The Police: Could There Be a Lawsuit Around 'Every Breath You Take'?

A promotional portrait of the British rock band The Police (L-R): Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting, circa 1980.

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"Every Breath You Take," the iconic hit from The Police, might be at the center of an upcoming lawsuit.

Former Police guitarist Andy Summers alluded to such in a new interview appearance on The Jeremy White Show. Summers famously wrote the iconic riff that acts as the hook to the song. However, Sting is the only songwriter listed on the track.

Summers referred to his lack of a songwriting credit as "a very contentious [topic] that is very much alive at the moment." He was then asked if there was going to be some sort of lawsuit to get listed as a songwriter on the track. Summers replied, "Watch the press. Let's see what happens in the next year."

In November 2021, Summers told Ultimate Classic Rock that neither he nor Stewart Copeland -- who also wrote his drum parts but isn't listed as a songwriter -- have received royalties for "Every Breath You Take." While the song was popular upon its release in 1983, it had a massive resurgence in 1997 when it was sampled on Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You."

RELATED: Sting Confirms Police 'Synchronicity' Box Set Is Coming

Interestingly, Puff Daddy never asked permission to sample "Every Breath You Take," and the whole dispute ended up in court. As a result, Sting now receives 100 percent of the royalties from the song. This is due to him being the only songwriter listed on the track. This is also despite the fact that Summers and Copeland each came up with their guitar and drum tracks, respectively. Of course, only Summers' guitar track and nothing from Sting or Copeland are actually heard on "I'll Be Missing You."

So, what kind of royalties does Sting get from "I'll Be Missing You"? According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Sting reportedly earns about $2,000 a day in royalties from that song alone. This figure is actually disputed by Puff Daddy, who is now known as Diddy. In April, he shared via X (formerly Twitter) that Sting actually receives $5,000 a day from the royalties from "I'll Be Missing You."

Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band’s album Against The Wind turns 40 today (February 25), and it has the distinction of being the only album in Seger’s catalog to hit the number one spot on the Billboard 200 album charts.

Of course, Seger isn’t alone in this regard. Here are some other artists with one lone album to top the Billboard 200.

Bob Seger - 'Against The Wind'

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Seger's 11th studio release stands as his only number one album and has sold over 5 million copies in the U.S. The album also features guest backing vocals from Eagles' Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit.

David Bowie - 'Blackstar'

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Released just two days prior to his shocking death, 'Blackstar' is the only album from David Bowie to ever hit number one on the Billboard 200. There's going out on top, and then there's this incredible moment.

James Taylor - 'Before This World'

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If anyone deserves a number one, it's legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor, who after 47 years and 16 studio albums finally topped the Billboard 200 in June 2015 with 'Before This World.'

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - 'Hypnotic Eye'

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After 38 years, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers finally got their first number one album with July 2014's 'Hypnotic Eye.' Sadly, it would be the band's final album with Petty who would die suddenly in October 2017 at age 66.

The Police - 'Synchronicity'

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The final studio album from The Police, 'Synchronicity' would be their only number one album to top the Billboard 200 and be the trio's most successful album in the United States selling over eight million copies.

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