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"Reward" is a song by English band the Teardrop Explodes. 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. The song was not initially included in the original 1980 UK and European releases of their debut album Kilimanjaro, 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 who suggested a bassline for Julian Cope and melody for David Balfe. 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 was influenced by Love's Forever Changes. Cope composed and controlled the mixing so the production and recording was done more than once to achieve the frantic pace he wanted.

References

1. "News". Record Mirror: 4. 24 January 1981. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via Flickr.com.
2. "The Teardrop Explodes - "Reward" Peak Position". Official Charts Company.
3. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
4. Dave Simpson (3 March 2015). "The Teardrop Explodes: how we made Reward". The Guardian.

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• Songs written by Julian Cope
• Song recordings produced by Clive Langer
• Song recordings produced by Alan Winstanley
• Mercury Records singles
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