Synopsis

The Police perform "Spirits in the Material World" inside the Montserrat recording studio, where the trio delivers the song with a loose, energetic presence. Sting handles the vocal and bass, while Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland perform alongside him as the camera observes the band in the working environment where the album was being made. Rather than presenting a narrative, the video focuses on the musicians, their movements, and the unusual studio atmosphere surrounding the song's sharp electronic and reggae-influenced sound.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was shot in Montserrat during the recording of The Police's 1981 album "Ghost in the Machine." The location was AIR Studios Montserrat, established by Beatles producer George Martin.

• Although often searched under Sting's name, the video is a performance by The Police. Sting wrote the song, which opens "Ghost in the Machine."

• The song began on a small Casiotone keyboard while Sting was riding in the back of a truck. It was his first experience writing with a synthesizer.

• Sting initially wanted the track to use synthesizer rather than guitar. Andy Summers argued for guitar, and the finished recording combines both instruments, with the synthesizer prominent in the mix.

• "Spirits in the Material World" became a substantial international hit, reaching No. 12 in the United Kingdom and No. 11 in the United States.

• The song's studio setting gives the video a documentary-like quality, capturing the band in the same Caribbean environment associated with the album's creation rather than placing them in a separate performance set.