Two-thirds of The Police – drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers – are suing their former frontman Sting over lost royalties for the classic hit “Every Breath You Take.”
According to lawsuit documents, Sting – real name Gordon Matthew Sumner – makes £550,000, or about $740,000, from “Every Breath You Take” royalties each year. The singer is listed as the song’s lone composer and lyricist, despite contributions from Summers and Copeland to the track.
Released in 1983, “Every Breath You Take” became a massive worldwide hit, eventually ranking among the best-selling songs of the 1980s. Summers and Copeland have always bristled with their lack of credit on the track, regularly mentioning the discourse in interviews.
That song was going in the trash until I played on it, and that’s all there is to it,” Summers declared in 2023. “And I think that’s composition, absolutely.”
“This has been coming for quite some time,” a source reported to UK’s The Sun. “Lawyers tried repeatedly to reach an out-of-court settlement but hit a stalemate. Andy and Stewart decided there was no alternative than court so pressed the button. They say they are owed millions in lost royalties.”
The Police broke up acrimoniously in 1984 at the height of their worldwide fame. Though they enjoyed a hugely successful reunion tour in 2007, the three members have not joined forces since it concluded.
Interestingly, it seemed as though Sting and Summers were on good terms earlier this year. The two men contributed to a new version of The Police tune “Murder by Numbers” with Christian McBride, their first collaboration since the reunion tour ended.