The Police Dispute About Credit For Writing The Song Every Breath You Take Which Has Not Been Completed

JAKARTA - The dispute between Andy Summers and Sting about the songwriting credit for The Police hit, Every Breath You Take continues.

The guitarist is currently on a multimedia tour titled The Cracked Lens + The Missing String. While promoting the show on The Jeremy White Show podcast, Summers was asked about the songwriting credit for the 1983 single which topped the charts.

This is a very controversial and warm [topic] right now. The song was thrown into the trash until I played it, and that's all. And I think that's the composition, of course, Summers gave a sharp response.

Summers doesn't want to go into details about ongoing efforts to get songwriting credit, but it hints that a potential legal battle is taking place.

"Pay attention to the press," he said. Let's see what happens next year

Looking a little back, Sting started working on Every Breath You Take in 1982 after he divorced with his first wife Frances Tomelty and the beginning of his relationship with Trudie Styler.

Police intend to include the song in their album, Synchronicity, but have proven to be one of the most difficult songs to complete.

The initial concept of Sting not having the guitar part and his bandmates disagreed with that. The song, Every Breath You Take, was thrown into the trash, Summers emphasized.

Stewart [Copeland] and Sting disagree on where the drum and bass positions are placed on the song. And that won't be included in the album."

According to Summers, the only reason Every Breath You Take is that the album The Police is incomplete.

"We need that material," Summers explained, "and the famous story is Sting looking back at me and saying, 'Okay, go ahead. Look up there and make it yours.' And of course, I have all this kind of material under my finger."

After Summers' iconic guitar fillings were added, the song looked complete. However, that didn't end the drama around Every Breath You Take.