It’s not every song that has ties to Madonna, Cocteau Twins vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, and Jeff Buckley, as well as a TV program that was at one time the most popular in the world. But “Teardrop”—the best-known song recorded by the English trip-hop group Massive Attack—has each of those connections. Despite failing to reach the Billboard Hot 100, it has grown to be loved by millions, and its backstory is even more fascinating than its climb towards becoming a global hit.
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As the second single from Massive Attack’s 1998 album Mezzanine, “Teardrop” catalyzed the album’s international success and gave the group greater visibility in the U.S. Had the writing and recording of the song progressed the way one of Massive Attack’s members had hoped for, it may have become an even bigger phenomenon.
Why Madonna Didn’t Sing It
The first part of “Teardrop” to be written was the gentle harpsichord melody that runs throughout most of the song. Producer Neil Davidge came up with it, and Andrew Vowles (aka “Mushroom”) was the first one of Massive Attack’s trio to hear it. Davidge and Vowles fleshed out the composition and used a sped-up sample from Les McCann’s “Sometimes I Cry” for the beat. Vowles decided he wanted Madonna—with whom Massive Attack had collaborated on a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You”—to sing the lead vocal for the song.
However, Massive Attack’s other two members, Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, wanted to recruit Fraser to sing “Teardrop.” Vowles sent Madonna a demo of the song, and while she wanted to record a vocal for the track, Del Naja and Marshall ultimately got their way. Fraser would also co-write and provide vocals for two other songs on Mezzanine—”Black Milk” and “Group Four.”
It’s “Kind of About” Jeff Buckley
Massive Attack’s invitation to Fraser came around the same time that Cocteau Twins were falling apart and about to disband. In addition to singing the lead vocal, Fraser wrote lyrics for “Teardrop.” While she has said she typically writes lyrics that reflect her feelings rather than a linear meaning, Fraser has intimated that for this particular song, she had a subject in mind.
She got the news about Buckley’s death—the two had previously been in a relationship—while she was recording “Teardrop.” Fraser told The Guardian in 2009: “That song’s kind of about him—that’s how it feels to me anyway.” Her thoughts about Buckley are apparent in several of the song’s lyrics, most notably Love, love is a verb / Love is a doing word and Black flowers blossom.
The Connection to House
Some of the growth in “Teardrop’s” popularity over the years can be attributed to its use as the theme song for the long-running Fox medical drama House. Even before “Teardrop” was tabbed for the theme music, the song made an impact on the show. Bryan Singer, an executive producer on the show, told the website Ain’t It Cool News the video for “Teardrop,” which features an image of a fetus throughout, inspired the process used to create effects for House.
“What I brought to the show was the idea of making that effect less CGI and using a more practical stuff, taking from the famous ‘Teardrop’ video by Massive Attack, building bladders and organ models and shooting them in water tanks to create a more viscerally real portrayal of the human body,” Singer said. When Singer reached out to Massive Attack to let them know how their song was impacting the show, they decided to let the makers of House use “Teardrop” as the theme.
House ran on Fox from 2004 to 2012, and in 2008, it had the largest viewership of any television series in the world. However, at that time, “Teardrop” was not used as the theme song for House outside of North America.
The Impact of “Teardrop”
Massive Attack never had a song chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but they came close with “Teardrop.” It reached No. 10 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under chart, which ranks the songs that have just missed the Hot 100. “Teardrop” was a much bigger hit upon release in several other countries, topping the singles chart in Ireland and peaking at No. 10 on the UK Official Charts. It has not lacked for listeners in more recent years, having gained more than 280 million streams on Spotify. The official video for “Teardrop” has been viewed nearly 100 million times on YouTube.
In large part due to the popularity of “Teardrop,” Mezzanine was a breakthrough album for Massive Attack outside of the UK. It was their third straight Double Platinum album in the UK, but it was their first to go Platinum in Australia, Belgium, and Switzerland. Mezzanine was Massive Attack’s first album to place on the Billboard 200, spending seven weeks on the chart with a peak position of No. 60.
“Teardrop” has been covered by dozens of artists, including Simple Minds, Aurora, and Hayley Williams. Versions of the song recorded by Newton Faulkner and The Collective made the singles chart in the UK.
Would “Teardrop” be known by even more music fans had Madonna written lyrics and sung vocals for it? It is hard to imagine that it wouldn’t have, but it’s perfect just as it is. Fraser and Massive Attack combined their efforts to create a uniquely atmospheric and moving song.
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Photo by Richard Lewis/WireImage
