Spirits In The Material World - Remastered 2003

This song is based on the writings of Hungarian author and philosopher Arthur Koestler. Sting enjoyed Koestler's work, and the album Ghost In The Machine is named after one of his books. Koestler believed that outside influences could destroy our spirit and restrict our thinking. The "spirits" and "ghosts" Koestler wrote about were the innate higher functions that often get lost in the "machine" created by governments and corporations.

The word "material" has a double meaning here. In one sense, it indicates the physical world as opposed to the spiritual realm. It could also mean materialism, where a high value is placed on money and things at the expense of enlightenment.

Like many Police songs, this has a reggae beat, although it is more synthesizer-driven than many of the others.