The Police — Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

JUL 01 1981 · 12:00

The Police — Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (1981) Director: Derek Burbidge Era: New Wave Peak Era (1981) - The Police at the height of their commercial ascent, riding the launch of MTV with a Caribbean-inflected pop-rock crossover single from Ghost in the Machine, their fourth studio album. High. This video documents The Police at the precise historical intersection of their commercial peak and MTV's launch — making it a primary source for both band historiography and early music video studies. Its Montserrat recording-session context gives it documentary value beyond promotional function, offering a rare visual record of AIR Studios Montserrat and the Ghost in the Machine sessions. The Burbidge-Police collaboration across nine promos represents one of the most sustained and consequential director-artist relationships in early music video history, and this entry sits at its commercial apex. Context: Released in October 1981 as the second UK single and debut international single from Ghost in the Machine, 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' arrived precisely as MTV launched in the United States in August 1981 — a confluence that transformed The Police into one of the first bona fide MTV-era superstars. The song reached No. 1 in the UK in November 1981 and No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming their second-best-performing US single after 'Every Breath You Take.' The promo's documentary aesthetic — shot on location at AIR Studios Montserrat during the actual album recording sessions — captured the band at a transitional moment: moving from lean post-punk trio toward a synth- and keyboard-enriched pop sophistication, as evidenced by session keyboardist Jean Roussel's prominent role on the track. Ghost in the Machine was the first Police album released after MTV launched, and the band's existing promo infrastructure (built with Burbidge since 1978) gave them a critical early-mover advantage on the network. Director notes: Burbidge directed and produced this promo, which was shot at AIR Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, where The Police were recording Ghost in the Machine. The video intercuts recording studio footage — notably featuring the band around the mixing console — with location footage on the island. Stewart Copeland later recalled in the book MTV Ruled the World that the band's habit of physically climbing over the large Trident/Neve mixing desk during filming became notorious, often compared to The Who destroying equipment. Burbidge also served as producer on this video, making him both the creative and logistical lead on the production.