The Police have shared an early demo version of their classic hit “Every Breath You Take.” The track appears on the soon-to-be-released deluxe 40th anniversary reissue of the band’s chart-topping 1983 album Synchronicity.
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The demo was recorded in October 1982 at London’s Utopia Studios, about two months before the group laid down the famous studio version of the tune. The track features Sting playing the chords on a keyboard, backed by a simple drum beat. Andy Summers’ memorable picked guitar line is noticeably absent from the recording.
The deluxe reissue of Synchronicity will be released on Friday, July 26, in multiple formats and configurations. Among the versions is limited-edition six-CD box set featuring 55 previously unreleased tracks. The deluxe collection comes packaged with a 62-page booklet containing new liner notes, interviews, and rare photos and archival memorabilia.
The reissue was put together with the involvement and blessing of Sting, Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland.
More About “Every Breath You Take”
The Police recorded the famous version of “Every Breath You Take” at AIR studio on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. The band had an infamously difficult time getting the track finished. Sting and Copeland bickered for weeks over Copeland not playing the drum fills to Sting’s liking. Meanwhile, Summers didn’t like the song in its initial keyboard-driven incarnation, thinking it sounded too poppy. The band members were considering not even including the song on the album.
In a December 2023 interview with YouTube personality Rick Beato, Summers shared his recollections of the “Every Breath You Take” sessions, and creating his famous guitar part.
Summers told Beato that the band members were feeling negative about how the track had been sounding, and Sting told him to go play a guitar part and “make it your own.”
Andy said he proceeded to played a “really simple” chord sequence in one take.
When he finished, Summers recalled, “they all stood up and applauded in the … recording room and then the manager [said], ‘What’s that? That’s going straight to number one.’”
He continued, “The band [wasn’t] even gonna keep it on the album, and once I played that guitar line that was it. It went straight to number one.”
“Every Breath You Take” was The Police’s only single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It spent eight straight weeks at No. 1 in July and August of 1983.
More About Synchronicity
Synchronicity was The Police’s fifth and final studio album. It was released in June 1983, and proceeded to top the Billboard 200 for 17 non-consecutive weeks.
Besides “Every Breath You Take,” the album featured three other Top-20 Hot 100 hits. “King of Pain,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” and “Synchronicity” to peaked at No. 3, No. 8 and No. 16, respectively.
At the 1984 Grammy Awards, Synchronicity won the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal honor. “Every Breath You Take” was awarded the Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals trophies.
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