The Police - Every Breath You Take May 2026

Producer Hugh Padgham used a minimalist approach to heighten the tension. To avoid physical fights, the band often recorded their parts separately: Copeland’s drums were placed in a dining area, Summers in the main studio, and Sting in the control room.

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. Producer Hugh Padgham used a minimalist approach to

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" At the time, his personal life was in

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