Studio Album · No. 5

Synchronicity Songwriting Credits by The Police

1983 A&M Records 11 tracks 40 min

Produced by The Police, Hugh Padgham  ·  Engineered by Hugh Padgham

A&M Records New WavePost-PunkPop RockArt Rock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 11 of 11 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 11 / 11 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether The Police carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
11 trackswritten by The Police 0 tracksoutside writers
The Police's roles on this album

Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

11
Tracks
3
Lyricists
2
Producers
1
No.1 Single
15 million
Worldwide Copies Sold
1983
Released

Awards & Recognition 5

Song of the Year (1984)
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (1984)
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (1984)
Album of the Year (1984, Nominated)
Record of the Year (1984, Nominated)
Data Insight

Sting wrote the large majority of Synchronicity, including 'Every Breath You Take,' 'King of Pain,' 'Wrapped Around Your Finger,' and 'Synchronicity II.' Andy Summers wrote 'Mother' and Stewart Copeland wrote 'Miss Gradenko,' the only two tracks not credited to Sting. The album was co-produced by The Police and Hugh Padgham, who also engineered, and it became the band's commercial peak and final studio album. 'Every Breath You Take' won Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and the album won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

The Police made their last album in six weeks at AIR Studios in Montserrat with Hugh Padgham, playing live from separate rooms again, Stewart Copeland's drum booth linked to the control room by video. Sting dropped the saxophone overdubs of the previous record, pulled the reggae back, and took the title and much of the writing from Arthur Koestler's book The Roots of Coincidence. It reached number one in both Britain and the US, where it spent seventeen nonconsecutive weeks on top of the Billboard 200 and broke up the run of Michael Jackson's Thriller. In Canada it held number one for twenty four straight weeks, a record it still holds. It drew five Grammy nominations in 1984 and won three, and in 2023 the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry.

Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Synchronicity I
Sting Sting The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
2
Walking in Your Footsteps
Sting Sting The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
3
O My God
Sting Sting The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
4
Mother
Andy Summers Andy Summers The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
5
Miss Gradenko
Stewart Copeland Stewart Copeland The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
6
Synchronicity II #16
Sting Sting The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
7
Every Breath You Take #1
Sting Sting The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
8
King of Pain #3
Sting Sting The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
9
Wrapped Around Your Finger #7
Sting Sting The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
10
Tea in the Sahara
Sting Sting The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)
11
Murder by Numbers
Sting Andy Summers The PoliceHugh Padgham Sting (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 5 contributors

S
Sting
Writer · Vocals
On this album9 written
AS
Andy Summers
Writer
On this album2 written
SC
Stewart Copeland
Writer
On this album1 written
HP
Hugh Padgham
Producer
On this album11 produced
TP
The Police
Producer
On this album11 produced

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Frequently Asked Questions Synchronicity

Did Sting write all of Synchronicity?
Sting wrote the large majority of the album, including 'Every Breath You Take,' 'King of Pain,' and 'Wrapped Around Your Finger.' Andy Summers wrote 'Mother' and Stewart Copeland wrote 'Miss Gradenko,' the only two tracks not by Sting. This concentration of Sting's writing reflected the tensions that led to the band breaking up after the album.
Who wrote Every Breath You Take?
Sting wrote 'Every Breath You Take.' It won the Grammy for Song of the Year at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in 1984, an award given to the songwriter. The song topped the charts in both the US and UK and became the band's biggest hit.
How many Grammys did Synchronicity win?
The album and its songs won three Grammys at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in 1984. 'Every Breath You Take' won Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and the album won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Synchronicity was also nominated for Album of the Year, losing to Michael Jackson's Thriller.
How did Every Breath You Take chart?
'Every Breath You Take' reached number 1 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. It spent eight weeks atop the Hot 100 in 1983. It remains one of the most-played songs in radio history.
Did Wrapped Around Your Finger reach number one in the UK?
No, 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States it reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sting wrote the song, which draws on imagery from myth and the Faust legend.
How many copies has Synchronicity sold?
Synchronicity has sold around 15 million copies worldwide. In the United States it is certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA. It was The Police's best-selling album and their last studio record.
Who produced Synchronicity?
The album was co-produced by The Police and Hugh Padgham, who also engineered it. It was the second consecutive Police album Padgham worked on after Ghost in the Machine. The band members reportedly recorded many parts in separate rooms because of internal tensions.

Sources

Wikipedia: Synchronicity (The Police album) Wikipedia: Every Breath You Take Wikipedia: King of Pain Wikipedia: Wrapped Around Your Finger Wikipedia: 26th Annual Grammy Awards MusicBrainz release group Cover Art Archive front cover Cover Art Archive: Synchronicity by The Police