"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The Police

June 13, 2025·1 hr·5 clips

Kirk analyzes how The Police used the Lydian mode to create a restless, magical sound in the song's verse.

This episode of Strong Songs analyzes The Police's 1981 hit "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," hosted by musician and music analyst Kirk Hamilton. Hamilton explores the song's unusual creation and its distinct place within the band's catalog. The track features the core trio of Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers, plus keyboardist Jean Roussel. Sting originally wrote and demoed the song years earlier with his pre-Police band Strontium 90. He brought a later demo featuring Jean Roussel on keyboards to the *Ghost in the Machine* sessions in Montserrat. The band, producing with Hugh Padgham, kept much of Sting's demo vocal and Roussel's parts for the final recording. The verse centers on a four-note ascending bass line in G Lydian, creating a restless, climbing feel. Stewart Copeland's drumming employs a reggae-inspired "drop," emphasizing beat three instead of a standard backbeat. Andy Summers' guitar parts are subtle, with one track doubling the bass line and another adding rhythmic "chucking" alongside the hi-hat. Jean Roussel's repeating piano motif is identified as an ostinato, a core musical topic for the episode. The chorus shifts dramatically to a calypso-inspired groove with a steady backbeat and a high, ringing synthesizer or steel drum sound. Lyrically, Hamilton notes the song contrasts the exultant chorus with verses full of the narrator's frustration and self-doubt. A 2000 *Revolver* magazine interview reveals Sting chose the word "literally" for the chorus simply because it rhymed with "magic." The song's bridge divides into a dreamy first half and an anxious second half, with the harmony shifting to G minor. The outro features a cyclical, building progression that Hamilton describes as almost gospel-like, with layered keyboards and a wordless vocal choir. Sting plays a notable fretless bass divebomb into the first chorus, and a massive synth swell precedes the final chorus. The episode includes isolated audio stems, such as Copeland's drum track, to highlight specific parts. Hamilton recreates many song elements himself to demonstrate their construction, even adding his own instrumental flourishes during the outro analysis. The tone is educational and deeply appreciative, blending music theory with narrative storytelling about the recording process. Hamilton's style is conversational and enthusiastic, often speaking as a fellow musician experimenting with the song's parts. Listeners who enjoy detailed music theory, songwriting deconstruction, and studio craft stories will find this episode captivating. Those preferring broader cultural commentary or artist biographies over technical musical analysis might find it less engaging.

As heard by us

A clear, close-reading breakdown that shows how a familiar hit is built from small moving parts.

Kirk Hamilton treats The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" as a song built from parts that lock together cleanly. He starts with the ostinato idea, then follows the bass, drums, keys, guitar, and synth as they track the bass's steady climb.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Hear why The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" works by climbing, repeating, and sparkling at once.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Strong Songs