Every Breath You Take Lyrics

[Bridge]
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 crying, baby, baby, please

[Middle-Eight]
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm, mmm


[Chorus]
Oh, can't you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take

[Verse 4]
Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you

[Refrain]
Every move you make
Every step you take
I'll be watching you

[Outro]
I'll be watching you
(Every breath you take)
(Every move you make)
(Every bond you break)
(Every step you take)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I'll be watching you
(Every move you make)
(Every vow you break)
(Every smile you fake)
(Every claim you stake)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I'll be watching you
(Every breath you take)
(Every move you make)
(Every bond you break)
(Every step you take)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I'll be watching you
(Every move you make)
(Every vow you break)
(Every smile you fake)
(Every claim you stake)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I'll be watching you
(Every move you make)
(Every bond you break)
(Every step you take)
I'll be watching you

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

“Every Breath You Take” is, to this day, still perceived to be a love song. However, the lyrics are actually spoken from a character with sinister intent. During the time Sting wrote this song, he had just divorced his first wife, Frances Tomelty. While his intention may have been to write a sweet, emotional love song from the beginning, he was soon realizing that he was entering into a dark place that fought for control and surveillance. Being in the midst of the Cold War, at that time, did not help the situation.

Musically, the track features a minimal arrangement. Sting’s bass, Stewart Copeland’s drums, and Andy Summers‘ guitar round out the basic tracks with added synths, piano, and recording effects to boost the production. This was at a time where the band were having conflicts on a regular basis which almost caused producer Hugh Padgham to quit and the recording to cease.

Regardless of the turmoil during the recording, “Every Breath You Take” was a worldwide success. The music video, directed by Godley & Creme, even won the band the first Best Cinematography award at the 1983 MTV Video Music Awards. The song also stands as the signature song of The Police and has been played more than 9 million times on radio.

It was also:

  • The best-selling single of 1983, and the fifth best-selling single of the 1980’s in the United States
  • Winner of the 1984 Best Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals Grammy awards
  • #84 on the Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
  • It topped the Billboard Top 100 for 8 weeks and the UK singles chart for 4 weeks

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did The Police say about "Every Breath You Take"?
Genius Answer

Sting had a discussion with NME about how it pleases him to see people misinterpret “Every Breath You Take” as a love song:

Sting: I don’t think it’s a sad song. I think it’s a nasty little song, really rather evil. It’s about jealousy and surveillance and ownership.

NME: How does that quality survive in its transmission through a massively exposed record and these concerts?

Sting: 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. I watched Andy Gibb singing it with some girl on TV a couple of weeks ago, very loving, and totally misinterpreting it. (Laughter) I could still hear the words, which aren’t about love at all.

NME: I expect you took some pleasure In that.

Sting: Great pleasure. I pissed myself laughing.

He also shared:

One couple told me ‘Oh we love that song; it was the main song played at our wedding!’ I thought, ‘Well, good luck.'

As for the melody, Sting shared Rolling Stone:

‘Every Breath You Take’ is an archetypal song. If you have a major chord followed by a relative minor, you’re not original.

Credits
Written By
Performance Rights
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Copyright ©
Mastered at
Mastering Engineer
Oberheim DMX
Bass Guitar
Vocals
Keyboards
Recorded At
AIR Montserrat, Salem, Montserrat; Le Studio, Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada
Release Date
May 20, 1983
Every Breath You Take Covers
Every Breath You Take by Rita Lee, Every Breath You Take by Dolly Parton (Ft. Sting), Every Breath You Take by Saxsquatch, Every Breath You Take (Acoustic Piano Version) by J2 (producer) (Ft. StarGzrLilly), Every Breath You Take by Clark Beckham, Every Breath You Take by 周國賢 (Endy Chow), Every Breath You Take by Flaw, Every Breath You Take by The Holophonics, Every breath you take by Millencolin, Every Breath You Take by Jack Jones, I’ll Be Missing You (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge) by BTS, Every Breath You Take by Melanie, Every Breath You Take by Lucifer Cast (Ft. Debbie Gibson & Tom Ellis), Every Breath You Take by Andy Williams, Every Breath You Take by Engelbert Humperdinck, Every Breath You Take (Jose Spinnin' Cortes +Mas Mix) by Jose Spinnin' Cortes, Every Breath You Take by M.Y.M.P., Every Breath You Take by Amii Stewart, The Captain of Her Heart / Every Breath You Take by Mina, Every Breath You Take by Andy Gibb & Marilyn McCoo, Every Breath You Take by Robert Downey Jr. (Ft. Sting), Every Breath You Take (弾き語り (Hikigatari)) by ​chay (JPN), Every Breath You Take by Max Oazo & CAMI, Every Breath You Take (My Songs Version) by Sting, Every Breath You Take (feat. Liza Anne) by Aaron Krause (Ft. Liza Anne), Every Breath You Take by Pato Fu, Every Breath You Take by Big Daddy, Every Breath You Take by Gloria Gaynor, Every Breath You Take (triple j Like A Version) by Trophy Eyes, Every Breath You Take by Love & The Outcome, Every Breath You Take by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox (Ft. Vonzell Solomon), Every Breath You Take by Frankmusik, Every Breath You Take by Aaron Krause, Every Breath You Take by Betty Wright, Every Breath You Take by Josh Kaufman (Ft. USHER), Every Breath You Take by Robyn Adele Anderson, Every Breath You Take by Violent Femmes, Every Breath You Take by Glee Cast, Cada Vez Que Resuelles by Conjunto Oro, Every Breath You Take by Oceanside, Alex D’Rosso & Badjack, Every Breath You Take by Karen Souza & Every Breath You Take by Imagine Dragons
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