We all know Sting, right? The one who sang ‘Desert Rose’ with Cheb Mami? No doubt it’s an awesome song, but any guesses in which band he was before he turned solo? Yup, it was ‘The Police’. They were one of the most reputed rock bands in the 80’s. This song, viz. ‘Every Breath You Take’ must be like an anthem to people who know how to play the guitar, because it’s the first rift you learn. It’s simple, but it’s so brilliantly done. This was the bands’ signature song. So, let’s get to it!
History: ‘Every Breath You Take’ is a song from The Polices’ 1983 album ‘Synchronicity’. This song was one of THE major hits of the 80’s, topping the US Billboard’s Hot 100 for a whopping eight weeks, and the UK charts for a commendable four weeks (Ironically, as ‘The Police’ was a British band). It also stayed on the Billboard Top Tracks for 9 weeks. There is just one version of the song, viz. the 4 minutes and 14 seconds one. It peaked at number 8 in Austria and Belgium, Number 1 in Canada, South Africa, UK and the US, number 2 in Sweden and Norway, (I still don’t know how it performed in India!) etc.. An awesome fact about this song is that it generated one – third of ‘The Police’s’ income by itself (Cool, huh?).
What it tries to convey to us: ‘Every Breath You Take’ is considered to be a soft, gentle and smooth love song. Well, it’s not. Don’t get me wrong; it’s just that there are two ways of looking at this song. I always that this song has a more ‘sinister’ meaning to it. If you’ve listened to the lyrics keenly, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The lines “Every breath you take, I’ll be watching you” or “Every move you make, every vow you make, every smile you fake, every claim you stake, I’ll be watching you” do give off a sinister aura to the song. In reality, Sting himself said that the song is about jealousy towards his ex – wife. Actually, this song was written when his marriage was on the verge of breaking. Amidst the feelings of jealousy and obsession for surveillance and control over his lost lover, the song got it’s ‘stalker – like’ lyrics. In fact, this song is the 5th most misinterpreted song ever. Long story short, this song has a dual meaning.
Review: The song kicks off with an amazing bass guitar rift. The beats are very soothing, and before you know it, you’re listening to the song with your full attention. Add to that Sting’s awesome vocals from 00:16, and you’re officially hooked to the song. The song is paced ever so elegantly. The rhythmic guitar rift starts from 00:53, and even though it’s not too loud, you can feel that it spices up the song very nicely. Sting steps on the gas at 01:22, and cranks the song up to a slightly higher tempo by using a high pitch. He returns back to the normal beat at 01:47 after a LONG “Please”, and initiates the chorus right after a brief female – sung chorus. At 03:01, everyone except Sting starts chanting the chorus right up until the end. Sting keeps adding “I’ll be watching you” and a couple of “Ooh’s” to keep the tempo alive, and then the song gradually softens at 02:41. The song itself is so fast paced, you’ll hardly notice how time flew by while you were listening to the song.
Rating: ‘Every breath you take’, according to me, is the most famous song of the 80’s. The bass guitar is meaty and packs a punch; the rhythmic guitar does it’s job perfectly, and Sting nails it with his awesome voice. Women experience a stronger bond with this song as compared to men, because the song being so gentle and warm; they feel safe with it (No, seriously! My sister told me this!). A perfect 10/10!
Lyrics for ‘Every breath you take’ : http://artists.letssingit.com/the-police-lyrics-every-breath-you-take-vcc48qq
Download link for ‘Every breath you take’ : http://www.emp3world.com/mp3/44557/Police/Every%20Breath%20You%20Take
‘Every breath you take’ is a song from the album ‘Synchronicity’
AudiophileParadise 