The Story Behind: "Every Breath You Take"
"Every Breath You Take" is a song by the English rock band The Police, which was released on their album Synchronicity, released in 1983.
The single was the biggest hit in 1983 both in UK and US, topping the UK Singles Chart four weeks, taking the first spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for whole eight weeks and topped the Billboard Top Tracks for nine weeks. The song was nominated for three Grammy Awards and won two. Since its release, the song is now considered to be the signature song from the band and one of the best songs in rock history.
Backstory/Lyrics
The song writing began in 1982 about his breakup with Frances Tomelty and the beginning of his relationship with Trudie Styler. Styler was at the time Tomelty’s best friend, which lived next door to her for several years before meeting Sting. The breakup with his wife left a lot of controversy, leaving Sting to get away from the public eye to the Caribbean, where he started to write the song about the experience.
The lyrics talk about an obsessive lover in first person whom is stalking his/her ex-lover. Sting said in interviews that he is surprised that people still believe that the song is positive, when in reality is the opposite. One time a couple even said to him that they are playing the song at their wedding, leaving Sting to just say “Well, good luck”.
Recording/Music Video
The demo of the song was made with Sting singing with over an organ. When the recording for the album took place, Sting showed the band the song, which they liked. After hearing the song, Summers (guitarist) came up with the trademark lick, which he recorded in one take. The bass and drums were causing more problems, since they couldn’t get the perfect sound for the snare and bass guitar. After a lot of tension in the band the song was finally released. Copeland (drummer) stated that this was the best song Sting had written, but it was the song with the worst composition despite Andy’s guitar part.
The music video was directed by duo Godley and Crème, and is loosely based on Gjon Mili’s film Jammin’ the Blues, released in 1944. It depicts the band playing in a black and white shot in a darkened ballroom, while a man washes the window behind them. The video was named to be one of the best music videos ever by MTV, Rolling Stone and VH1. The video cost about 100.000$ to make, while the album sold over 5 million copies.