Writer: Sting
Recorded: Late 1982/early 1983 in Montserrat
Released: May 1983
| Players: | Sting — vocals, bass Andy Summers — guitar Stewart Copeland — drums |
| Album: | Synchronicity (A&M, 1983) |
“Every Breath You Take” was the Police's most successful single, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. Singer-bassist Sting says he always knew that the song would be a Number One hit.
The song also spent four weeks at Number One on the U.K. chart.
It received the prestigious Song Of The Year Grammy Award in 1984, as well as the Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
The song also was named Best Song Musically & Lyrically and Most Performed Work at the Ivor Novello Awards in Britain.
Although on its surface it appears to be a love song, “Every Breath You Take” has a much darker and sinister underpinning as Sting — whose marriage was breaking up as he wrote the song — muses on jealousy and possessiveness.
The black & white video for “Every Breath You Take,” directed by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, received several awards, including Best Group Video at the American Video Awards and the MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography.
The Synchronicity album, named after psychologist Carl Jung's theory of collective unconsciousness and mystical coincidence, topped charts around the world, including in the U.S. and U.K.
It's been certified eight times platinum for sales of more than eight million copies.
The album received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.