Every Breath You Take

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"Every Breath You Take"
Single by The Police
from the album Synchronicity
B-side "Murder By Numbers"
Released May 1983
Format vinyl record (7")
Recorded Dec 1982/Jan 1983
Genre Rock, New Wave
Length 4:14
Label A&M - AM 117
Writer(s) Sting
Producer The Police, Hugh Padgham
The Police singles chronology
"Secret Journey"
(1982)		 "Every Breath You Take"
(1983)		 "Wrapped Around Your Finger"
(1983)
Audio sample
file info · help

"Every Breath You Take" is a song written by Sting and originally performed by The Police. It was released on their 1983 album Synchronicity. The single was one of the biggest of 1983, topping the Billboard Music Charts (North America) for eight weeks and the UK charts for four weeks. It also topped the Billboard Top Tracks chart for nine weeks. Sting won Song of the Year and The Police won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the Grammy Awards of 1984 for "Every Breath You Take". The song ranks #84 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #25 on Billboard's Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.[1]

Contents

[edit] Origins and songwriting

The track was written during the collapse of Sting's marriage to Frances Tomelty; the lyrics are the words of a sinister, controlling character, who is watching "every breath you take / every move you make".

“ I woke up in the middle of the night with that line in my head, sat down at the piano and had written it in half an hour. The tune itself is generic, an aggregate of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn't realise at the time how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control. ”

—Sting[2]

Sting later said he was disconcerted by how many people think the song is more positive than it is. He insists it's about stalking, surveillance, control, obsessiveness. "One couple told me 'Oh we love that song; it was the main song played at our wedding!' I thought, Well, good luck."[cite this quote] When asked why he appears angry in the music video Sting told BBC Radio 2, "I think the song is very, very sinister and ugly and people have misinterpreted it as being a gentle, little love song."[3]

According to the Back to Mono box-set book, "Every Breath You Take" is said to be influenced by a Gene Pitney song titled "Every Breath I Take". The lyrics are very similar to the opening lines of a short story by science fiction author Judith Merrill titled "Whoever You Are". The chorus appears to borrow heavily from the Leo Sayer track "More Than I Can Say" recorded a couple of years before. As Sting admits to 'borrowing' ideas (see 'So Lonely - 'No woman no cry' link) this is feasible. (Steve Gad) The lyrics "Every breath I take" and "Every move I make", with the replacement of "I" with "you", appear in the song "D'yer Mak'er" by Led Zeppelin.

"Every Breath You Take" is played by Sting on double bass and lead vocals, Andy Summers on electric guitar, piano and backing vocals, Stewart Copeland on drums and backing vocals, and a group of four violinists.

The demo of the song originally featured a synthesizer. While recording, Summers came up with a guitar part inspired by Béla Bartók that would later become a trademark lick, and played it straight through in one take. He was asked to put guitar onto what was to him an already finished song and just played what came to mind. As he finished his take, everyone in the control room burst into applause.[4]

[edit] Music video

The song had a music video (directed by duo Godley & Creme) that was praised for its black-and-white cinematography. Both MTV (1999) and VH1 (2002) named it as one of the best music videos ever, placing it 16th and 33rd in their respective top 100 lists. Daniel Pearl won the first MTV cinematography award for his work on the video.[5]

[edit] Covers and legacy

The song has been covered by artists including UB40, Tina Arena, Julianna Hatfield, Millencolin, and Copeland. "Weird Al" Yankovic included a polka interpretation in his medley "Polkas on 45". Mexican singer Yuridia remade the song as "Siempre Te Amaré" for her covers album, Habla el Corazón. Also, a cover version of the song is used extensively in the 1985 film "Cat's Eye." The song was also covered in 2004 by UB40 for the "50 First Dates" Soundtrack.

Beyond covers, the song has also been heavily sampled or adapted. The refrain and other complete sections were the basis for Puff Daddy's collaborative tribute to murdered rapper The Notorious B.I.G., entitled "I'll Be Missing You," recorded with Faith Evans and 112. In a similar vein Hungarian rapper Speak uses the song's hook for his song Sometimes, and the Italian duo Karmah had a 2006 European hit entitled "Just Be Good To Me" which drew heavily on a sample of the song.

