Every Breath You Take

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Every Breath You Take
Cover
The Police
publication May 20, 1983
length 4:13 (album version)
3:56 (single version)
Genre (s) New wave , pop
Author (s) Sting
Producer (s) The Police, Hugh Padgham
Label A&M Records
album Synchronicity
Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Singles
Every Breath You Take ( The Police )
  DE 8th 06/20/1983 (19 weeks)
  AT 8th 08/15/1983 (10 weeks)
  CH 6th 07/17/1983 (6 weeks)
  UK 1Template: Infobox chart placements / maintenance / NR1 link 05/28/1983 (11 weeks)
  US 1Template: Infobox chart placements / maintenance / NR1 link 06/04/1983 (22 weeks)
Every Breath You Take ( Fame Academy feat. Christopher Komm )
  DE 27 03/11/2003 (7 weeks)
  AT 37 11/02/2003 (4 weeks)
Just Be Good to Me (Every Breath You Take) ( Karmah )
  DE 5 January 18, 2005 (34 weeks)
  AT 2 03/03/2006 (24 weeks)
  CH 50 04/09/2006 (8 weeks)
Every Breath You Take ( Ricardo Sanz )
  CH 43 07/27/2014 (1 week)
Every Breath You Take ( Hannah Huston )
  US 94 06/11/2016 (1 week)

Every Breath You Take is a 1983 song by The Police , written by Sting . It appeared on Synchronicity , The Police's final studio album.

History of origin

The song was written in the final stages of Sting's marriage to Frances Tomelty. The lyrics tell of a person who is always in control of his partner: "Every breath, every movement, every broken promise, every step of the way - I'm watching you!"

Sting on Every Breath You Take :

I woke up in the middle of the night with that chorus in my head, sat at the piano and had written the song in half an hour. The melody itself is ordinary, a bunch of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn't realize at that moment how scary the song is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother , surveillance and control. "

- Sting in an interview on his website

According accompanying book box sets Back to Mono from Phil Spector to Every Breath You Take by the song Every Breath I Take the Gene Pitney has recorded 1961 be affected. The lyrics have similarities, with the opening lines telling a short story about science fiction writer Judith Merril called Whoever You Are . The chorus was inspired by the Leo Sayer song More Than I Can Say .

In 2019, British Music Inc. determined that the song was the most played song on the radio, with over 15 million plays at the time. It replaced the song You've Lost That Lovin 'Feelin' by the Righteous Brothers , which had held the record since 1996.

Recording and publication

The song was a track on the Police LP Synchronicity , which was recorded between December 1982 and February 1983 in the AIR studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat . Hugh Padgham was the producer . Every Breath You Take is the first track on page 2 of the LP, with Sting's vocals over a steady rhythm with a distinct bass and controlled drums. The guitarist presents a guitar riff that characterizes this piece . The original demo version was played with a Hammond organ . Andy Summers recorded his Béla Bartók- inspired guitar part in a single recording.

Especially with Every Breath You Take , the disputes between Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland escalated, so that the producer Padgham had to intervene. While the other album titles each took about a day to record, the simplicity of Every Breath You Take required an entire week. The overdubbing and the final mix took place in Studio Morin Heights , Quebec.

The song was one of four tracks that were released as a single from the LP. Every Breath You Take was released on May 20, 1983, shortly before LP (June 1, 1983) and topped both the UK and US charts. It was the band's only million seller .

The music video for the song was shot in black and white , directed by Godley & Creme .

Cover versions

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US1 US2
  2. ^ Sting website
  3. Sting's “Every Breath You Take” Is the Most Played Song on Radio , guardianlv.com, May 15, 2019
  4. ^ Summers, Andy (2006). One Train Later: A Memoir , Thomas Dunne Books, pp. 323-324.
  5. Sound on Sound from March 2004 on Every Breath You Take