In 1983, The Police stayed at number one for eight weeks. One song changed it all
The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” ended The Police’s eight-week run at number one with “Every Breath You Take” in 1983. The change mattered because it marked the arrival of a major new-wave rival and helped establish the Eurythmics’ best-known hit.
“Sweet Dreams” itself held the top spot for only one week before another song took over. Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart developed the track around a new synthesiser bass line, at a point when Lennox was questioning her life choices; it went on to become their defining song and has been streamed more than two billion times. The article also notes that “Every Breath You Take” is often mistaken for a love song, though it describes a stalker’s obsessive attention.
- “Sweet Dreams” displaced The Police after their eight-week chart run.
- The Eurythmics’ hit spent just one week at number one.
- The song has since passed two billion streams.
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The Police were a British rock band whose 1983 hit “Every Breath You Take” spent eight weeks at number one in the US. The Eurythmics were a new-wave duo made up of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, known for combining electronic sounds with pop.
In the early 1980s, synthesiser-driven music was becoming a prominent part of popular music. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” became the Eurythmics’ best-known song, while “Every Breath You Take” is sometimes heard as a love song despite its lyrics describing obsessive watching.