Tears for Fears
Encyclopedia
Tears for Fears are an English new wave
band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal
and Curt Smith
.
Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate
, they were initially associated with the New Wave
synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into mainstream rock and pop, which led to international chart success.
Their platinum-selling debut album, The Hurting
, reached number one on the UK Album Chart, while their second album, Songs from the Big Chair
, reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200
, achieving multi-platinum status in both the UK and the United States. Following the release of their third platinum-selling album, The Seeds of Love
(1989), Smith and Orzabal parted company, though Orzabal retained the Tears for Fears name throughout the 1990s. The duo re-formed in 2000, and released an album of new material in 2004. To date, Tears for Fears have sold over 25 million albums worldwide, including more than 8 million in the U.S.
. Neon also featured Pete Byrne and Rob Fisher
who went on to become Naked Eyes
. Smith and Orzabal's professional debut came with the band Graduate
, a Mod Revival
/New Wave act. In 1980, Graduate released an album, Acting My Age, and a single "Elvis Should Play Ska" (referring to Elvis Costello, not Presley). The single just missed the Top 100 in the UK, though it performed well in Spain and in Switzerland
.
By 1981, Orzabal and Smith were becoming more influenced by artists such as Talking Heads
, Peter Gabriel
and Brian Eno
. They departed from Graduate and formed a band called History of Headaches, a moniker which was then changed to Tears for Fears. The plan was for Orzabal and Smith to form the nucleus of the group and bring in surrounding musicians to help them complete the picture.
The band's name was inspired by Primal Therapy
, developed by the American psychologist Arthur Janov
, which gained tremendous publicity after John Lennon
became Janov's patient in 1970. In a 2004 interview with VH1 UK
, Orzabal and Smith said that when they finally met Janov in the mid 1980s, they were disillusioned to find that he had become quite "Hollywood" and wanted the band to write a musical.
Tears for Fears were signed to Phonogram Records
, UK in 1981 by A&R manager Dave Bates. Their first single as Tears for Fears, "Suffer the Children
" (produced by David Lord), was released on that label in November 1981, followed by the first edition of "Pale Shelter" (produced by Mike Howlett
) in March 1982, though neither of these releases was successful.
", which reached no.3 in the UK in November 1982. Their first album, The Hurting
, was released in March 1983. For this LP
(and the next), keyboard player and composer Ian Stanley
and drummer Manny Elias
were considered full bandmembers, though Smith and Orzabal were still essentially the frontmen and public face of the band.
The album, produced by Chris Hughes
and Ross Cullum, showcased synthesiser-based songs with lyrics reflecting Orzabal's bitter childhood. The Hurting may be considered Tears for Fears' only true concept album
, as references to emotional distress
and primal scream
therapy are found in nearly every song. The album itself was a big success and had a lengthy chart run (65 weeks) in the UK, where it reached no. 1 and platinum status. It also reached the Top 20 in several other countries and yielded the international hit singles "Mad World
" (top 5 hit in South Africa), "Change
" (top 40 hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands
and South Africa), and a re-recorded version of "Pale Shelter
". All three of these singles reached the Top Five in the UK.
Towards the end of 1983, the band released a new, slightly more experimental single, "The Way You Are
", intended as a stopgap while they worked on their second album. The single was a Top 30 hit in the UK, but did not come close to matching the success of their three previous hits, despite a national concert tour
in December of that year (captured on the In My Mind's Eye
live video release). The single, which heavily featured sampling and programmed rhythms, led to a departure in Tears for Fears' musical approach. In the liner notes to their 1996 B-sides
compilation album Saturnine Martial & Lunatic
they wrote that "this was the point we realised we had to change direction", although the somewhat experimental style of the single continued to be reflected in their forthcoming B-sides.
". However, the band were ultimately unhappy with the results and so producer Chris Hughes was brought back into the fold and the "Mothers Talk" single reproduced for release in August 1984. A departure from their earlier works, the single became a Top 20 hit in the UK, but it was the follow-up single "Shout
" (released in the UK in November 1984) that was the real beginning of the band's international fame.
