The leadoff single and lead track from the Police's acclaimed third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" ranks right up there with some of the band's best work. A brilliantly worked narrative, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is a little story of a teacher done in by the advances of an attractive student. Obviously a sly nod to Nabakov's Lolita (it's even mentioned in the song), "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is a perfect example of the Police's ability to blend tight reggae, pop sensibilities, and dry English wit all at once. Sure, a song based on Nabakov could be considered a bit cerebral, but by this point the band had learned to be cerebral and witty without alienating the record-buying public. A smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic, "Don't Stand So Close to Me," with its fantastic production and amazing musicianship, is where the Police took the promise of "Message in a Bottle" and became one of the biggest acts of the early '80s. The light atmospherics and sense of humor found on the 1981 version were stripped down in 1986, when the band included a re-recorded version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" on the Every Breath You Take: The Singles hits collection. -- Chris True (allmusic.com)