Stewart Copeland appeared in an episode of Smooth Radio’s Video Rewind and revealed why Sting is amused by fans’ misinterpretation of the Police hit ‘Every Breath You Take.’
Discussing the song, the drummer said:
“I don’t know what it is about this song that made it so big. I think it could be that it had two major versions. And so each one had a full run of a number one song. It is a pretty cool song.”
The Irony of A Dark Song Played At Weddings
He added, sharing Sting’s response to the audience reaction to the track:
“And one of the composers, Sting, one of his favorite things about it is that everybody misunderstands it. Nothing cheers him up more than when people say, ‘Oh, yes, we played your song at our wedding.’ And he goes ‘mwah’. This song, with evil intent, was misinterpreted as a thing of beauty. Satan comes into our world with a smile on his face!”
Sting On The Dual Nature Of ‘Every Breath You Take’
Originally written by Sting in 1982, the song was featured on the Police’s fifth and final album, ‘Synchronicity,’ released in 1983. Sting previously described ‘Every Breath You Take’ as a ‘nasty little song,’ saying:
“I think it’s a nasty little song, really rather evil. It’s about jealousy and surveillance, and ownership. I think the ambiguity is intrinsic in the song, however you treat it, because the words are so sadistic. On one level, it’s a nice long song with the classic relative minor chords, and underneath, there’s this distasteful character talking about watching every move. I enjoy that ambiguity.”
Sting drew inspiration for the song from the fictional character ‘Big Brother’ in George Orwell’s novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four,’ symbolizing constant surveillance and control. He crafted the song quickly, noting its generic tune but intriguing words.
You can listen to the song below.
