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More than words: The Police 'un-bottle' the message
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The Police (c: Melody Plant)
Have you ever loved a song to the point of ridiculousness but no matter how hard you try, you just can’t understand the lyrics? What was the artist thinking when writing your favorite tune? More Than Words, a weekly column, will help to delve a little deeper…
Message In a Bottle, The Police (Reggatta De Blanc – 1979)
Written in 1979 by Sting, “Message In A Bottle” was released on The Police’s second album, Reggatta De Blanc, a French phrase that literally translates to ‘White Reggae’. The album’s title song is mainly instrumental and exemplifies The Police’s interest in reggae music and culture.
“Nominally, The Police were punk rock, but that's only in the loosest sense of the term. The trio's nervous, reggae-injected pop/rock was punky, but it wasn't necessarily punk. All three members were considerably more technically proficient than the average punk or new wave band,” MTV.com.
In a 1981 studio interview with BBC hosted by Jools Holland, Sting refers to “Message In A Bottle” as his favorite song “both lyrically and musically”. He stated that the song is “better than (1978 released single) Roxanne” and he shared his anxiety over the pressure to continue to write and develop better material. “Topping my last best song (Roxanne) was a nightmare.”
Sting wrote Message In A Bottle on a tour bus and the song’s music was developed because of his preference for the chords D-minor 9 and A-9. He played the music alongside a drum-box that he called Dennis before sampling it to band members Andy Summers and Stuart Copeland.
The song started out as a title. “I write from titles,” Sting said during his BBC interview. “I thought, hmmm, that’s interesting”. The title reminded him of a castaway on a desert island. “Some guy running round in ragged trousers with a beard”.
The song references the castaway’s loneliness at being stranded. The message he writes and sends out to sea in a bottle is his only hope of communicating with the world. It has been said that the castaway can be seen as a metaphor for the loneliness felt after a relationship breakdown. “Only hope can keep me together, Love can mend your life, But love can break your heart”.
The song then concludes with the castaway realizing that he is not the only one seeking love, nor the only one hurt by heartbreak and loneliness. “Walked out this morning, Don't believe what I saw, A hundred billion bottles, Washed up on the shore. Seems I'm not alone at being alone, A hundred billion castaways, Looking for a home”
The single was The Police's first number one hit in the United Kingdom, but only reached #74 in the US (www.thepolicefile.com).
*More Than Words is a weekly column. If you liked this column, you may also enjoy – I am The Walrus, Riders on the Storm, White Room, Wear Your Love Like Heaven, Could Have Lied, Go Your Own Way, Sweetest Thing, Smells Like Teen Spirit,
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