“Every Breath You Take” is the most streamed song from the 1980s on Spotify, and apparently, also the most resented. Forty-two years after the Police topped the charts with their creepy-but-romantic anthem, the band is still doing what they do best: fighting each other. Only this time, it’s not backstage fistfights—it’s a full-blown royalty freeze in London’s High Court.
Yes, royalties are now officially in time-out until Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland decide who actually wrote the thing. Spoiler: Sting says it was him. Summers says it was him. Copeland says it was definitely not Sting.
It’s almost poetic: the world is still streaming “Every Breath You Take,” but every dollar it generates is being held hostage. If you’ve ever wanted to picture one of the most valuable copyrights in music history sitting in escrow, this is your moment. The song made Sting $250 million when he sold his catalog to Universal in 2022. Summers and Copeland are now suing, basically arguing, “Hey man, we were there too.”
Summers insists his famous guitar riff is what turned the song from trash to treasure. “That riff is immortal,” he’s said. Sting’s response? More or less: “Congrats, you’re the world’s most famous session player.”
THE POLICE: STILL ARGUING LIKE IT’S 1983
These guys have been fighting so long it’s a miracle they ever recorded anything at all. Recording Synchronicity involved actual fistfights, Sting breaking a rib, and Copeland nearly choking him over a hi-hat part. Think Oasis, but with blonder hair and better police puns.
Now they’re in their eighties, but the energy hasn’t changed—it’s just transferred from backstage brawls to courtroom filings. Instead of Sting yelling “play it straight,” he’s yelling “read the publishing contract.”
THE REAL CRIME? SONGWRITING VS. ARRANGING
The whole debate boils down to this: what counts as songwriting? Lyrics and chords (Sting’s domain), or riffs and beats (Summers and Copeland’s claim)? It’s the oldest band argument in the book. Is the guy who wrote the sax solo on “True” a songwriter? The judge in that case said no. But hey, maybe things are different when the riff in question is the guitar equivalent of the Lord’s Prayer.
THE STING FACTOR
Sting’s never been shy about admitting he stole liberally. He once said “So Lonely” was just Bob Marley sped up. He’s also called the chords to “Every Breath You Take” “generic.” But here’s the kicker: generic or not, it’s his name on the copyright. And when Diddy sampled it for “I’ll Be Missing You,” Sting said the royalties “put a couple of my kids through college.” Summers and Copeland, presumably, had to settle for putting their kids through guitar lessons.
EVERY BREATH THEY LITIGATE
So now, while “Every Breath You Take” keeps racking up streams, the money pile sits frozen, waiting for the court to decide if Andy Summers’ riff is worth a slice of the pie. Until then, the only people breathing easy are the lawyers.
And in the grand tradition of the Police, one thing remains clear: breaking up the band was never going to stop the fighting. It just made the punches more expensive.
