‘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 won 2 Grammy Awards - Song of the Year, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. 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.
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.[8] The song ranked No. 84 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.[9] It also ranked number 25 on Billboard's Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.
‘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. In May 2019, it was recognised by BMI as being the most played song in radio history. With nearly 15 million radio plays.
Sting wrote the song in 1982, in the aftermath of his separation from Frances Tomelty and the beginning of his relationship with Trudie Styler. To escape the public eye, Sting retreated to the Caribbean. He started writing the song at Ian Fleming's writing desk on the Goldeneye estate in Oracabessa, Jamaica. The lyrics are the words of a possessive lover who is watching "every breath you take; every move you make". Sting recalled:
“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.”
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 actually misinterpreted it as being a gentle little love song, when it's quite the opposite.”
Labels – A&MSongwriter – Sting
Producer – The Police, Hugh Padgham
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
[Verse 2]
Every single day
And every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you
[Chorus]
Oh, can't you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take
[Verse 3]
Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
[Bridge]
Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace
I dream at night, I can only see your face
I look around, but it's you I can't replace
I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace
I keep crying, baby, baby, please
[Middle-Eight]
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm, mmm
[Chorus]
Oh, can't you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take
[Verse 4]
Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you
[Refrain]
Every move you make
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
[Outro]
I'll be watching you
(Every breath you take)
(Every move you make)
(Every bond you break)
(Every step you take)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I'll be watching you
(Every move you make)
(Every vow you break)
(Every smile you fake)
(Every claim you stake)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I'll be watching you
(Every breath you take)
(Every move you make)
(Every bond you break)
(Every step you take)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I'll be watching you
(Every move you make)
(Every vow you break)
(Every smile you fake)
(Every claim you stake)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)