
This is the opposite of synchronicity. Sting is being sued by his former Police bandmates, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, over what they allege are lost royalties for the song “Every Breath You Take.” People reports the duo issued Sting, real name Gordon Sumner, a High Court writ that purports they are owed “substantial” damages for their work on the 1983 hit and claims they never received co-writing credits for their contributions. The lawsuit was filed under the “general commercial contracts and arrangements” document umbrella, and it’s believed Sting earns £550,000 a year in royalties from “Every Breath You Take.” While Sting wrote the song’s famously creepy lyrics, Summers has been emphatic over the decades that his guitarwork, as well as the studio collaboration among the trio, was essential for its massive success. “Why did it go to No. 1? Because I wrote the guitar line for ‘Every Breath You Take,’ which transformed it,” he told us last year. “They were fighting about where the kick drum and the bass should go. I was just waiting.” Summers added, “When I finished the guitar line all in one go, they all stood up and cheered.” None of the Policemen have yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit.
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His Police bandmates are suing him over alleged missing “Every Breath You Take” royalties.