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1983 Pop Classic, Almost Thrown in the Trash, Now at the Center of a $2 Million Lawsuit
A song that was almost thrown in the trash during its making, now has more than three billion streams on Spotify alone.
The men who say they saved it from obscurity want their fair share.
Back in 1983, The Police were trying to put together a new song, but Sting and Stewart Copeland couldn't agree on what the bass and drums should be. Guitarist Andy Summers says the whole thing was about to get scrapped. "'Every Breath You Take' was going in the trash until I played on it," he said. Whatever he added, it clicked. The song became the band's legacy and one of the biggest hits of the decade.
"Every Breath You Take" remained at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, The Police's only time at the top in the US, and it was the best-selling single of 1983. Forty-something years later it's still playing everywhere, on the radio, at weddings, and in commercials. Even though the lyrics aren't really a love song at all. It's about watching someone's every move. People just never really noticed. On Spotify alone it now has more than three billion streams.
The Song That Saved Itself Is Now Worth Fighting OverThose three billion streams are exactly why there's a court case now.
Summers and Copeland say the whole thing goes back to a deal the three of them made by word of mouth when the band first got together in 1977. The way it worked: Sting, as the main songwriter, would take the biggest cut, and the other two would get an "arranger's fee" of around 15 percent for everything they brought to the finished versions of the songs. Summers, who'd already spent years playing professionally with Soft Machine and The Animals before The Police came along, says what he brought to "Every Breath You Take" wasn't insignificant.
Related: 1987 Pop Rivalry That Had Teens Picking Sides Was Completely Fabricated, One Star Says
The fight in court now comes down to one simple question. Does that 1977 word-of-mouth deal, last updated in writing in 1997 and again in 2016, cover streaming the same way it covered physical records? Sting's side says the original agreement only covers royalties "from the manufacture of records," and that streaming is more like a public performance than a sale. Summers and Copeland say that argument ignores how people actually listen to music now, given that physical formats make up only a tiny fraction of what the music business looks like today. Streaming wasn’t a thing in 1983 so it wasn’t included in the deal but that doesn’t diminish the contributions that Summers and Copeland made.
Summers and Copeland say they're owed approximately $2 million. Sting has already sent his former bandmates $870,000 since they filed last year, which came to light when the case hit the High Court. However, they say that doesn't account for interest that would have accrued while the money was unpaid.
The Police broke up in 1986, but the songs have only gotten more valuable since.
Forty-three years ago, "Every Breath You Take" almost didn't survive its own recording session. Now, it's racking up billions of streams and a court in London is working out what that's actually worth to the people who contributed to its creation.
Jelly Roll Files for Divorce From Bunnie XO
Jelly Roll has filed from divorced from his wife, Bunnie XO, TMZ reports.
According to court documents obtained by the outlet, the singer filed for divorce in May in Tennessee, with sources adding that it was a "mutual decision by the two and a private family matter."
The two met in 2015 and married in August 2016. They renewed their wedding vows in 2023. While they don't share any biological children, the two had been open about their IVF journey. Jelly Roll also has two children from previous relationships: Bailee Ann and Noah Buddy.
Bunnie XO and Jelly Roll have been very open about their relationship, specifically revealing that in 2018, she discovered he had been having a 10-month affair.
Jelly Roll called it "one of the worst moments" of his life during an October 2025 podcast appearance, adding that he put "a lot of work to repair” their marriage.
“One of the worst moments of my adulthood was when I had an affair on my wife,” he said on the Human School podcast. “Because it was the first time that I was like, ‘I really can’t get this right at all. I know I’m in love with this woman.’ It just really, really, really blew me back.”
Bunnie XO also opened up about it during her new tell-all memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, and Jelly Roll spoke with PEOPLE in February about his reaction to reading the book.
“It was rough at times just for me to read it," he admitted. "You know what I mean? We went through a lot of pain and having to go through it together, but reading the whole book and seeing where it ended at is really touching.”
“I'm just proud of her for telling her story so unapologetically,” he added. “I mean, she talks about everything fearlessly, from domestic assault to sexual assault. I'm just proud of her. She's so brave.”
