1981 The Police: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

While holed up in Montserrat recording 'Ghosts In The Machine', The Police clearly took time to chill out and absorb a little more of the Caribbean vibe than just the usual reggae with the result that 'Every Little Thing' was infused with an upbeat calypso feel that brought it's own sun.

But for all the variety, 'Every Little Thing' is barely a song at all - it's a barnstorming chorus that everybody knows sandwiched in-between slices of dour verse that serve as little more than filler; try and sing a line from one of the them. Go on, I dare you.

'Every Little Thing' is a Michael Bay production, a dire summer blockbuster with the one balls out action sequence that sticks in the mind after the credits have rolled, and in that respect it's the equivalent of Bruce Willis taking out a helicopter with a car in Die Hard 4.

And yes, that sparkling Calypso steel band and boogie woogie piano on the chorus was just what the doctor ordered in 1981 as October headed into winter. Still too early for Christmas, but for those wanting to party it provided plentiful splashes of feelgood colour and cheer, accentuated by the accompanying upbeat video of the band shamelessly mugging in the Caribbean sun. This may not be what The Police are best remembered for now but it's harmless stuff; a simple pop singalong dressed up for the Mardi Gras and even now it's hard not to smile when listening to it.

Perhaps in recognition that the water in the reggae well was running out, 'Every Little Thing' would mark a move away from that particular direction, but in yet another wrongfoot this good time groove would prove to be fleeting and The Police would be far more furrowed of brow and stroked of chin once this particular party was over.