This Top 5 hit paved the way for their second album, Songs from the Big Chair
(released in February 1985), which entered the UK album chart at no. 2 and remained in the upper reaches of the chart for the next 12 months. They did away with the predominantly synth-pop feel of the first album, instead expanding into a more sophisticated sound that would become the band's stylistic hallmark. Anchored around the creative hub of Orzabal, Stanley, and producer Hughes, the new Tears for Fears sound helped to propel Songs from the Big Chair into becoming one of the year's biggest sellers worldwide, eventually being certified triple-platinum in the UK and quintuple-platinum in the US (where it remained the #1 album for five weeks in the summer of 1985). The album's title was inspired by the book and television miniseries
Sybil, the chronicle of a woman with multiple personality disorder
who sought refuge in her analyst's "big chair", Orzabal and Smith stating that they felt each of the album's songs had a distinctive personality of its own. The band had also recorded a track entitled "The Big Chair", which was released as the B-side to "Shout" but was not included on the album.
The album's success came in conjunction with the array of hit singles it yielded: "Mothers Talk" (re-recorded yet again for its US release in 1986), "Shout
" (#4 UK, #1 in the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland
, and a huge hit in other territories, in fact one of the biggest hit songs of the 1980s), "Everybody Wants to Rule the World
", (their highest-charting UK and Irish hit at #2 and another #1 in the US and in Canada), "Head over Heels
" (UK #12, US #3, Ireland #5, Canada #8) and "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)
" (UK #23 and Ireland #10). Some territories even saw the release of limited edition
10" singles for these hits, and a variety of double packs and picture discs in addition to the regular 7" and 12" formats.
Following the album's release, the band went on a world tour that lasted most of the year. Among these concerts was a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival
in July 85. During this tour, Orzabal
and Smith
also discovered an American female singer/pianist, Oleta Adams
, who was performing in a Kansas City
hotel bar, and whom they invited to collaborate on their next album.
The band also released a video collection/documentary entitled Scenes from the Big Chair
later in the year, while their first two earliest singles were re-released, this time both reaching the Top 75 of the UK Singles Chart.
In February 1986, having completed the lengthy and exhausting Big Chair world tour, the band were honoured at the Brit Awards
where they won the Best British Single award for "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". The band were also nominated for Best British Group and Best British Album, and Chris Hughes was nominated for Best Producer. The band performed the song at the ceremony, which became the final public performance of drummer Manny Elias who left the group shortly afterwards.
Orzabal and Stanley then worked together on a side project named Mancrab and released a single, "Fish for Life", which was written for the soundtrack of the film The Karate Kid, Part II
. The track was written and produced by Orzabal and Stanley, and featured vocals by US singer/dancer Eddie Thomas.
's Live Aid
charity event. However, on the morning of the historic event, it was announced that the band had pulled out of the show (they were replaced by blues rock group George Thorogood And The Destroyers
, which has a strong Philadelphia-area following). The official reason given for their non-appearance was that two of their backing musicians, guitarist Andrew Saunders and saxophonist Will Gregory
, had quit due to the expiration of their contract, they were replaced by Alan Griffiths
on guitar & Josephine Wells playing saxophone for the remaining bulk of the 1985 world tour. In place of appearing, the band pledged to donate proceeds from their concerts played in Tokyo, Sydney, London and New York.
As a further donation, the band also recorded a slightly rewritten version of one of their biggest hits and released it for the British fund-raising
initiative Sport Aid
, a sister project of Band Aid
in which people took part in running races of varying length and seriousness to raise more money for African famine relief projects. Sport Aid's slogan was "I Ran the World", therefore Tears for Fears released "Everybody Wants To Run The World
" (#5 in the UK and #4 in Ireland). Indirectly, the band were involved in the earlier Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?
" from 1984, which featured a slowed down sample
from their song "The Hurting" in the introduction.
(on which Ian Stanley appeared for the last time as a TFF member), at a reported production cost of over a million pounds. The album was written largely by Orzabal along with keyboardist Nicky Holland, who had toured with the band on their "Big Chair" world tour in 1985. Moving from various studios and using various sets of producers over many months, the band ultimately decided to scrap the recordings and take the reins themselves with assistance from engineer David Bascombe
. Much of the material was recorded in jam sessions and later edited down. The length of the production left the band with towering debt and a record company eager to cash in on lost earnings. The album retained the band's epic sound while showing increasing influences ranging from jazz
and blues
to The Beatles
, the latter being evident on the hit single
"Sowing the Seeds of Love
" (the first record ever played on the British Isles-based longwave radio station Atlantic 252
). The second single from the album was "Woman in Chains
" (a Top 40 hit in the UK, in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden
and the US), on which Phil Collins
played drums and Oleta Adams
– whom Orzabal would later guide to a successful solo career – shared vocals. The album was a worldwide success, entering the UK album charts at no. 1, making the Top 10 in the US (though charting lower there than its multi-platinum
predecessor) and in numerous other countries, eventually going on to sell millions of copies worldwide. The band set out on an extensive "Seeds of Love" world tour sponsored by Philips to start recovering the debt incurred. The show would be captured on the "Going To California
" video as the singles "Advice For The Young At Heart
" and "Famous Last Words
" delivered modest chart success.
