The Police ~ “Message in a Bottle”
🎧 [Listen on Spotify]
🎥 [Watch the video]
Yesterday was Stewart Copeland’s birthday ~ so today’s Throwback Thursday goes to The Police and their genre-defying hit “Message in a Bottle”.
Released in 1979, “Message in a Bottle” was the lead single off their second album Reggatta de Blanc and became The Police’s first #1 hit in the UK. It remains one of the most iconic post-punk and reggae-influenced rock tracks of its era.
All three members of The Police delivered serious musicianship:
- Sting ~ poignant lyrics and haunting vocals that captured emotional depth and melodic complexity.
- Andy Summers ~ layered guitar textures that took Sting‘s riff and made it atmospheric and instantly recognizable.
- Stewart Copeland ~ the heartbeat of the band. His innovative drumming style combined speed, accuracy, and feel. His hi-hat patterns were rapid and dynamic. His snare hits? Tight, crisp, and unmistakable. Copeland’s percussive control brought urgency and tension to every track, pushing “Message in a Bottle” forward with restless energy.
*I could watch both Drumeo and Stewart Copeland videos all day…
The song is about loneliness and the universal hope that someone, somewhere, is listening.
A message tossed out into the world ~ and the joy of knowing you’re not alone when someone writes back.
44+ years later, that message still resonates.
Happy birthday, Stewart Copeland 🥁
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeah
Oh, message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeahWalked out this morning, I don’t believe what I saw
A hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore
Seems I’m not alone in being alone
Hundred billion castaways looking for a homeI’ll send an SOS to the world
I’ll send an SOS to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets myMessage in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, whoa
Message in a bottle, yeahSending out an SOS
Sending out an SOS
