The band reunited in January 2007 for a reunion tour that lasted until August 2008.
Biography
The Police formed in early 1977 in London by Stewart Copeland (drums), Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting (bass and lead vocals), and Henry Padovani (guitar). Andy Summers later joined the group, and after a very short stint as a quartet, Padovani left the band. The Police became one of the most popular bands in the late 70s and throughout the 80s.
The Police are notable as one of the first mainstream white pop groups to adopt reggae as a predominant musical form and to score major international hits with reggae-styled material. (The first all-white reggae band with permanent members and frequent recording in Europe was Peps Blodsband, lead by Peps Persson from south Sweden who changed from blues to reggae 1974/75). Although reggae was already very popular in the United Kingdom (due to the large number of Caribbean immigrants) and a number of Western European countries, reggae was little known in the United States and rejected by most black artists in U.S, and prior to the emergence of the Police only a handful of reggae songs had enjoyed any significant chart success. The Police, UB40, The Clash and Bob Marley (Jamaican, partly living in England after being shot in Jamaica, are considered with a number of new wave, rock and ska bands as one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the U.S.
The Police were strongly influenced by reggae (especially reggae drumming and base lines), jazz and, in the beginning, punk rock – something that came to be shifted more and more towards pop during the 80s. Their lyrics also changed from challenging, but yet somewhat politically restrained punk- and new wave lyrics, to after 1982 in some songs emphasize environmental awareness and human oneness. The biggest hits, however, had romantic or sexual themes. The Police met together with other "white" British bands which played reggae, as UB40, criticism from black English rastafarian reggae bands like Aswad (in a BBC documentary on TV) and Steel Pulse, for being accomplices in the music industry of "Babylon", stealing the Caribbean slave descendants' musical treasure. This criticism has later been withdrawn. Aswad has even made the covers of Police songs like "Roxanne".
Tension grew between the band members, because unlike most other bands, they did not share songwriting credits. They released their last album, Synchronicity, in 1983, selling over 8 million copies. Synchronicity is critically regarded as their best album, with hits such as Synchronicity II, King of Pain, and probably their best known song, Every Breath You Take. In 1984, after touring in support of Synchronicity, The Police went on hiatus while Sting pursued his acting and solo music careers. Two years later, The Police reformed and played a few concerts for Amnesty International. Soon after the band went into the studio. Sting wanted to re-record their old songs but Andy and Stewart wanted to leave the originals alone and only two songs were re-recorded during these studio sessions. Although the group is considered to have disbanded in 1984, 1986 was the last time The Police engaged in any musical activity.
In 1992 the band released "Message in a Box", their 4 CD box set, and performed at Sting's wedding to Trudie Styler. A live CD was released in June 1995. On March 10, 2003 The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed Message in a Bottle, Roxanne and Every Breath You Take.
The Police reformed in 2007 and opened the Grammy award ceremony of that year with a performance of Roxanne. Towards the end of May the band began a world tour. In 2008 the tour ended at Madison Square Garden, New York on August 7, and The Police disbanded for good. Sting was quoted towards the end of the tour that he had achieved closure with the band and revealed that The Police would never tour or record again.
Sting has said that the material on the album Ghost in the Machine were inspired by the writings of Arthur Koestler, and that the Police's final studio album Synchronicity was influenced by the writings of Carl Jung. Sting also peppers his songs with literary allusions: the song "Don't Stand So Close to Me" mentions Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita; "Tea in the Sahara" alludes to the novel The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles; and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" refers both to the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis, from Greek mythology, and to Mephistopheles, from the German legend of Faust .