A 64-page companion book, simply titled "Tears for Fears – The Seeds of Love", was released by Virgin Books
in 1990 and offered extensive insight from Orzabal, Holland and Adams into the songwriting and production process for the album, as well as the musical scores for each track and rare promotional photographs from the era.
" in order to promote the greatest hits collection Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82-92)
which featured every single to reach the Top 20 either in the UK or internationally, apart from the Sport Aid fundraiser.
Smith relocated to New York City, and in 1993 he released his first solo album, Soul On Board
. The album was a commercial failure and Smith himself has said on numerous occasions that he despised it, alleging that he only made it in order to fulfill his recording contract
. In 1995 he met local songwriter and producer Charlton Pettus. The two formed a self-described "organic" partnership, writing simple, melody-based songs and recording them at home on vintage analogue equipment. The result was released under the name Mayfield and a short US tour followed.
together with longtime collaborator Alan Griffiths
and co-producer Tim Palmer. It yielded the international hit "Break It Down Again
" (Top 20 in the UK, Canada, France, and Italy) and was supported with another successful world tour, including a college tour of the US where "Break It Down Again" reached #25.
The album was a Top 10 hit in the UK, France and Italy, and Top 30 in several other countries. Although it charted considerably lower in the US than the previous two studio albums (#45), it still earned a Gold disc there for sales of over half a million copies. The singles "Cold
", "Elemental
" and "Goodnight Song
" met with minor chart success in certain territories.
Orzabal, still working with Griffiths and Palmer, released another Tears for Fears album, Raoul and the Kings of Spain
, in 1995. This was a more contemplative work that delved into his own Spanish heritage and showcased a new Latin
musical influence (Raoul was originally the name Orzabal's parents wanted to give him, and is also the name of his own first son). Orzabal stated that it was not a concept album but that there was a theme, namely that of familial relationships. The album also included a reunion with Oleta Adams
who duetted with Orzabal on the track "Me and My Big Ideas".
The album was not a commercial success by Tears for Fears standards, though minor chart success came via the single release of the title track (top 40 in the UK) and (to a lesser extent) the single "God's Mistake
". The release of the album had been delayed for nearly a year due to a last-minute label switch from Mercury
to Epic
(part of Sony Music), and the ensuing confusion (Mercury had already begun promotion) did not help the album's chances either. Although the track listing for the album had been changed at the record company's request, Sony
did not extend Tears for Fears' contract following the album's release. A worldwide tour followed, including dates in Latin America, though Orzabal declined to tour his native UK this time except for a single show in London.
In 1996 a B-sides collection, Saturnine Martial & Lunatic
, was released on Mercury, which included B-sides and some rare tracks from the successful 1982–93 period. The liner notes, written by Orzabal and Chris Hughes
, gave fans an insight into the songwriting process as well as a rare glimpse of self-deprecating
humour regarding the tracks which they would rather forget.
Due to record company mergers and acquisitions
in the late 1990s, Tears for Fears' back catalogue was eventually placed into the Universal Music fold.
After undertaking production work and some songwriting for the Iceland
ic singer/songwriter Emiliana Torrini
on her 1999 album Love in the Time of Science
, Orzabal re-teamed with Alan Griffiths
and released the album Tomcats Screaming Outside
, released on Eagle Records
as a solo project
under his own name. Whereas Tears for Fears' work had become guitar-based, Tomcats Screaming Outside showcased a predominantly electronic style. The album was released in April 2001 in the UK and Europe, but had the unfortunate coincidence to be released on 11 September 2001 in the US, the same day the United States experienced its 9/11 terrorist attack, and ultimately drew little notice outside the group's core fan base.
The songwriting sessions included Charlton Pettus (Smith's collaborator since the mid-1990s), and fourteen songs were written and recorded in less than six months. The ensuing album, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
, was scheduled for release on Arista Records
in late 2003, but a change in management at Arista prompted the band to opt out of their contract and switch to the New Door label (a new offshoot of Universal Music), and delayed the release until September 2004. Two US tours followed, and the 2004 tour included an unrehearsed guest appearance by Oleta Adams
at the Kansas City
show for a performance of "Woman in Chains". The song "Who Killed Tangerine?" was used in the movie Fever Pitch.
