What is "Every Breath You Take" by The Police really about? It is the most played song in radio history. It has been the soundtrack of millions of weddings. And the man who wrote it — Sting — has spent the rest of his life trying to tell people that it is actually a song about stalking, surveillance, and obsession. In this episode of Behind The Lines, we go inside one of the most successful misunderstandings in pop music history.

We tell the full story of how Sting wrote this song in 30 minutes in the middle of the night while hiding from the British paparazzi at Ian Fleming's old James Bond villa in Jamaica. We reveal why this song destroyed The Police as a band even as it made them globally famous. We explain how Puff Daddy completely changed its meaning with "I'll Be Missing You" in 1997. And we break down every line of the lyrics so that you will never hear this song the same way again.

The Police. Sting. Every Breath You Take. Synchronicity. song meaning explained. stalking song. wedding song. Andy Summers. Stewart Copeland. Trudie Styler. Frances Tomelty. Puff Daddy. I'll Be Missing You. Behind The Lines Podcast.

Behind The Lines – where every song has a story nobody talks about.