1983 Soft Rock Classic, Named No. 1 Hit for Eight Weeks, Was Mistaken For A Love Song
It's been over four decades since The Police released their timeless classic "Every Breath You Take" on May 20, 1983. But, even today, the 43-year–old track still gets played at weddings all around the country, despite its true and dark meaning.
Written by Sting, the band's frontman, "Every Breath You Take" isn't the sweet love song that many might think. While the artist, whose real name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, initially intended to pen a romantic ode, his writing session, which took place in Jamaica, evolved in a very different way.
The hook, "I'll be watching you," actually refers to an overly-obsessed individual's stalker-like tendencies toward his desire, something that has been misunderstood through the years.
"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," Sting once told BBC Radio, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. "One couple told me, 'Oh, we love that song; it was the main song played at our wedding! I thought, 'Well, good luck.'"
In terms of writing the hook of the song, Sting, according to the outlet, explained: "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…."
Given the timing of his penmanship, Sting was nearing the end of his marriage and involved in a new relationship, which could have contributed to his thought process in the writing room.
"Every Breath You Take" appears on the band's final studio album, Synchronicity. The track is widely recognized as Sting and The Police's signature song, and today serves as the band's only No. 1 hit.
After its release, "Every Breath You Take" went on to become a major international hit, reaching No. 1 in several countries, including the U.S., where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and stayed for eight weeks.
The song served as the biggest hit of 1983, and won Grammys for both Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Other achievements include being ranked among Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and getting recognized in 2019 by BMI as the most played song in radio history.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 11:47 PM.