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
was released in the UK and Europe in March 2005 on Gut Records
, shortly after the comeback single "Closest Thing to Heaven" became the first Tears for Fears UK Top 40
hit in a decade. The promo video for the single was a colourful fantasy that featured Hollywood actress Brittany Murphy
riding in a hot air balloon
. The European releases of the album contained all fourteen tracks recorded during the ELAHE sessions, and a brief tour of larger UK venues followed in April.
In 2005, the band began discussions with Universal Music for the release of a new comprehensive anthology of their work to date, including a new track entitled "Floating Down the River". However, the subsequent release (at least in the US) was a compilation issued as part of Hip-O Records
' generic "Gold" series, a Universal subsidiary that specialises in budget-priced back catalogue compilations.
A live performance at the Parc des Princes
stadium in Paris, recorded in June 2005, was released on CD and DVD in France and Benelux
. Entitled Secret World – Live in Paris
, it was released on the XIII Bis label in early 2006 and became a best-seller, with over 70,000 physical copies sold in addition to downloads. The CD contained the aforementioned new studio song, "Floating Down the River", and a remastered Curt Smith/Mayfield track, "What Are We Fighting For?". The relationship with XIII Bis proved so successful that Smith chose the comparatively small French label to release his 2007 solo album, Halfway, Pleased
.
In 2006, Songs from the Big Chair was re-issued again by Universal Music, this time as a 2-disc Deluxe Edition with additional B-sides and rarities added, expanding further than the 1999 remastered version. The release did not include the lyrics as the band had intended with the original release, but came with a 24 page booklet including rare photographs and newly written liner notes. The 28-track set contained four sections, with the first disc containing the original album and various B-sides taken from the earlier 1999 remastered edition. It also included the rare piano version of "The Working Hour" which had previously only been available as a limited edition item. The second disc contained various 7" versions of the singles (including the aforementioned "The Way You Are", the re-recording of "I Believe", and the 1986 US remix of "Mothers Talk"), followed by various 12" remixes from the era.
In August 2009, the Raoul and the Kings of Spain album was also re-issued by Cherry Pop Records
, featuring seven bonus B-side tracks from the time of its original release.
In April 2010, Tears For Fears joined the reformed 80s pop group Spandau Ballet
on their 7-date tour of Australia and New Zealand, before a 4-date headlining tour of their own in South East Asia (Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and a 17-date tour of the USA.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal
Roland Orzabal
Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is known mainly as a co-founding member of Tears for Fears, of which he is the main songwriter and joint vocalist, but he has also achieved success as a producer of other artists.- Early career :Orzabal...
and Curt Smith
Curt Smith
Curt Smith is an English musician. He is best known for forming the band Tears for Fears, along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Also a solo artist, he released his third album Halfway, Pleased in May 2008....
.
Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate
Graduate (band)
Graduate was formed in 1979, in Bath, England. Baker and Orzabal were at school together and performed as the "Baker Brothers" in local pubs and clubs from 1977 aged 16. The name Graduate came from the fact that they used to open shows with a cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson", which...
, they were initially associated with the New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into mainstream rock and pop, which led to international chart success.
Their platinum-selling debut album, The Hurting
The Hurting
The Hurting is the debut album by the British pop band Tears for Fears. It was released on 7 March 1983, and peaked at no. 1 on the UK Album Chart...
, reached number one on the UK Album Chart, while their second album, Songs from the Big Chair
Songs from the Big Chair
Songs from the Big Chair is the second album by the British rock band Tears for Fears. It was released in 1985 on Phonogram Records, and remains their highest selling album to date. The album peaked at no.2 in the UK and reached no.1 in the US...
, reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, achieving multi-platinum status in both the UK and the United States. Following the release of their third platinum-selling album, The Seeds of Love
The Seeds of Love
-Bonus tracks:Note: A remix of "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams" was also released as a separate single in the UK and reached #70 on the charts.-Personnel:* Drums - Manu Katché, Chris Hughes, Phil Collins, Simon Phillips* Bass - Pino Palladino, Curt Smith...
(1989), Smith and Orzabal parted company, though Orzabal retained the Tears for Fears name throughout the 1990s. The duo re-formed in 2000, and released an album of new material in 2004. To date, Tears for Fears have sold over 25 million albums worldwide, including more than 8 million in the U.S.
Formation
Orzabal and Smith met as teenagers in their home city of Bath, Somerset, in southwest England. The duo became session musicians for the band Neon, where they first met future Tears For Fears drummer Manny EliasManny Elias
Manny Elias is an English drummer, notable for being the original drummer with Tears for Fears during the 1980s.Originally a member of the rock band Interview from Bath, Somerset. Elias began working with Tears For Fears in 1982 and drummed on the albums The Hurting and Songs From The Big Chair,...
