Am I alone?

[Ben Dover]

The song, Every Breath You Take, written by Sting and recorded by The Police. Has been described as a beautiful love song.

Am I the only person who sees this song as a nasty stalkers anthem.

That unrelenting bass, 'every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you'.

I have never been stalked, but if I had been subjected to this despicable action, this would be the last song I would want to hear.

I heard or read somewhere that Sting himself is amazed at how many people think this is a love song. He went on to add that people must not really be listening to the lyrics. Which says to me, Ben, that you grasp the real meaning of the song.

[justalightfootfan]

Many years ago (15 or 20) there was a storyline on the soap "All My Children" where the character Brook was stalked by a guy named Harold. They played this song in the background for weeks and weeks as the story unfolded. To this day, I cannot listen to that song without thinking of a weird stalker!

[Auburn Annie]

Nope, it's creepy. See Sting's explanation:

From an interview with Radio 3MMM Melbourne, October 23, 1996:

RICHARD: I want to know what is your reason for writing Every Breath You Take? What was the background for that?

STING: Oh, I don't know. Do I have to have a reason for that? Well I suppose it's a pretty dark song. It was written in a pretty dark period in my life: my life seemed to be crumbling. The band I was in was breaking up, my first marriage was breaking up, I was breaking up, things were very bleak and I wrote this very obsessive, paranoid song called Every Breath You Take, which has a sort of seductive charm to it
as well and I suppose umm thats why its been a successful song. I think because it's so ambiguous; it's both dark and light.

After reading the lyrics I gotta hear this song.

[Ben Dover]

Thanks, folks, I guess I am not alone.

[Borderstone]

I always knew that it wasn't a love song. People in love do not say things like,"Every move you make,every step you take,I'll be watching you!" And then singing over and over at the end,I'll be watching you? It was pretty obvious to me. I can't see how others missed it but then again,I can only speak for myself. Later!

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Borderstone - "Little 'Ol Message Maker Me!"

Did you know that if you like someone and you ride by their house for the hope you might see him/her or (if your at school or work) if you stay kind of close behind them and watch them you are stalking? As long as it's not terrorizing, it's not illegal. So when we mention the word 'stalk', it doesn't mean wanting to rape them or something. (I read this in a 'BLACKBELT' magazine.)

[This message has been edited by DMD3 (edited September 05, 2003).]

[Borderstone]

Funny you should mention those things DMD3. Those are the very things I did when I fell in love for the first time in 5th grade! In fact,I fell in love 25 years ago this month. Unfortunately,love hit me so hard then,that I can't remeber what day it was! I followed that girl around like a puppy wanting a pat on the head. : It's not stalking at that age (10),it's more like she's the magnet and you're the steel. It's been me,later!

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Borderstone - "Little 'Ol Message Maker Me!"

My 1st time falling in love was 5th grade too! I found myself in love again in 8th grade and now I'm going thru my 3rd crush here in 11th grade. Each time was more intense, discouraging, painful, lonely and scary than the last.

[Shazia]

Sting is my favorite male artist besides Gordon Lightfoot. What a coincidence this is. Even more so, Sting's real name is Gordon too LOL

EBYT is not one of my favorite songs of his but not for the reasons you are describing. I just think there are better songs of his than that. But anyway, Sting himself knows that it is not a love song. He knows that it had dark obsessive connotations, but unfortunately the average public listener was not aware of it at the time.