What is Message In A Bottle (song)?

Information about Message In A Bottle (song)

This article is about the song. For other meanings, see the disambiguation page at Message in a bottle (disambiguation)


"Message in a Bottle"
Enlarge picture
"Message in a Bottle" cover
Single by The Police
from the album Reggatta de Blanc
Released1979
Format7" single
Recorded1979
GenreNew Wave
Length4:51
LabelA&M - AMS 7474
Writer(s)Sting
Producer(s)Stewart Copeland
Sting
Andy Summers
Peak chart positions
The Police singles chronology


"Can't Stand Losing You"
(1979)		"Message in a Bottle"
(1979)		"Walking on the Moon"
(1979)
Audio sample
(Wikipedia:Media help:Image:Message in a Bottle by The Police.ogg)


"Message in a Bottle" is a 1979 song by The Police, from their second album, Reggatta de Blanc.

The song is ostensibly about a castaway on an island, who sends out a message in a bottle to seek help. A year later, he feels that there is no need for love. Later on, he sees "a hundred billion bottles" on the shore, finding out that there are more people like him out there.

"Message in a Bottle" may also be understood to be deal with isolation and loneliness caused by the loss of a loved one ("love can break your heart"): he seeks help but gets no reply, then realises that there are many more people out there like him, suggesting that everyone has to deal with loss and loneliness as part of the human experience. The island and the bottle are metaphors. By reaching out, the protagonist discovers he is not alone, and that other people share his feelings of alienation.

The single was The Police's first number one hit in the United Kingdom, but only reached #74 in the United States. An alternate "Classic Rock" mix is available on .

Cover versions

  • The album The Joke's on You (1989) by Excel contains a cover of the song
  • The album Mush (1992) by Leatherface contains a cover of the song
  • The album The Burning Red (1999) by Machine Head contains a cover of the song
  • The album "Any Given Thursday" (2003) by John Mayer contains an acoustic live cover of the song
  • The album No Place to Be (2006) by Matisyahu contains a cover of the song with a revised bridge
  • The song "S.O.S. (Message in a Bottle)" (2006) by Filterfunk
  • Neo-blues guitarist John Mayer has been known to cover this song on his latest tour
  • Taking Back Sunday have also performed the song live
Sting performed "Message in a Bottle" with No Doubt during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVII. No Doubt and Incubus regularly play the song live on tour.

Jack's Mannequin performed this song during their West Coast Winter Tour in 2007.

The song is featured as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero II.

30 Seconds to Mars has made a cover of the song on AOL Sessions Under Cover, where musicians cover classic songs. It can be seen on AOL Music.

An acoustic version of Message in a Bottle is performed by Sting in the documentary film "Bring on the Night", which documents the forming of Sting's first band after going solo.

Charlotte Church and Nerina Pallot performed the song live on The Charlotte Church Show.

The Police reformed at Live Earth, a 2007 charity concert to raise awareness of global warming and other environmental hazards and performed "Message in a Bottle" as the US finale, with John Mayer playing guitar with Andy Summers (who described the track as a personal favourite in his book One Train Later) and rap/R&B artist Kanye West performing a rap over the chorus of the song.

Track listing

7": A&M / AMS 7474

  1. "Message in a Bottle" (Edit) - 3:50
  2. "Landlord" - 3:09

Personnel

References

Preceded by
"Cars" by Gary Numan		UK number one single
September 29 1979		Succeeded by
"Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles
The Police
Sting | Andy Summers | Stewart Copeland
Henry Padovani
Discography
Studio albums: Outlandos d'Amour | Reggatta de Blanc | Zenyatt Mondatta | Ghost in the Machine | Synchronicity
Compilations: | Greatest Hits | | | The Very Best of Sting & The Police | The Police
Live albums: Live!
Tours
The Police Around the World Tour | Zenyatt Mondatta Tour | Ghost in the Machine Tour | Synchronicity Tour | A Conspiracy of Hope Tour | The Police Reunion Tour
This box:  •  • [ edit]
A message in a bottle is a form of communication whereby a message is sealed in a container and released into the sea or ocean.