NYT Mini Crossword Answers, Hints for Today, Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Today's NYT Mini Crossword puzzle is not an easy solve. Working on the daily Connections, Connections Sports Edition, Wordle, and Strands is a whole ritual for many of us. And we can't forget about the NYT's The Mini Crossword, too!
Although the NYT is known for "The Crossword," a larger puzzle for paid subscribers, The Mini has quite the fan following as well. This particular game resets at 10 p.m., unlike some of the others that start over at midnight.
So, if you're working on today's Mini Crossword on Tuesday, June 16, and need some help (I've been there), get ready to read the clues and solutions for each line. We have them separated into hints first for both "Across" and "Down" words, followed by "Across Answers" and "Down Answers," so be careful if you want to avoid spoilers as you scroll!
Hints for NYT’s The Mini Crossword on Tuesday, June 16, 2026Here are additional clues for each of the words in today's Mini Crossword.
NYT Mini Across Hints1 Across: Worker who sticks a thick mix on bricks — HINT: Starts with the letter "M"
6 Across: Volvos or VWs —HINT: Ends with the letter "S"
7 Across: "Wow, that's wild!" — HINT: Starts with the letter "C"
8 Across: Peaceful place — HINT: Starts with the letter "H"
9 Across: Key above ~ on a Mac — HINT: Ends with the letter "C"
Related: 16 Games Like Wordle To Give You Your Word Game Fix More Than Once Every 24 Hours
NYT Mini Down Hints1 Down: ___ 1 (speed of sound) — HINT: Ends with the letter "H"
2 Down: Emanating glow — HINT: Starts with the letter "A"
3 Down: Fend (off) — HINT: Starts with the letter "S"
4 Down: Seeps slowly — HINT: Ends with the letter "S"
5 Down: Boy band with the 2000 hit "It's Gonna Be Me" — HINT: Starts with the letter "N"
Don't go any further unless you want to know exactly what the correct words are in today's Mini Crossword.
NYT Mini Across Answers1 Across: Worker who sticks a thick mix on bricks — MASON
6 Across: Volvos or VWs —AUTOS
7 Across: "Wow, that's wild!" — CRAZY
8 Across: Peaceful place — HAVEN
9 Across: Key above ~ on a Mac — ESC
1 Down: ___ 1 (speed of sound) — MACH
2 Down: Emanating glow — AURA
3 Down: Fend (off) — STAVE
4 Down: Seeps slowly — OOZES
5 Down: Boy band with the 2000 hit "It's Gonna Be Me" — NSYNC
Related: NYT Mini Crossword Answers, Hints for Today, Monday, June 15, 2026
'80s Pop Star Debbie Gibson Finally Opens Up About Comparisons to Tiffany -- and She Didn't Hold Back
The biggest pop rivalry of 1987 was decided by a magazine editor, and had nothing to do with the artists involved.
That’s what Debbie Gibson has been saying for years. And in a recent episode of the Unfamous podcast, she said it again, this time with a little less patience.
"It's a drag for both of us," Gibson said.
Nearly four decades later, she is still being asked about a feud that never even happened between two teenagers who were much too busy to even know each other.
@unfamousthepodcastGag: You love it. Drag: Not so much. #unfamous #behindthemusic #debbiegibson #musicinterview @TranterJustin @Debbie Gibson @Morgan
♬ I Think We're Alone Now - TiffanyHere is what was actually going on in 1987. Tiffany was covering "I Think We're Alone Now" in shopping malls across America. Gibson was writing and producing her own material, about to become the youngest female songwriter to top the charts with "Foolish Beat." Both were just teenagers, 16 and 17 years old. Both were on every magazine cover that teenagers were buying.
Related: ‘80s Pop Queen, 55, Stuns in Sparkling Catsuit for Donna Summer ‘Last Dance’ Tribute
So the media decided they must hate each other and be arch rivals.
"We are so different," Gibsons explained. She compared it to lumping Whitney Houston and Belinda Carlisle together just because they happened to be the same age.
The reality was way less scandalous. Two teen girls on opposite coasts were each working so hard that they rarely crossed paths. It was the 1980s so there was no texting or social media, just the occasional quick exchange at a radio event or an awards show.
Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd. on Getty Images
When they did see each other, the conversation was brief and warm. "How are you doing? How are you holding up?" Gibson recalled in a 2018 HuffPost interview. "Who had time to not get along? We were both doing our own things."
The rivalry existed entirely in the pages of Bop and Tiger Beat. The artists themselves never got the memo.
The Friendship That Proved the Fiction WrongThe two finally spent actual time together in 2011, while filming Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. That's when the supposed enemies became real friends.
"We would go on each other's buses and just talk, have a cup of tea like girlfriends," Tiffany said in 2019.
Photo by Steve Snowden on Getty Images
They toured together after that and have remained close ever since. Gibson has described the experience of finally getting to know Tiffany as finding a kindred spirit not a rival.
"I always felt it was a bit like looking in the mirror," she said, "because she and I were both the only two American female teenagers doing what we were doing at the level we were doing it."
Photo by Michael Tullberg on Getty Images
That shared experience, two young women navigating enormous fame with no real blueprint, was something nobody else around them could fully understand but one another. The magazines that pitted them against each other missed the more interesting story entirely.
In 2026, Gibson is still setting the record straight but its getting old. The questions keep coming, the answer stays the same, and her patience for the whole thing continues to wear thin.
Photo by Taylor Hill on Getty Images
"You can love us both now," she said. "There's no Bop magazine telling you you need to pick."
Turns out, there never should've been in the first place.
Legendary American Rock Band Makes History at the UK's Biggest Rock and Metal Festival
Linkin Park has secured another major milestone in their music career following their performance at the 2026 Download Festival.
Running from June 12 to 14 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England, the U.K.'s biggest rock and metal festival featured the chart-topping band as one of the three headliners of the event, along with Limp Bizkit and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Guns N' Roses.
The "In the End" hitmaker hit the stage on the final day of Download Festival, where they sang their timeless hits in front of an almost sold-out crowd of over 95,000 people.
Having graced the Download Festival stage four times before, Linkin Park, which is composed of Emily Armstrong, Mike Shinoda, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, Joe Hahn and Brad Delson, returned this year not as newcomers but as legends.
On their fifth appearance, the band made history, with Armstrong becoming the first female lead vocalist to ever headline the long-running heavy music festival.
Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong of Linkin Park perform onstage during Download Festival 2026 at Donington Park on June 14, 2026 in Castle Donington, England.To celebrate the moment, original member and longtime guitarist and co-vocalist Mike Shinoda invited female fans to create an all-woman moshpit during their set for "Two Faced."
As the festival's closing headliner, the band delivered an electrifying 23-song set, broken into four acts.
Hoje a passagem do Linkin Park pelo Download Festival fez história. Foi a primeira vez que o festival contou com uma mulher como headline.
Durante a apresentação de Two Faced Mike solicitou uma moshpit apenas com mulheres para comemorar o marco e homenagear a Emily.…
Their 23-song set included "The Emptiness Machine" as their opening song, as well as "Crawling," "Somewhere I Belong" and fan-favorite hits like "Papercut," "In the End" and "Faint," which served as the night's powerful finale.
Armstrong, the former vocalist of the alt-rock band Dead Sara, joined Linkin Park in 2024 after the band made a comeback with a reformed lineup.
"I've been in a band for 20 years and I could only dream of this kind of success. That sounded lame," the frontwoman joked in an interview with The Guardian as she talked about being the new addition to the iconic rock band.
Regarding the pressure of stepping into such an iconic role, Armstrong said, "Why do I think I can do this?" she wondered, telling Shinoda that she didn't want to "ruin" Linkin Park. "I'm like, you guys are a legacy band - you guys are so important."
The move came after their long hiatus following the death of iconic frontman Chester Bennington on July 20, 2017.
In addition, Linkin Park also welcomed new drummer Colin Brittain, who stepped in after original member Rob Bourdon left the group during the hiatus.
During their comeback, the award-winning band released their eighth studio album, From Zero, with its lead single "The Emptiness Machine," marking a fresh start with a new lineup.