A promotional portrait of the British rock band The police (L-R)" Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers, circa 1983. (Photo by Showtime/Courtesy of Getty Images)
The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” the minor key ballad from 1983’s Synchonicity, their final album, is the band’s signature song. It’s a Song Of The Year Grammy winner, the Police’s only US Hot 100 #1, and the best selling single of 1983. BMI has recognized it as “the most played song in radio history.” Guitarist Andy Summers came up with its iconic Béla Bartók-inspired arpeggiated riff, but Sting wrote the chord progression on organ, along with the lyrics, at Ian Fleming’s GoldenEye estate in Jamaica in 1982, and the singer/bassist retained sole writing credit.
