Sting’s solo demo for “Every Breath You Take” has finally been released

It’s taken 42 years but thanks to a new Synchronicity box set, Police fans finally have a chance to hear Sting’s original solo demo for “Every Breath You Take,” the song that blew the band into the stratosphere.

Before you hit play on this, you’re about to hear something very, very different. Sting recorded this in 1982 at Utopia Studios, a place in North London after everyone had gone home for the night. When he represented it to Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, they weren’t impressed. In fact, they hated it and initially refused to work on the song. There was no way it was going to be on the album.

“Where do the bass and drums go?” wondered Copeland.

“Guys? Hello?” said Summers. “We’re a guitar band!”

Sting was annoyed. He said to Summers “If you don’t like the guitar part, make it your own.” So he did–in one take, too. And that was what the song needed.

The result is an excellent lesson in collaboration and how a good song can be made great in the hands of the right person.