Discography
* Outlandos d'Amour (1978)
* Reggatta de Blanc (1979)
* Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)
* Ghost in the Machine (1981)
* Synchronicity (1983)
Every Breath You Take
The Police Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And every move you make
Every bond you break, every step you take
I'll be watchin' you
Every single day
And every word you say
Every game you play, every night you stay
I'll be watchin' you
Oh, can't you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take
Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake, every claim you stake
I'll be watchin' you
Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace
I dream at night, I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep cryin', "Baby, baby, please"
Oh, can't you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take
Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake, every claim you stake
I'll be watchin' you
Every move you make, every step you take
I'll be watchin' you
I'll be watchin' you
Every breath you take, every move you make
Every bond you break (I'll be watchin' you)
Every single day, every word you say
Every game you play (I'll be watchin' you)
Every move you make, every vow you break
Every smile you fake (I'll be watchin' you)
Every single day, every word you say
Every game you play (I'll be watchin' you)
Every breath you take, every move you make
Every bond you break (I'll be watchin' you)
Every single day, every word you say
Every game you play (I'll be watchin' you)
Every move you make, every vow you break
Every smile you fake (I'll be watchin' you)
Every single day, every word you say
Every game you play (I'll be watchin' you)
The Police's song "Every Breath You Take" is a poignant commentary on the all-consuming nature of love and obsession. The lyrics are centered around someone who is deeply in love with another person to the point of being obsessed with them. The singer sings about how they will be watching their love interest's every move, every breath they take, and every word they say. The song also delves into the pain caused by the end of a relationship, leaving the singer feeling lost, cold and yearning for their love's embrace.
The lyrics can be read at face value, but they also function as an evocation of the surveillance state, in which our every move is monitored and watched by a higher authority. The chorus, with its repeated line "I'll be watching you," mirrors the language used by government agencies and security services. The song's message about love and the all-consuming nature of obsession is accentuated by the haunting melody, with its slow tempo and monotonous rhythm. The Police's song is a powerful meditation on love, obsession, and the darker aspects of human nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Every breath you take
I am always paying attention to you, even the small things you do like breathing.
And every move you make
I am constantly observing you and taking note of every action you perform.
Every bond you break, every step you take
Any relationship you have with others or decisions you make, I will know about and be monitoring.
I'll be watchin' you
My focus is always on you, and I will not stop being vigilant.
Every single day
I am constantly thinking about you and monitoring your actions, even on a daily basis.
And every word you say
I am paying attention to every word you speak and analyzing what it could reveal about you.
Every game you play, every night you stay
Any games you try to play or places you go to, I will know about it and be keeping a close eye on you.
I'll be watchin' you
I am always watching your every move and keeping track of your whereabouts and actions.
Oh, can't you see
I want you to realize and acknowledge my presence in your life and my constant observation of you.
You belong to me?
I feel ownership over you and believe that you are mine to keep under surveillance.
How my poor heart aches
My desire and obsession to watch you causes me emotional pain and suffering.
With every step you take
Each action you make, whether small or large, adds to my overwhelming need to watch and control you.
And every vow you break
If you make any promises or agreements, and then break them, I will know and take note of it.
Every smile you fake, every claim you stake
I am not only watching your actions, but also your expressions and words, analyzing for any possible deception or insincerity.
Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace
Without you, I feel directionless and aimless, as if I cannot function without monitoring you.
I dream at night, I can only see your face
My obsession has reached the point where even in my subconscious, you are the only thing I can focus on.
I look around but it's you I can't replace
Despite my efforts to fill the void of watching you by monitoring others, I cannot replace the fixation I have on you.
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
Without being able to monitor you, I feel isolated and yearn to have you back under my surveillance and control.
I keep cryin', "Baby, baby, please"
I cannot bear the thought of losing my ability to watch and control you and plead for you to come back into my sight.
Every breath you take
I am still closely monitoring your breathing and every other action you make.
Every bond you break (I'll be watchin' you)
Even if you try to sever connections with others, I will still be watching and keeping track of these breakups.
Every single day, every word you say
My obsessive need to watch you is constant and never-ending, spanning through each day and every conversation you have.
Every game you play (I'll be watchin' you)
No matter how many tactics or games you try to play, I will always be observing and monitoring your every move.
Every move you make, every vow you break
My focus on you does not waver despite any changes in your actions or promises made and broken.
Every smile you fake (I'll be watchin' you)
My watchful eye extends beyond your actions and takes note of your facial expressions and any possible attempts at deception.
I'll be watchin' you
In conclusion, my need and compulsion to watch you is a constant, unrelenting obsession that consumes my every thought and action.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gordon Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Felix Norman
a classic side "for all time"!