Message In A Bottle chords by The Police


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Message In A Bottle | Chords + Lyrics


Intro

||: C#sus2 Asus2 | Bsus2 F#madd9 :|| x4

Verse 1

||: C#sus2 Asus2 | Bsus2 F#madd9 :||
Just a castaway, an island lost at sea, oh.
Another lonely day, with no one here but me, oh.
More loneliness, than any man could bear.
Rescue me before I fall into despair, oh.

Bridge 1

| A5 | D5 E5 | A5 | D5 E5 |
I’ll send an S.O.S to the world, I’ll send an S.O.S to the world.
| F#5 | D5 | F#5 | D5 | F#5 | D5 |
I hope that someone gets my, I hope that someone gets my. I hope that someone gets my.

Chorus 1

| C#m7 | F#m7/A | C#m7 | F#m7/A |
Message in a bottle, yeah.
| C#m7 | F#m7/A | F#m | F#m |
Message in a bottle, yeah.

Verse 2

A year has passed since I wrote my note.
I should have known this right from the start.
Only hope can keep me together.
Love can mend your life or love can break your heart.

Bridge 2

I’ll send an S.O.S to the world, I’ll send an S.O.S to the world.
I hope that someone gets my. I hope that someone gets my. I hope that someone gets my.

Chorus 2

||: C#m7 | F#m7/A | C#m7 | F#m7/A :|| x3
Message in a bottle, yeah.
Message in a bottle, yeah.
Oh, message in a bottle, yeah.
| C#m7 | F#m7/A | F#m | F#m | F#m | F#m |
Message in a bottle, yeah.

Verse 3

Walked out this morning, I don’t believe what I saw.
Hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore.
Seems I’m not alone at being alone.
Hundred billion castaways, looking for a home.

Bridge 3

I’ll send an S.O.S to the world, I’ll send an S.O.S to the world.
I hope that someone gets my, I hope that someone gets my. I hope that someone gets my.

Chorus 3

||: C#m7 | F#m7/A | C#m7 | F#m7/A :|| x3
Message in a bottle, yeah.
Message in a bottle, yeah.
Message in a bottle, oh.
| C#m7 | F#m7/A | F#m | F#m |
Message in a bottle, yeah.

Instrumental

||: C#sus2 Asus2 | Bsus2 F#madd9 :|| x4

Outro

||: C#sus2 Asus2 | Bsus2 F#madd9 :||
||: Sending out an S.O.S. I’m sending out an S.O.S.
I’m sending out an S.O.S. I’m sending out an S.O.S :||



Message in a Bottle Chords: Learn the progressions


The extremely stretchy chords Andy Summers came up with must be played using the correct extensions as this is the riff and hook of the tune.

Just looking at the chord progression without considering this, we can see it’s a diatonic VI – IV – V – II, just suspending the 3rd to a sus2, or adding a 9, like this.

||: C#sus2 (VI) Asus2 (IV) | Bsus2 (V) F#madd9 (II) :||

Playing this in the same way as Andy did does hurt although there are ways to make it easier.

I’ve transcribed this using TAB, as well as looked at what happens if we try to make life easier for ourselves by changing the positioning of the chords on the fretboard.

Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Message In A Bottle – Guitar Lesson with TAB.

If you are playing this in set three on a Saturday night, after a busy week of gigs, you’ll appreciate my modification for sure!

The bridge then uses a modal interchange as we are clearly in the key of A now, playing I – IV – V, like this:

| A5 | D5 E5 | A5 | D5 E5 |

For the chorus, we play, either VI – II in the key of E, or III – VI in the key of A. It is the uncertainty of what mode we are in which creates the tension, genius!

||: C#m7 (VI or III) | F#m7/A (II or VI) :||

Having studied my TAB, this chord chart will be a nice reminder as you play this live.


Message In A Bottle chord chart.


Message In A Bottle Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro


Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDFMessage In A Bottle Chord Chart PDF.

This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Message In A Bottle iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.



Message In A Bottle was released when The Police peaked!

The Police‘s smash hit Message In A Bottle has terrorized many guitar players since it dropped in 1979 as the lead single from their second album, Regatte De Blanc.

It sits in the middle of the band’s best period as they released Roxanne, Can’t Stand Losing You, and So Lonely before it, and would release Walking on the Moon and Don’t Stand So Close To Me after.

With hindsight, it’s clear how the band shot to fame quickly with five incredible tunes released in a row like this.



Message In A Bottle Chords | Related Pages


Message In A Bottle | Guitar Lesson + TAB

Message In A Bottle TAB lesson.

With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play Message In A Bottle by The Police using TAB and chord analysis.

||: C#sus2 Asus2 | Bsus2 F#madd9 :||
Just a castaway, an island lost at sea, oh.


Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics

When you can play Message In A Bottle's chords, try these five tunes from the songbook.


The Police tunes

The Police wrote Message In A Bottle.

The Police was a New Wave band from England comprising Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland.

Unusually, it was Stewart’s brother, Miles Copeland III who managed the band and later, Sting’s solo career.


The Police on the web

Listen to The Police on Spotify.


About me | Dan Lundholm

Dan Lundholm wrote this guitar lesson on Message In A Bottle's chords.

This was a guitar lesson about Message In A Bottle’s chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.

Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.


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