On this day in 1983: The Police were enjoying their second week at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Every Breath You Take.”

The song is from from their album Synchronicity (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest U.S. and U.K. hit of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks (the band’s only #1 hit on that chart), and the U.K. singlse chart for four weeks. It also topped the Billboard Hot Tracks chart for nine weeks.

At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song Of The Year, Best Pop Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocals and Record Of The Year, winning in the first two categories. For the song, Sting received the 1983 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

In the 1983 Rolling Stone critics’ and readers’ poll, it was voted “Song of the Year”. In the U.S., it was the best selling single  of 1983 and fifth-best-selling single of the decade. Billboard ranked it as the #1 song for 1983.

Let’s take a look at the entire Top 10 on the U.S. singles chart for this day back in 1983:

1 1 EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE –•– The Police (A&M)-7 (2 weeks at #1) (1)
2 2 ELECTRIC AVENUE –•– Eddy Grant (Portrait)-14 (2)
3 3 FLASHDANCE…WHAT A FEELING –•– Irene Cara (Casablanca)-16 (1)
4 4 NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO –•– Sergio Mendes (with Joe Pizzulo & Leza Miller) (A&M)-14 (4)
5 6 WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHIN’ –•– Michael Jackson (Epic)-8 (5)
6 8 COME DANCING –•– The Kinks (Arista)-11 (6)
7 5 TOO SHY –•– Kajagoogoo (EMI-America)-13 (5)
8 10 OUR HOUSE –•– Madness (Geffen)-11 (8)
9 13 IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW –•– Duran Duran (Capitol)-7 (9)
10 7 TIME (Clock Of the Heart) –•– Culture Club (Virgin)-14 (2)