3 Songs From the 1980s That May or May Not Be About a Stalker

When we said to find something other than love and heartbreak to sing about, this isn’t what we meant. Here are three catchy songs from the 1980s that may or may not be about stalking.

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“Every Breath You Take” by The Police

Yeah, this one seems pretty obvious. Written by The Police frontman Sting during a retreat in the Caribbean, “Every Breath You Take” is by far the group’s most enduring hit. However, if you pay attention to the lyrics, they too leave a lasting impression, but for different reasons.

Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I’ll be watching you.

According to Sting, the song actually wasn’t written from a stalker’s perspective, but he can understand why people think that. “The tune itself is generic, an aggregate of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting,” he told The Independent in 1993. “It sounds like a comforting love song, but I didn’t realize how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control.”

“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

Looking back at the lyrical content from old songs can be so funny sometimes. “Billie Jean” is easily one of the most danceable songs ever, but it you’re like me, you were probably too busy dancing along to catch what the lyrics were actually saying.

In the chorus, Michael sings, “Billie Jean is not my lover / She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one / But the kid is not my son / She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son.”

So, what does that mean? Apparently, “Billie Jean” was actually meant to be a direct callout to crazy fans. No one in particular, but just the kinds of people that would make up lies about famous people to get attention, as the song suggests. Jackson shared in his autobiography Moonwalk, “There never was a real Billie Jean. The girl in the song is a composite of people my brothers have been plagued with over the years. I could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone’s child when it wasn’t true.”

“One Way Or Another” by Blondie

Released in 1979, Blondie’s “One Way Or Another” is the ultimate stalker song, and it actually speaks from real-life experience. Although the song’s catchy chorus gives the illusion that the song is about pursuing someone you’re interested in, some of the verses suggest otherwise.

I will drive past your house
And if the lights are all down
I’ll see who’s around.

Singer Debbie Harry even told Entertainment Weekly, “I was actually stalked by a nutjob, so it came out of a not-so-friendly personal event. I tried to inject a little levity into it to make it more lighthearted. It was a survival mechanism.”

Photo by: George De Sota