Fraser wrote the song's lyrics, inspired by the works of French philosopher Gaston Bachelard. While recording the song in 1997, she found out that Jeff Buckley, whom she had formerly had a relationship with, had disappeared—later discovered to have drowned. In 2009, she said, "That was so weird ... I'd got letters out and I was thinking about him. That song's kind of about him—that's how it feels to me anyway".
Is Teardrop by Massive Attack about Jeff Buckley?
Fraser was in an appropriately mournful state of mind when she recorded the song. The words, though esoteric almost to the point of incomprehension, are imbued with melancholy, born from Fraser's own sadness on learning about the death of her friend Jeff Buckley, who drowned in May 1997.Jan 26, 2018
