The Police - Every Breath You Take May 2026

Despite its polished sound, the recording was marked by extreme tension between the band members, particularly Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland.

Sting wrote the track in 1982 while staying at , the Jamaican estate formerly owned by James Bond creator Ian Fleming. At the time, his personal life was in turmoil; he was undergoing a painful divorce from his first wife, Frances Tomelty, and beginning a widely condemned affair with her best friend, Trudie Styler. The Police - Every Breath You Take

The original demo was built around a Hammond organ. It only became "The Police" after guitarist Andy Summers added the iconic, clean, arpeggiated riff, which he inspired with the works of composer Béla Bartók. Despite its polished sound, the recording was marked

Released in May 1983 as the lead single from their final studio album Synchronicity , "" became the defining hit for The Police . While its smooth melody led many to embrace it as a romantic ballad, the song is actually a haunting exploration of obsession and surveillance. The Origin: A "Nasty Little Song" The original demo was built around a Hammond organ

Sting woke up in the middle of the night with the main line in his head and finished the song in just 30 minutes.

The Story of... 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police - Smooth