Massive Attack performed “Teardrop,” the song associated with House M.D.’s opening credits. The British trip-hop group released the track in 1998, with Elizabeth Fraser providing the vocals.
The song’s atmospheric sound helped define the program’s opening sequence, which used medical imagery and stylized shots of the principal cast. In some broadcasts and international versions, licensing arrangements led to alternate music, so viewers did not always hear “Teardrop” in exactly the same way.
“Teardrop” appeared on Massive Attack’s album Mezzanine and became one of the group’s best-known songs. It is sometimes incorrectly credited to the vocalist alone or to another alternative-rock band because of its prominent vocal performance. The song’s use in House M.D. connected a late-1990s recording with a medical drama that premiered in 2004.