It is the song that plays at every third wedding. You’ve heard it in grocery stores, at high school reunions, and probably on a "70s and 80s Soft Rock" playlist while waiting for a root canal. Most people think it’s a beautiful, sweeping profession of eternal devotion. They are wrong. When you ask who sings Every Breath You Take, the answer is Sting—fronting The Police—but the "who" is almost less important than the "why."
Sting wrote this while his first marriage to actress Frances Tomelty was disintegrating in a messy, public fashion. He was actually hiding out at Goldeneye in Jamaica—the same estate where Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond novels—trying to escape the tabloid heat. He woke up with that sinister line in his head. He wasn't thinking about true love. He was thinking about jealousy. Control. Surveillance.
The Voice Behind the Obsession
The Police were a power trio, but by 1983, they were barely speaking. Every Breath You Take was recorded for their final studio album, Synchronicity. While Sting wrote the lyrics and the melody, the song’s DNA is inseparable from the people in the room. You have Sting’s high, slightly strained tenor, which sounds almost ghostly thanks to the double-tracking. Then you have Andy Summers.
Honestly, the song might have been a boring piano ballad if not for Summers. He’s the one who came up with that cyclical, brittle guitar riff. It’s influenced by Béla Bartók, a Hungarian composer, which gives it that cold, mathematical feeling. It doesn't resolve. It just circles you. Like a stalker.
Stewart Copeland, the drummer, had a notoriously volatile relationship with Sting. During the recording of this specific track, they reportedly had screaming matches over where the snare hits should go. Copeland wanted more energy; Sting wanted a steady, heartbeat-like pulse. Sting won. The result is a drum track so precise it feels mechanical, adding to the "I'm watching you" dread that permeates the lyrics.
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Why Everyone Gets the Meaning Wrong
It is kinda hilarious and a bit tragic how many couples use this as their "first dance" song. Sting himself has said he’s baffled by it. He once told BBC Radio 2 that he considers the song "very sinister" and "ugly."
If you actually look at the words, it’s terrifying.
Every breath you take. Every move you make. I’ll be watching you. That isn't a Hallmark card; it’s a restraining order. The protagonist is a man consumed by the loss of his partner, unable to let go to the point of obsession. The "Big Brother" vibes are intentional. Sting was reading a lot of Arthur Koestler and was fascinated by the idea of synchronicity and the darker side of human connections.
The Puff Daddy Connection and the Royalties
If you grew up in the 90s, you might actually associate the melody with someone else entirely. In 1997, Sean "Puffy" Combs (now Diddy) released "I'll Be Missing You" as a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G.
Here is the kicker: Puffy didn't ask for permission to sample the song before he released it.
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Because Sting owns 100% of the publishing for Every Breath You Take, he was able to sue. Now, Sting reportedly makes roughly $2,000 a day in royalties from that sample alone. He basically gets a passive income for life because a rapper wanted to pay tribute to a friend using Andy Summers’ guitar riff. Funnily enough, Andy Summers didn't get a cent of that settlement because he wasn't credited as a songwriter, even though his guitar part is what everyone recognizes. Music law is brutal.
The Technical Perfection of the 1983 Recording
Hugh Padgham, the producer, used a "gated reverb" sound on the drums that defined the 80s, but for this track, he kept it remarkably dry. They wanted it to sound like it was happening right in your ear.
- The Bass: Sting used a 1962 Fender Precision Bass. It’s thick and thumping.
- The Piano: There is an understated piano layer that mirrors the guitar riff, played by Sting, which adds a percussive "chime" to the mix.
- The Video: Shot in black and white by Godley & Creme. It looks like a noir film. It’s moody, shadow-heavy, and reinforces the idea that this is a song about the darkness of the human psyche, not the lightness of love.
The Legacy of a Misunderstood Masterpiece
The song spent eight weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It won Song of the Year at the 1984 Grammys. It is, by almost any metric, one of the most successful songs in the history of recorded music.
But its legacy is a bit stained by the fact that it’s become "background music." When you really listen—really lean into the way Sting’s voice cracks on the high notes—you hear the desperation. It’s a song about a man who has lost his mind.
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If you are ever at a wedding and the DJ starts spinning this, take a second to look at the lyrics. It’s a masterclass in songwriting because it masks such profound discomfort in such a beautiful melody. That’s the genius of The Police. They could make a song about a creepy stalker and convince the entire world it was a love song.
How to Properly Appreciate the Song Today
To truly understand the impact of Every Breath You Take, you have to stop listening to it on tiny phone speakers or through a noisy car radio.
- Listen to the 2018 Remaster: The separation between the instruments is much clearer. You can hear the subtle Hammond organ in the background that most people miss.
- Watch the live versions: Specifically the 2007-2008 reunion tour. The tension between the three members is palpable, and they play the song with a harder, more aggressive edge that fits the lyrics better.
- Compare it to the covers: Everyone from UB40 to Juliana Hatfield has covered it. None of them capture the "coldness" of the original. They usually try to make it sound too pretty, which misses the point entirely.
The next time someone asks you who sings Every Breath You Take, you can give them the short answer—Sting—or you can tell them the real story. It’s a song born of divorce, recorded in a state of professional warfare, and misunderstood by millions of people who think it’s a romantic gesture. It is a haunting reminder that even in our most public "pop" moments, there is often a very private, very dark story lurking just beneath the surface.