I was wondering, is there any connection between the Police's "Every Breath You Take" and the Led Zeppelin song "D'yer Mak'er," from the 1973 album "Houses of the Holy?" "D'yer Mak'er" has the lines "Every breath I take/Every move I make" in the middle of it. It seems to me to be more than just a coincidence. Does anyone know if Sting was in any way inspired by "D'yer Mak'er" when he wrote "Every Breath You Take?" Was he making a reference to that song? Or is it all just a coincidence?

: I was wondering, is there any connection
: between the Police's "Every Breath You
: Take" and the Led Zeppelin song
: "D'yer Mak'er," from the 1973
: album "Houses of the Holy?"
: "D'yer Mak'er" has the lines
: "Every breath I take/Every move I
: make" in the middle of it. It seems to
: me to be more than just a coincidence. Does
: anyone know if Sting was in any way inspired
: by "D'yer Mak'er" when he wrote
: "Every Breath You Take?" Was he
: making a reference to that song? Or is it
: all just a coincidence?

I would be guessing, but I'd say it was most likely just a coincidence. Led Zeppelin was experimenting with a reggae influence in "D'yer Mak'er", hence the title ("Jamaica"), and The Police were also heavily inspired by reggae, but this too is more likely coincidence. The Police also grew out of a school of music that developed as a direct reaction to bands like Zeppelin. If there was an influence, it was probably to NOT be like them. "Every Breath You Take" is about being stalked I believe, so the connection is probably coincidental. But I'm guessing.

Is "Every Breath You Take" really about stalking? I remember reading that in an online piece by a music critic, but I thought he was just kidding. Kind of kills the song's romantic mood. Anyway, about what Goreripper was saying, I know that the punk/new wave bands of the late 70s really disliked the rock and roll establishment that came before them. I remember seeing an interview with Sting from the Police's early days where he talked about how much he hated the old, established conventions of rock and roll, and how he wanted to be different. That's what I thought the connection was, that Sting was taking a slight poke at Led Zeppelin and the old classic rock bands with "Every Breath You Take." You know, making fun of them by twisting the words of one of their songs.

Anyway, since you say that "Every Breath You Take" is about stalking, here's a slightly humourous explanation for how it's connected to "D'yer Mak'er." Since "D'yer Mak'er" is about the heartache that a guy goes through after a woman writes him a Dear John letter and leaves him, "Every Breath You Take" could be a continuation of that story, where the guy tracks the woman down and stalks her. Sort of like "Sleeping with the Enemy," if you've ever seen that movie.