Sting himself has been involved in some adaptations of the song. In 1984, Sting performed a version for the final episode of the first series of the satirical puppet show Spitting Image. Entitled Every Bomb You Make, it was broadcast again as the finale of the New Year compilation show on January 1, 1985. The new version was sung to a background of a sun disappearing behind the horizon after an atomic explosion while various faces of politicians passed by. The new lyrics referred to the program's satirical edge towards politicians with lines like: "Every bomb you make, every job you take (...) every wall you built, everyone you killed, every grave you've filled, every blood you spilled: I'll be watching you." The song concluded with a close-up of a puppet of the Grim Reaper. Sting also performed the song with slightly different lyrics at the Live 8 concert, United Kingdom on July 2, 2005, when he sang, "We'll be watching you." referring to the heads of the G8. Also, at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards Sting joined Puff Daddy for a live performance of the song which was a tribute to rapper Notorious B.I.G. .

In 1999, "Every Breath You Take" was listed as one of the Top 100 Songs of the Century by BMI.[6][7] In 2003, VH1 ranked the song the #2 greatest Break-up song of all time. And also as of 2003, Sting was still taking in an average of $2000 per day in royalties for the then 20-year-old song "Every Breath You Take."[8]

In 2003, Carol Welsman covered the song on her album The Language of Love.

In October 2007, Sting was awarded a Million-Air certificate for 9 million airplays of "Every Breath You Take" at the prestigious BMI Awards show in London, England with only Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" a close second at 8 million air plays.[9]

Most recently, Rush Limbaugh parodied the song (titled Every Cent You Make).[10]

Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson stated that this was his favourite song of all time and it was played at his funeral when he died in 1983.

The cover by UB40 featured in the film "50 First Dates" (2004).

A cover by Canadian country band Ambush appeared on their album, Ambush.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Track listing

[edit] 7": A&M / AM 117

  1. "Every Breath You Take" - 4:13
  2. "Murder By Numbers" - 4:31

[edit] 2x7": A&M / AM 117

  1. "Every Breath You Take" - 4:13
  2. "Murder By Numbers" - 4:31
  1. "Man In A Suitcase" (live) - 2:18
  2. "Truth Hits Everyone" (Remix)
  • rare 2x7" single

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs". Billboard. 2008-09-20. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-30.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-07-08. 
  2. ^ "Interview Date: May 1993". http://www.sting.com/news/interview.php?uid=1527. 
  3. ^ "Song Library: Every Breath You Take". Sold on Song. BBC Radio 2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/indepth/everybreathyoutake.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-07-08.  (Spoken in the second Sting audio clip.)
  4. ^ Summers, Andy (2006). One Train Later: A Memoir, Thomas Dunne Books, pp. 323-324.
  5. ^ Fisher, Bob. "A Conversation with Daniel Pearl". International Cinematographers Guild. http://www.cameraguild.com/interviews/chat_pearl/pearl_interview.htm. Retrieved on 2006-10-25. 
  6. ^ Top 100 Songs of the Century
  7. ^ Complete list of Top 100 Songs
  8. ^ "CBS - 60 Minutes II 'Sting: All This Time'". http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/19/60II/main589570.shtml. 
  9. ^ 2007 BMI London Awards
  10. ^ Every Cent You Make

[edit] External links


Preceded by
"Candy Girl" by New Edition		 UK number one single
May 29, 1983		 Succeeded by
"Baby Jane" by Rod Stewart
Preceded by
"Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara		 Billboard Hot 100 number one single
July 9, 1983- August 27, 1983		 Succeeded by
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics
Preceded by
"Physical" by Olivia Newton-John		 Billboard Hot 100 Number one single of the year
1983		 Succeeded by
"When Doves Cry" by Prince


v • d • e
The Police
Stewart Copeland · Sting · Andy Summers
Henry Padovani
Studio albums
Singles
Compilations and live albums
Tours
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