the socio-political context. Harrison recorded "Teardrops" at his Friar Park studio in Oxfordshire during the second period of sessions for the album, beginning in November 1980 and extending to mid January 1981. Besides Harrison on guitars, the musicians were Herbie Flowers on bass, Ray Cooper on percussion, Dave Mattacks on drums and Mike Moran on keyboards. Cooper also helped produce the song. As on much of Somewhere in England, the track makes prominent use of synthesizer, a sound not commonly associated with Harrison's music. Beatle biographers Chip Madinger and Mark Easter liken "Teardrops"' feel and melody to the work of Elton John, as does author Ian Inglis, who highlights its resemblance to several of John's 1970s hits. Inglis partly attributes this to Cooper, who had worked extensively with John. According to music journalist John Metzger, as on the three other new tracks – "Blood from a Clone", "All Those Years Ago" and "That Which I Have Lost" – the production had "the peppy, pop-oriented sheen" that Warner's deemed necessary. Release and reception Somewhere in England was issued on 1 June 1981, with "Teardrops" sequenced as the first track on side two of the LP. The song was then selected as the second single off the album, backed by "Save the World". The release took place on 20 July in the United States and 31 July in Britain. The song's publishing was assigned to Harrison's company Ganga, and subsequently to Umlaut Corporation. For the US single, the track was shortened to 3:20 in length, through the removal of a 41-second portion that begins at 2:31 on the unedited recording. In its issue dated 1 August, Record World magazine listed "Teardrops" first among its three "Hits of the Week" singles predictions. The reviewer wrote: "Mellifluous keyboards and a resounding title chorus that won't quit are an unbeatable combination on this follow-up to the top 5 'All Those Years Ago.' It's a natural for pop radio." Billboard also identified the song as a top 30 chart contender, describing it as a "lilting midtempo tune" in a similar vein to recent hit songs by Cliff Richard. The reviewer added: "It's punchy and energetic, a far cry from [Harrison's] ponderous introspective ballads of the mid '70s." In an otherwise highly unfavourable review of Somewhere in England, for Creem, Mitchell Cohen said that "Actually, 'Teardrops' is OK." Boston Globe critic James Simon likened it to Harrison's