Talk about a blast from the past, with a twist! Two of Sting’s former Police bandmates are now hitting him with a lawsuit over Every Breath You Take royalties. Imagine decades later, the band is still battling it out over one of the biggest hits of the 80s. Who do you think holds the rhythm in this legal drum solo?
In a significant legal development sending ripples through the music industry, two former members of the iconic rock band The Police have initiated a lawsuit against their frontman, Sting, concerning alleged unpaid royalties from their monumental 1983 hit, “Every Breath You Take.” This high-profile dispute rekindles debates surrounding songwriting credits and financial entitlements within long-established musical acts.
Drummer Stewart Copeland, 71, and original guitarist Henry Padovani, 73, are reportedly seeking substantial restitution, contending they were never properly acknowledged as co-songwriters for the enduring track. Their legal action, filed in London’s High Court, asserts that Sting, 73, the primary credited writer, withheld their due share of the considerable earnings generated by one of the 1980s’ most recognizable tunes.
The Police, founded in 1977, rapidly ascended to global fame, crafting five critically acclaimed albums and selling over 75 million records worldwide before their initial disbandment in the late 1980s. Despite subsequent one-off reunions and a hugely successful world tour between 2007 and 2008, this current legal challenge illuminates long-standing financial disagreements that can persist decades after a band’s peak.
“Every Breath You Take” stands as a cornerstone of The Police’s legacy, remarkably being their only song to reach No. 1 in the United States. Its pervasive appeal also secured its place as the fifth-best-selling single of the entire 1980s, solidifying its status as a timeless classic and a significant revenue generator for its accredited creators.
The track’s financial history is already complex; in 1997, Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs famously sampled it for his hit “I’ll Be Missing You” without initial permission. A subsequent legal battle resulted in Sting being granted 100% of the royalties from the sampled work, underscoring the lucrative nature of the song and Sting’s established control over its intellectual property.
Sting himself has offered reflective insights into the song’s enduring power and ambiguous interpretation. In a May 2023 interview with People magazine, he recalled its creation while staying at author Ian Fleming’s former Jamaican residence. He acknowledged the song’s inherent ambivalence, noting, “It could be sinister or it could be quite warm and sweet and nice, and people have both of those interpretations.” This artistic flexibility, he suggests, enriches its universal appeal.
This ongoing songwriting lawsuit serves as a poignant reminder of the intricate and often contentious world of music royalties. It highlights how even after decades, questions of creative contribution and fair compensation can resurface, impacting the legacies and relationships of even the most celebrated music legends within the entertainment news landscape. The outcome of this legal dispute will undoubtedly be closely watched by artists and industry observers alike.
