“Message in a Bottle” serves as the driving lead single from The Police’s 1979 sophomore album, ‘Reggatta de Blanc’, earning the band their first of five UK number-one hits. While the song is famous for Sting’s story of a stranded castaway and Andy Summers’ iconic guitar riff, it is Stewart Copeland’s complex, reggae-influenced drumming that provides the track’s unique kinetic energy. Isolated drum tracks reveal Copeland’s masterclass in orchestration, featuring overdubbed ride cymbal bells on the backbeat and a signature snare sound that, despite its high-pitched “crack,” is actually tuned with a surprisingly musical mid-range overtone. One of the track’s most daring rhythmic choices occurs during the second verse, where Copeland completely drops the snare out without losing the momentum of the groove.