The Police's "Every Breath You Take" — one of the greatest pop songs to take romantic obsession to its creepiest heights — has its calling card in Andy Summer's nervy, pointillist guitar line, but that wasn't always the case.
Sting wrote "Every Breath You Take" at Ian Fleming's (yes, the James Bond guy) Goldeneye resort in Jamaica, and he recorded a demo of the song in October 1982 at London's Utopia Studios. Sting's original demo used a keyboard and drum machine, with Summers's guitar line only coming into play once Sting brought the song to his bandmates.
Despite the iconic, instant-recognition power of that arpeggiated line, Summers never nabbed a songwriting credit for the song. Now, you can hear what it sounds like without his contribution.
Sting's solo keyboard demo (which kinda just sounds like an early Alex Cameron song) is part of the box-set version of Synchronicity, the Police's blockbuster final album. Check it out below, plus the song's final form.