If you were listening to the radio in the summer of 1983, there were two albums you couldn't avoid: one was Michael Jackson's Thriller, and the other was the Police's swan song, Synchronicity. The latter album was packed with singles, including "King Of Pain," "Wrapped Around Your Finger," "Synchronicity II" and � oh yeah � the most ubiquitous song of the the year, "Every Breath You Take." Indeed, Synchronicity and Thriller slugged it out at the top of the charts throughout the summer, with each spending time at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and not leaving much room for other albums.

Synchronicity was the Police's fifth album, and once it took off, it seemed like nothing could stop them. Except, as it turned out, themselves. Sting's dominance of the band rubbed the other members � guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland � the wrong way, especially Copeland. And so the seeds of the Police's demise were sown during the making of the record.

As producer Hugh Padgham told Sound On Sound, "By the time of Synchronicity, they were sick of each other � Sting and Stewart hated each other, and although Andy didn't show as much venom, he could be quite grumpy � and there were both verbal and physical fights in the studio."

In fact, Copeland recorded his drums in the studio dining room, watching his bandmates via a video monitor. Sting recorded in the studio's control room, with only Copeland actually recording in the actual recording studio.

Part of the problem was that, while Sting was writing most of the material, Copeland was a highly acclaimed drummer who felt he wasn't getting to put his stamp on the music. In particular, the drums on "Every Breath You Take" seemed to be a bone of contention. Each drum or percussion element on the track was recorded separately, as opposed to Copeland sitting at his drum kit and simply playing normally. (Throughout the song's music video, Copeland looks both angry and frustrated as he plays.)