Why no official King of Pain video?

[TheEqualizer]

This is a question that I've had forever:

How come there was never an official video for King of Pain?

Synchronicity came out right in the hey day of MTV when all of major singles came out accompanied with a video.

The Synch album produced such iconic videos like EBYT, Synch II, and Wrapped Around Your Finger. But no video for KOP.

Why?

I know there is that great costume KOP video(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jceW8tP9tbk), but I do not think that is considered the official KOP video. Did the tour get in the way of the making of a video for this?

Just curious.

[TheEqualizer]

Unrelated:

Mudvayne cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eXBwZGnI4Q

Alanis cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShZd6SxdaZk

Wierd Al
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6kgQTBo80E

[Kim]

Well, my theory is that since videos were promotional, and they were on top of the world at the time, they really didn't need one, so they didn't do one. How's that for a nice eff you to the establishment? LOL. It's just my humble opinion, I really don't know

[Howstupidmrbates]

My personal theory is they just didn't have time, and then as the end drew near they most likely thought "Why bother?" All of the vids for Synch were done here in L.A. at the Chaplin Stage (a stage which I have walked on) most likely before the album came out. It seemed to be how things were done then. They probably thought KOP wasn't going to be a single so they didn't bother filming a video when they had the time booked to do the other three.Then the LP just blew up, EBYT was everywhere, they threw MJ's Thriller to the curb, the tour started and then began selling out everywhere, so I think by the time Shea Stadium rolled around and the decision was made to call it a day - well, by then it was almost 1984, and Sting was filming Dune, so I'm thinking they just said why book a stage to film a video during the busy tour, we're done anyway.
Also, by the time the Synch tour was in full swing, it was almost Police-overload on MTV, what with the videos, interviews, that "Tea With The Police" contest, the live New Years Eve broadcast, not to mention Showtime's Synch Tour pay-per-view. Maybe they thought they didn't want to over-expose themselves.

I don't know, does that sound reasonable, Stewart?

[luddite lady]

The Synch II video is so stupid, I'm kind of glad there's no King of Pain one. It probably would have been equally underwhelming. With its lyrics and themes, Synch II had so much potential for a visually astounding video. The thing still leaves me bitterly disappointed. Even back in the day when I was all a pitter patter for Sting, I still thought the video had way too many close ups of Mr. Sumner and his exaggerated lip synching and pouting. And what is that Andy is pretending to play? A giant zipper?

[TheEqualizer]

I love the Synch II video because of the way STEWART just BASHES his snare. Synch II = STEWART's snare

[zilboy]

If you check out the "Special Features" on the Synchronicity Concert DVD and go the the interviews in Melbourne before the final show, check out Stewart's interview. At the end, they show the first few seconds of KOP. It has a dinosaur skeleton and is black and white.

[luddite lady]

[quote="TheEqualizer"]I love the Synch II video because of the way STEWART just BASHES his snare. Synch II = STEWART's snare[/quote]
Yeah, in my opinion, Stewart and his snare are the only redeeming features of the whole video. It's too bad that they don't show up that much in it. The Stewart's snare to Sting's snarl ratio is way low in that video.

[Throb]

Interesting. I always thought there was a video for KOP but now that I think about it I guess there wasn't any.

Someone send up the bat signal, we need Dietmar to confirm/deny the theorys!

[Howstupidmrbates]

Zilboy - you're talking about "Studies In Synchronicity" which is on the EBYT:TV DVD. It was a promo video that the band was mostly not in, using animated photos of the LP cover, a portion of the EBYT vid and other live action images that tied in with the cover motif. The audio was a sort of medley of the Synchro album.

[visions]

There was a KOP clip for i have it

after the Aussie interview they played it on countdown maybe it was only released in Australia

black and white using those black and white posters of the three of them, skeletons, goats, burning telephones and i actually love it. I taped the interviews in the eighties from countdown and have a few other clips, like the red Roxanne, Stewarts don't box me in. It is only a 30 min tape but KOP is on it, nearly thirty years old!

Jan

[Kim]

I agree, Stingo looked awful in the Synch II video. I always liked the title track better too. Maybe they were freaked out by the fire on the set?! I dunno.

Jeff?

[Howstupidmrbates]

I can't make it much clearer. The b&w "video" with the burning phone, skeletons, etc is not really a "video", certainly not for any one song from the album. It was a promo for the entire Synchronicity release.

Somebody back me up! lol Break out the Every Breath You Take - The DVD. It's this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWINP9tiy2o

[visions]

That clip on youtube is the KOP clip however it does not break off into other songs

The dvd came out much later and probably changed. This clip was released as the new police song KOP in Australia and you must remember we were the last place they toured in 1984. I remember taping it and Molly saying here is the new clip of their new single of king of pain probably not in those exact words but is on my tape. I will watch it and copy what he said and I can only go by what was done at that time. True it is not a clip like the others but it was released as the KOP clip here. Not having a go just stating facts as I know it.

What they have done is over taped the clip with music from the album. My version is just of KOP.

Jan

[Mario]

I remember seeing a photo of Sting dressed as Napoleon in a magazine saying that it was taken during the shoot of the KOP video. That was around 1984, did I really see it or am I just hallucinating?