Sting Says Diddy Allegations And Arrest Don’t “Taint” 1983 Hit, “Every Breath You Take”
Sting isn’t concerned about the legacy of his 1983 hit, “Every Breath You Take,” that was famously sampled by Diddy for 1997’s “I’ll Be Missing You.”
The former Police frontman spoke with the Los Angeles Times and broke his silence on the disgraced music mogul as he faces trial for sexual assault, racketeering, and more.
When asked if he felt Diddy’s allegations “taint” his thoughts on the record, Sting’s answer was a simple “no.”
He explained, “I mean, I don’t know what went on [with Diddy]. But it doesn’t taint the song at all for me. It’s still my song.”
Sting agreed that fans still “absolutely” love the classic song.
“Every Breath You Take” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks in 1983 and is the sole No. 1 single from The Police’s discography. In 1997, Diddy sampled the tune for “I’ll Be Missing You” with Faith Evans and 112 in honor of the late Notorious B.I.G. The tribute spent 11 weeks at No. 1.
Back in April 2023, Diddy claimed that he paid $5,000 a day to Sting because of the sample. Later, he backpedaled and admittedly was “being facetious.”
“I want y’all to understand I was joking!” tweeted the Bad Boy Records founder. “It’s called being Facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for Missing You. He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history.”
The rapper-producer was arrested back in September on charges including sexual abuse, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, and bribery. Despite his attempts to request bail, it’s been denied numerous times until his trial begins on May 5, 2025.
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