What English rock band twice recorded the song, “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da”?

Written by Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner—who took the stage-name “Sting”—“De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” was recorded by his band, the Police, and released as a single on December 5, 1980. Sumner said that the song, originally released on the band’s album, “Zenyatta Mondata”, on October 3, 1980, was a commentary on people’s love of simple-sounding songs.

The song charted in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For Spanish and Japanese audiences, it was released in Spanish- and Japanese-language versions.

“De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” fared best in Canada, reaching number one on Toronto’s CHUM AM station chart and number two on “RPM” magazine’s chart. It peaked at number two on the Irish and Spanish Singles Charts, number five on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and number 13 on the Cash Box Top 100.

When critics reacted unfavorably to the song, calling it “baby talk”, Sting responded that they missed the point of the song and also didn’t listen to the rest of the lyrics. He insisted that they had internal logic and made perfect sense, as well as making an important, intellectual observation about the power of simplicity.

The Police re-recorded “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” and “Don’t Stand so Close to Me” for the 1986 album, “Every Breath You Take: The Classics”, in 1986.