation exposed band tensions.
- Keywords: the police, ghost in the machine, synchronicity, sting, andy summers, stewart copeland, 1981, 1983, music, American Songwriter
- Source: American Songwriter — https://americansongwriter.com/this-song-by-the-police-exposed-the-growing-fissures-within-the-band
- Author: Jim Beviglia
- Published: 2026-11-12T21:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: the police, ghost in the machine, synchronicity, sting, andy summers, stewart copeland, 1981, 1983, music, culture
## Band Strain
The Police faced growing internal tensions during their 1981 Ghost In The Machine album creation.
## Creative Clash
Guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland clashed with bassist Sting over artistic control.
## Spirits In The Material World
Sting wrote the song using synthesizers inspired by Arthur Koestler's book The Ghost In The Machine.
## Recording Friction
Summers battled with Sting to include guitar in the mix, but it took a secondary role to synths.
## Band Breakup
The Police disbanded after releasing Synchronicity in 1983, their final album.
## Key takeaway

The Police's creative clashes over artistic direction led to their 1983 breakup after one more album.