Sting says the allegations against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs do not “taint” ‘Every Breath You Take’.
The Police’s 1983 chart-topper was sampled by the rapper – who was arrested in September over charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution – for his 1997 hit ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ but the legendary musician insists that the legal action taken against Diddy does not change the way he sees the song.
Sting told the Los Angeles Times newspaper: “No. 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.”
The singer added that fans still “absolutely” adore the tune being performed.
‘I’ll Be Missing You’ was a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. and Diddy only asked for Sting’s permission to use the sample once the song had been released – although The Police frontman insisted that the track had made him a lot of money.
The 73-year-old musician said back in 2003: “Those guys just take your s***, put it on a record and deal with the legality later.
“Elton John told me, ‘You gotta hear (‘I’ll Be Missing You’), you’re gonna be a millionaire!’ I said, ‘I am a millionaire!’ He said, ‘You’re gonna be a millionaire twice over!’
“I put a couple of my kids through college with the proceeds.”
Meanwhile, the artist has been on the road with guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas on his Sting 3.0 tour and explained that the shows always start and finish with Police favourites.
Sting said: “We always front-load it with hits and end with hits. But the middle is kind of fluid. Keeps it fresh.”