“Teardrop” by Massive Attack was used as House M.D.’s opening theme in its original broadcast version.
The song appears on Massive Attack’s 1998 album Mezzanine and is built around a distinctive harpsichord-like pattern, electronic production, and vocals by Elizabeth Fraser. Its atmospheric sound became strongly associated with the opening credits of House.
The international and syndication history of the theme can cause confusion. Some broadcasts used alternate music, shortened versions, or different opening-credit arrangements because of licensing and scheduling considerations. The original U.S. version is the one most commonly identified with “Teardrop.”
Massive Attack also recorded other well-known songs, including “Angel” and “Unfinished Sympathy,” but those are not the House M.D. opening theme. The answer is the song title, not the band or vocalist.