Message in a bottle may also refer to:

In literature:
  • Message in a Bottle

..... Read more.
In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.
  • Vinyl singles consist of one or more tracks on a traditional gramophone record.

..... Read more.
The Police are a three-piece rock band consisting of bassist/lead vocalist Sting (Gordon Sumner), guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland. The band became globally popular in the early 1980s, playing a style of rock that was influenced by jazz, reggae, and punk music.
..... Read more.
Reggatta de Blanc
(1979) Zenyatta Mondatta
(1980)

Singles from Reggatta de Blanc
# "Message in a Bottle"
Released: 1979# "Walking on the Moon"
Released: 1979
..... Read more.
In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.
  • Vinyl singles consist of one or more tracks on a traditional gramophone record.

..... Read more.
A music genre is a term that describes the process of dividing popular music into categories. Some treat the terms genre and style as the same, and state that genre should be defined as pieces of music that share a certain style or "basic musical language.
..... Read more.
New Wave was a rock music and pop genre and movement that existed during the late 1970s and the early-to-mid 1980s. In those days, many music groups were inspired by punk rock and used elements of other genres, such as electronic music, reggae, and ska.
..... Read more.
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. In everyday usage, a record label is also a company that manages such brands and trademarks; coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution,
..... Read more.
A&M Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.

Company history

Beginnings

A&M Records was formed in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss.
..... Read more.
A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. That is to say, a songwriter is a lyricist, a composer, or both.
..... Read more.
STING (Sequence To and withIN Graphics) is a free Web-based suite of programs for a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between protein sequence, structure, function, and stability.
..... Read more.
In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering
..... Read more.
Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police and is an influential drum stylist. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks.
..... Read more.
STING (Sequence To and withIN Graphics) is a free Web-based suite of programs for a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between protein sequence, structure, function, and stability.
..... Read more.
Andy Summers (born Andrew James Somers 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist and composer best known for his work in The Police. Summers' primary guitars are the Fender Telecaster when playing rock, and Gibson electric guitars when playing jazz fusion and jazz.
..... Read more.
__NOEDITSECTION__ A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of record charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40.
..... Read more.
Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
..... Read more.
Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
..... Read more.
Motto
"Je maintiendrai"   (French)
"Ik zal handhaven"   (Dutch)
"I shall stand fast"1
Anthem
..... Read more.
Anthem
Advance Australia Fair [1]


Capital Canberra

Largest city Sydney
..... Read more.
The Police are a three-piece rock band consisting of bassist/lead vocalist Sting (Gordon Sumner), guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland. The band became globally popular in the early 1980s, playing a style of rock that was influenced by jazz, reggae, and punk music.
..... Read more.
Released September 1978
June 1979 (re-release)
Format vinyl record (7")
Recorded 1978
Genre New Wave
Length 3:00
Label A&M - AMS 7381
Writer(s) Sting
Producer(s) Stewart Copeland,
Sting,
Andy Summers
..... Read more.
Released 1979
Format vinyl record (7")
Recorded 1979
Genre New Wave
Length 5:03
Label A&M - AMS 7494
Writer(s) Sting
Producer(s) Stewart Copeland,
Sting,
Andy Summers
Peak chart positions

..... Read more.
The Police are a three-piece rock band consisting of bassist/lead vocalist Sting (Gordon Sumner), guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland. The band became globally popular in the early 1980s, playing a style of rock that was influenced by jazz, reggae, and punk music.
..... Read more.
Reggatta de Blanc
(1979) Zenyatta Mondatta
(1980)

Singles from Reggatta de Blanc
# "Message in a Bottle"
Released: 1979# "Walking on the Moon"
Released: 1979
..... Read more.
castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a deserted island either to evade their captors or the world in general.
..... Read more.
A message in a bottle is a form of communication whereby a message is sealed in a container (archetypically a glass bottle, but could be any medium) and released into the sea or ocean.
..... Read more.
Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
..... Read more.
Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
..... Read more.
The Joke's on You
(1989) Seeking Refuge
(1995)

The Joke's on You is the second album by Excel, released in 1989. It should not be confused with the band's song with the same name, which appeared on their debut album Split Image.
..... Read more.