# In 1983, The Police admitted they had ruined Sting’s “best song” with their “worst arrangement”. Now it is the most-streamed classic rock song

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1983-the-police-admitted-they-had-ruined-stings-best-song-with-their-worst-arrangement-now-it-is-the-most-streamed-classic-rock-song/
- Published: 2026-11-15T10:41:56+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T11:33:18+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-1983-the-police-let-down-stings-best-song-streamed/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Copeland called it Sting’s best song with the band’s worst arrangement.
- Andy Summers’s guitar part was the exception in Copeland’s critique.
- The song’s romantic sound can obscure its lyrics about surveillance.

## Summary

The Police’s Stewart Copeland later called “Every Breath You Take” Sting’s best song but said the band gave it its worst arrangement. His criticism points to a missed musical opportunity, even though the track became one of the group’s defining successes.

Written while Sting was experiencing marital strain and suspicion, the lyrics describe watching and control, despite the song’s polished, romantic sound. Copeland felt the arrangement lacked groove, while praising Andy Summers’s guitar part; the article says the band earned vast sums from the hit and describes it as the most-streamed classic rock song.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.