(Credits: Far Out / A&M Records)
Sun 10 August 2025 8:00, UK
High up on the list of fucked up songs you think are romantic is The Police‘s ‘Every Breath You Take’…and it turns out there’s a sequel!
Chances are, everyone is well aware of this song, and a majority consider it a romantic song. Why wouldn’t you? That guitar line, which runs throughout the track, is stunning, and Sting’s vocals are some of the softest of his whole career. The song wouldn’t be out of place in the reconciling scene of a rom-com; however, when you actually listen to the lyrics, you realise that there are sinister undertones to the track.
“I think the ambiguity is intrinsic in the song however you treat it, because the words are so sadistic,” said Sting when discussing the track’s common misinterpretation, adding, “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.”
He continued, “I think it’s a nasty little song, really rather evil. It’s about jealousy and surveillance and ownership”.
This isn’t the only song that Sting has written which has sinister undertones. ‘Don’t Stand So Close to Me’ had themes of the novel Lolita running through it, as the narrative attached included a teacher who had a relationship with one of his students. The line that specifically references Lolita is, “Just like the old man in the book by Nabokov”.
Sting has never been afraid of exploring different narratives within his music, even if those narratives are controversial. He has also never been afraid to stay in the same pocket of music while he tries to perfect whatever sound he is going for.
His music has been criticised in the past, claiming that he writes songs which are too similar in style. Rather than shy away from these criticisms, Sting embraces them, saying that he prefers it as he tries to work out the best way to present said style of music. He has always been happy to draw from previous songs he has written, both in terms of instrumentation and lyricism. When discussing the parallels between some of his tracks, Sting called upon ‘If You Love Somebody Set Them Free’.
“I kind of like it,” said Sting, “The analogy is that of a painter doing various studies of the same still life, changing the angle slightly. I like the idea of sequels. ‘If You Love Somebody Set Them Free’ is a sequel to ‘Every Breath You Take’, lyrically the mirror image.”
You can certainly see where Sting is coming from with this comparison. While the song isn’t a direct sequel to the events in ‘Every Breath You Take’, there is a connection between the tracks, given that their themes are the same, but the attitude conveyed within the lyrics varies. The two songs complement each other incredibly well, and it would be a good idea to listen to them back to back.
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