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"Every Breath You Take"
Single by The Police
from the album Synchronicity
Released	May 1983
Format	vinyl record (7")
Recorded	Dec 1982/Jan 1983
Genre	New Wave
Length	4:14
Label	A&M Records
Writer(s)	Sting
Producer(s)	The Police, Hugh Padgham
Chart positions
#1 (UK Singles Chart) #1 (US Billboard Hot 100) #6 (Dutch Top 40)
The Police singles chronology
"Secret Journey" (1982)	"Every Breath You Take" (1983)	"Wrapped Around Your Finger" (1983)

"Every Breath You Take" is a song written by Sting and originally performed by The Police. It was released on their 1983 album Synchronicity (see 1983 in music). The single was one of the biggest of 1983, topping the UK charts for four weeks and the Billboard Music Charts (North America) for eight 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 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".^[1] However, this fact has often gone unnoticed, or is ignored, and hence the song is often taken to be a love song.^[2]

The song is an example of compound AABA form, and follows a I-vi-IV-V chord progression.

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.^[3]

• In 1984, Sting performed a version for Spitting Image entitled Every Bomb You Make, which was broadcast again as the finale of the New Year compilation show on 1 January 1985. He 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.

• As of 2003, Sting was still taking in an average of $2000 per day in royalties for the then 23-year-old song "Every Breath You Take."^[4]

• 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 song's hook was 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. The song was performed with Sting himself at the MTV Video Music Awards. As with many of Puff Daddy's releases, his song was criticized for a perceived over-reliance on the original.

• In a similar vein Speak, a Hungarian rapper, uses the song's hook for his song Sometimes.

• Swedish Punk Band Millencolin did a cover of this song that was featured on their B-Sides collection The Melancholy Collection.

• The Italian duo Karmah had a European hit (and a #1 single in Poland) in 2006 with "Just Be Good To Me", which drew heavily on a sample of the song.

• The version by the Police ranks #84 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

• Sting performed the song alongside Robert Downey Jr. on the TV show "Ally McBeal" in 2001.

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

• Recording The Police's Every Breath You Take, Mix Magazine Online, 2003
• Every Breath You Take Guitar Tab