On this day in 1983: The Police were enjoying their 6th consecutive week at #1 on the U.S. Singles Chart with ‘Every Breath You Take.’
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. Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the Billboard Top Tracks Chart 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.
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. The song ranked #84 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It also ranked number 25 on Billboard’s Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.
Here’s the complete Top 20 on the U.S. Singles Chart from this day back in 1983:
1 1 EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE –•– The Police (A&M)-11 (6 weeks at #1) (1)
2 2 SWEET DREAMS (Are Made Of This) –•– The Eurythmics (RCA)-14 (2)
3 3 SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY –•–Donna Summer (Mercury)-12 (3)
4 7 MANIAC –•– Michael Sembello (Casablanca)-11 (4)
5 4 IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW –•–Duran Duran (Capitol)-11 (4)
6 9 STAND BACK –•– Stevie Nicks (Modern)-11 (6)
7 5 FLASHDANCE…WHAT A FEELING –•– Irene Cara (Casablanca)-20 (1)
8 11 IT’S A MISTAKE –•– Men At Work (Columbia)-7 (8)
9 8 NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO –•– Sergio Mendes (with Joe Pizzulo & Leza Miller) (A&M)-18 (4)
10 13 (Keep Feeling) FASCINATION –•– The Human League (A&M)-12 (10)
11 6 ELECTRIC AVENUE –•– Eddy Grant (Portrait)-18 (2)
12 22 PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ –•– Taco (RCA)-8 (12)
13 14 HOT GIRLS IN LOVE –•– Loverboy (Columbia)-10 (13)
14 18 CHINA GIRL –•– David Bowie (EMI-America)-11 (14)
15 20 I’LL TUMBLE 4 YA –•– Culture Club (Virgin)-7 (15)
16 19 ROCK OF AGES –•– Def Leppard (Mercury)-10 (16)
17 10 WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHIN’ –•– Michael Jackson (Epic)-12 (5)
18 17 **1999** –•– Prince (Warner Brothers)-23 (12)
19 23 TAKE ME TO HEART –•– Quarterflash (Geffen)-9 (19)
20 21 SAVED BY ZERO –•– The Fixx (MCA)-12 (20)
