Few songs define the 1980s like “Every Breath You Take.” The Police’s 1983 hit dominated the charts, spending eight weeks at Number One in the United States and later being declared the most-played song in radio history by BMI in 2019. In 1997, the song’s legacy deepened when Sean “Diddy” Combs and Faith Evans reworked it into the tribute “I’ll Be Missing You,” a track that also topped the charts for 11 weeks. More than four decades on, the song remains a cultural touchstone and now, the subject of a high-stakes legal battle within the band that created it.

This week, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland filed a lawsuit in London’s High Court, claiming they deserve official songwriting credit for “Every Breath You Take.” Their former bandmate Sting has always been listed as the sole writer, but Summers and Copeland argue that their contributions, particularly Summers’ iconic guitar riff, were essential to shaping the track. It is a dramatic escalation of tensions that have simmered since the band’s heyday, when creative disputes often spilled into physical altercations.

The Police were known as much for their volatile chemistry as for their hit records. Sessions for their final album, Synchronicity, were famously fraught, with Sting and Copeland clashing repeatedly. Producer Hugh Padgham has described fistfights in the studio, often over seemingly minor musical details. Sting himself admitted he spent part of the Synchronicity tour nursing a broken rib after a backstage altercation. Against this backdrop, the fact that “Every Breath You Take” was completed at all seems remarkable.

According to Sting, the song came to him in a flash of inspiration while in Jamaica. He composed the lyrics, melody, and chords in one sitting, and an early demo closely resembles the finished track. Yet Summers maintains that the song was on the verge of being scrapped until he introduced his now-famous arpeggiated guitar line. “That riff saved the song,” he told interviewers in recent years, adding that without it, the track would never have become the global phenomenon it is today.

At the heart of the lawsuit is a long-running debate in the music industry: what counts as songwriting? Traditionally, the writer’s credit goes to those who craft the lyrics and melody. Instrumental parts, no matter how distinctive, are usually considered arrangements. Sting has always maintained that while his bandmates made valuable contributions, the essence of “Every Breath You Take” was his. Summers, however, insists that his guitar line is inseparable from the song’s identity and should entitle him to royalties.

The timing of the lawsuit is notable. In 2022, Sting sold his publishing catalog to Universal Music Group for a reported $250 million. With traditional record sales no longer a major revenue stream, publishing rights have become more valuable than ever. For veteran musicians, these disputes are not just about recognition but also about securing financial legacies for their families.

The Police disbanded shortly after the release of Synchronicity, their relationships fractured beyond repair. Since then, they have reunited only a handful of times, most notably for a global tour in 2007. Despite their animosity, their influence on rock and pop remains profound. Sting went on to a celebrated solo career, while Summers and Copeland pursued their own creative paths in music and film.

The irony is hard to miss: one of the world’s most popular wedding ballads is, at its core, a song about obsession and control and it continues to breed discord among its creators. Sting himself once called it “quite wicked,” later penning his solo hit “If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free” as a kind of antidote. Now, with this lawsuit, the tensions behind the song are once again exposed to public view.