Every Breath You Take

For the album, see Every Breath You Take: The Singles. For the 2012 film, see Every Breath U Take.

"Every Breath You Take"
Single by the Police
from the album Synchronicity
B-side"Murder by Numbers"
Released20 May 1983[1]
RecordedDecember 1982 – February 1983[2]
StudioAIR (Salem, Montserrat)
Genre
Length3:56 (single version)
4:13 (album version)
LabelA&M (AM 117)
Songwriter(s)Sting
Producer(s)
The Police singles chronology
"Secret Journey"
(1982) 		"Every Breath You Take"
(1983) 		"Wrapped Around Your Finger"
(1983)
Audio sample
Music video
"Every Breath You Take" on YouTube

"Every Breath You Take" is a song by the English rock band the Police from their album Synchronicity (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest US and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks (the band's only No. 1 hit on that chart), and the Canadian RPM chart for four weeks. Their fifth UK No. 1, it topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. The song also reached the top 10 in numerous other countries.

At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Record of the Year, winning in the first two categories. For the song, Sting received the 1983 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[6]

"Every Breath You Take" is the Police's and Sting's signature song, and in 2010 was estimated to generate between a quarter and a third of Sting's music publishing income.[7] In May 2019, it was recognised by BMI as being the most played song in radio history.[8][9] With nearly 15 million radio plays, Sting received a BMI Award at a ceremony held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills to mark it being the Most Performed Song in BMI's catalogue, a distinction previously held since 1999 by Spector, Mann and Weil's "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". BMI President and CEO Mike O'Neill stated: "For the first time in 22 years, BMI has a new top song in our repertoire with Sting's timeless hit 'Every Breath You Take,' a remarkable achievement that solidifies its place in songwriting history."[8]

In the 1983 Rolling Stone critics' and readers' poll, it was voted "Song of the Year". In the US, it was the best-selling single of 1983 and fifth-best-selling single of the decade. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1983.[10] The song was ranked No. 305 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[11] It also ranked number 25 on Billboard's Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.[12] In 2008, Q magazine named it among the top 10 British Songs of the 1980s.[13] In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as The Nation's Favourite 1980s number one in a UK-wide poll for ITV.[14]

  1. ^ "BPI; search "Police"".
  2. ^ Buskin, Richard (March 2004). "Classic Tracks: The Police's 'Every Breath You Take'". Sound on Sound.
  3. ^ "New wave hits of the 80s: all the best new wave songs". Like Totally 80s. March 2007.
  4. ^ Gallucci, Michael (7 November 2024). "Top 50 New Wave Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  5. ^ Sterling, Christopher H.; O'Dell, Cary (12 April 2010). The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio - Google Books. Routledge. ISBN 9781135176846.
  6. ^ Lister, David, "Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion", The Independent, 28 May 1994
  7. ^ According to Sting's former publisher Tom Bradley. "Writing a Super Hit" by David Hepworth, The Word No. 86, April 2010, p. 74
  8. ^ a b “BMI Announces Top Honors for its 67th Annual Pop Awards”. BMI. Retrieved 9 June 2019
  9. ^ "Sting's "Every Breath You Take" Is the Most Played Song on Radio [Video]". GuardianIv. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  10. ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1983
  11. ^ "The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll | the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
  12. ^ "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs". Billboard. 20 September 2008. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  13. ^ "100 Greatest Songs Of All Time". Q magazine. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  14. ^ Westbrook, Caroline (25 July 2015). "The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One: 12 more classic 80s chart-toppers which didn't make the cut". Metro. Retrieved 27 July 2015.