Messages in Bottles in Pop Culture

Sting. Nicholas Sparks. Edgar Allen Poe. Zac Brown Band. Charles Dickens. Ty Dolla Sign. Kenny Chesney. These are just a few of the famous artists who have used messages in bottles in their work. But why? What is so compelling about a note in a bottle that it can power one hit song after another? How can it serve as the starting point for so many famous stories?

Message in a bottle songs, movies, & stories have a long history of stirring hearts and minds in pop culture. Sometimes, a message in a bottle is the central image or idea powering a song or story, as in Nicholas Sparks’s book or Sting’s song. Other times, the message in a bottle will serve simply as a starting point for a song, as in “Too Late to be Saved” by Jordan Zevon (son of Warren Zevon).

Explore the history of messages in bottles in pop culture and chip in a comment if you have your own ideas!

Message in a Bottle Songs:

1. “Message in a Bottle” by Sting and the Police
2. “Let it Go” by Zac Brown Band