"Reward" is a song by English band

the Teardrop Explodes The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single " Reward", the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s. ...

. It was released as a single in early 1981 and was the band's biggest hit, peaking at No. 6 in the UK and No. 11 in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The song was not initially included in the original 1980 UK and European releases of their debut album ''

Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

'', but was included in the 1980 U.S. release together with the track "Suffocate" (replacing two tracks from the UK release). "Reward" was however added to later pressings of the album from 1981. The song's creation started with

Alan Gill Alan David Gill is an English vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, who formed part of the synthpop band Dalek I Love You and the post-punk/neo-psychedelic band the Teardrop Explodes. Biography Early career Living in Thingwall, Wirral, he fo ...

who suggested a

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

for

Julian Cope Julian David Cope (born 21 October 1957) is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band the Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side proj ...

and melody for

David Balfe David Balfe (born 1958) is an English musician and record company executive, most notable for playing keyboards with the Teardrop Explodes, founding the Zoo and Food independent record labels, signing Blur and for being the subject of thei ...

. Julian Cope's opening lyric, "Bless my cotton socks, I'm in the news" reflected his exhilaration at their burgeoning success, while the use of

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

was influenced by Love's ''

Forever Changes ''Forever Changes'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Love, released in November 1967 by Elektra Records. The album saw the group embrace a subtler folk-influenced sound based around acoustic guitars and orchestral arrangements ...

''. Cope composed and controlled the mixing so the production and recording was done more than once to achieve the frantic pace he wanted.

References

1980 songs 1981 singles The Teardrop Explodes songs Songs written by Julian Cope Song recordings produced by Clive Langer Song recordings produced by Alan Winstanley Mercury Records singles {{1980s-single-stub