Teardrop

Album: Single Release Only (2011)
Charted: 24
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Songfacts®:

  • When Take That's Gary Barlow was asked by BBC Children in Need organizers to come-up with an idea for their 2011 official single, he came up with covering Massive Attack's 1998 single, "Teardrop." To record the new version, Barlow assembled a group featuring some of UK's leading urban artists, including Ed Sheeran, Rizzle Kicks, N-Dubz, Miss Dynamite, Wretch 32, Tinchy Stryder, Mz Bratt and Dot Rotton. The artists were mainly suggested by Barlow's fellow X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos and the Take That member confessed to The Guardian that there were "a couple" that he hadn't heard of.
  • Barlow recruited to produce the track Labrinth, who is the knob twiddler on Tinie Tempah's hit singles "Pass Out" and "Frisky." Labrinth told The Sun: "It's not a your usual cheesy or comical Children In Need record. It's a bit more meaningful. Gary wanted it to be more urban, which is why he came to me, and I've worked with most of the artists. He wanted it to be an honest record and come from somewhere else."

    Barlow added: "Children In Need has a history of doing upbeat singles with comedians but it's a serious charity doing a lot of hard work for serious causes. It's time to do something with artists who young people actually listen to. I've done these things before, I'm used to doing group situations, I like it - it's a challenge. It hasn't been easy. But bless him, Labrinth and his manager have been the key to the whole thing."
  • Barlow's Children In Need all-star supergroup was christened after The Sun asked its readers to suggest names and the newspaper was inundated with suggestions. Barlow said one name stood out and "The Collective" was adopted as their moniker.

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