According to the band's guitarist, Andy Summers, Sting had initially intended the guitar riff that "Message in a Bottle" is centred around for a different song. Summers said to L'Historia Bandidio in 1981: "Sting had that riff for a while, but there was another tune with it originally. He'd been fiddling about with it during our first American tour. Finally, he rearranged the riff slightly and came up with the song." Summers came up with, as Sting described, "lovely arpeggiated shiver" during the break prior to the third verse. Sting praised this addition saying, "He'd do that – the song would be quite raw and he'd just add these lovely colours." The song was recorded at Surrey Sound Studios as part of the sessions for the "Reggatta de Blanc" album. Stewart Copeland's drumming, praised as his "finest drum track" by Summers, was "overdubbed [from about six different parts."