Aug. 27 (UPI) — Two of Sting’s former Police bandmates have sued the rock musician over missing royalties from the song Every Breath You Take.
Andy Summers, 82, and Stewart Copeland, 73, claim they were never properly credited as songwriters on the song in 1983 and didn’t receive royalties for their writing by Sting, 73. The suit was filed in London High Court, The Sun and People reported.
The Police formed in 1977 and disbanded in the 1980s after producing five albums and selling 75 million records worldwide. Band members reunited for one-night reunions and participated in a reunion world tour from 2007 to 2008.
The song was the only No. 1 song by The Police in the United States but was the fifth-best-selling of the 1980s. Puff Daddy, also known as Diddy, sampled the song on I’ll Be Missing You in 1997 without The Police’s permission, and, after a lawsuit, Sting was granted 100% of the song’s royalties.
Named as defendants were Sting, whose real name is Gordon Matthew Sumner, and his publishing company, Magnetic Publishing.
“This has been coming for quite some time,” a source told The Sun. “Lawyers tried repeatedly to reach an out-of-court settlement but hit a stalemate. Andy and Stewart decided there was no alternative than court so pressed the button. They say they are owed millions in lost royalties.”
In 2022, Sting sold the rights to his songwriting catalog to Universal Music Group, worth an estimated $250 million.
The music has been misinterpreted as a love song, but the lyrics actually describe the theme of a stalker watching his victim.
“I would sit at his desk at night and try and write songs,” Sting told People in May 2023 about staying at a house in Jamaica that was previously owned by Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond book series. “I think if the song has any power at all, it’s ambivalent. It could be sinister or it could be quite warm and sweet and nice, and people have both of those interpretations. And I would never contradict anyone who has a different interpretation of any of my songs because in many ways, that enriches the song.”
One June 20, Sting performed at the Isle of Wight Festival, including playing Every Breath You Take.
Read the full article here