. Neon also featured Pete Byrne and Rob Fisher
Rob Fisher
Rob Fisher was a British keyboardist and songwriter from Cheltenham, England, who achieved chart success as a member of Naked Eyes, and later Climie Fisher...
who went on to become Naked Eyes
Naked Eyes
Naked Eyes is a British New Wave band that rose to prominence in the early 1980s. Originally a duo, the band is known largely for its singles: a cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David standard " Always Something There to Remind Me" , as well as the band's subsequent hits "Promises, Promises", "When...
. Smith and Orzabal's professional debut came with the band Graduate
Graduate (band)
Graduate was formed in 1979, in Bath, England. Baker and Orzabal were at school together and performed as the "Baker Brothers" in local pubs and clubs from 1977 aged 16. The name Graduate came from the fact that they used to open shows with a cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson", which...
, a Mod Revival
Mod Revival
The mod revival was a music genre and subculture that started in England in 1978 and later spread to other countries . The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence has lasted for decades...
/New Wave act. In 1980, Graduate released an album, Acting My Age, and a single "Elvis Should Play Ska" (referring to Elvis Costello, not Presley). The single just missed the Top 100 in the UK, though it performed well in Spain and in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
By 1981, Orzabal and Smith were becoming more influenced by artists such as Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
and Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
. They departed from Graduate and formed a band called History of Headaches, a moniker which was then changed to Tears for Fears. The plan was for Orzabal and Smith to form the nucleus of the group and bring in surrounding musicians to help them complete the picture.
The band's name was inspired by Primal Therapy
Primal therapy
Primal therapy is a trauma-based psychotherapy created by Arthur Janov, who argues that neurosis is caused by the repressed pain of childhood trauma. Janov argues that repressed pain can be sequentially brought to conscious awareness and resolved through re-experiencing the incident and fully...
, developed by the American psychologist Arthur Janov
Arthur Janov
Arthur Janov is an American psychologist, psychotherapist, and the creator of primal therapy, a treatment for mental illness that involves repeatedly descending into, feeling, and expressing long-repressed childhood pain. Janov directs a psychotherapy institute called the Primal Center in Santa...
, which gained tremendous publicity after John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
became Janov's patient in 1970. In a 2004 interview with VH1 UK
VH1 UK
VH1 is a specialist music television channel from MTV Networks Europe. The channel broadcasts into the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The channel is based on the original VH1 American channel of the same name...
, Orzabal and Smith said that when they finally met Janov in the mid 1980s, they were disillusioned to find that he had become quite "Hollywood" and wanted the band to write a musical.
Tears for Fears were signed to Phonogram Records
Phonogram Records
Phonogram Records was started in 1962 as a joint venture between Philips Records and Deutsche Grammophon. In 1972, Phonogram was merged with Polydor Records into PolyGram....
, UK in 1981 by A&R manager Dave Bates. Their first single as Tears for Fears, "Suffer the Children
Suffer the Children (song)
"Suffer the Children" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written and sung by Roland Orzabal, it was the band's first release, recorded in Bath, England shortly after the 1981 breakup of Orzabal and Curt Smith's previous band Graduate...
" (produced by David Lord), was released on that label in November 1981, followed by the first edition of "Pale Shelter" (produced by Mike Howlett
Mike Howlett
Mike Howlett is a Fijian-born musician, Grammy Award winning producer and teacher based in the United Kingdom and Australia....
) in March 1982, though neither of these releases was successful.
The Hurting and first international successes (1982-1983)
The band achieved their first taste of success with their third single, "Mad WorldMad World
"Mad World" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Both "Mad World" and its B-side, "Ideas As Opiates", would turn up...
", which reached no.3 in the UK in November 1982. Their first album, The Hurting
The Hurting
The Hurting is the debut album by the British pop band Tears for Fears. It was released on 7 March 1983, and peaked at no. 1 on the UK Album Chart...
, was released in March 1983. For this LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
(and the next), keyboard player and composer Ian Stanley
Ian Stanley
Ian Stanley is an English musician, songwriter and record producer...
and drummer Manny Elias
Manny Elias
Manny Elias is an English drummer, notable for being the original drummer with Tears for Fears during the 1980s.Originally a member of the rock band Interview from Bath, Somerset. Elias began working with Tears For Fears in 1982 and drummed on the albums The Hurting and Songs From The Big Chair,...
were considered full bandmembers, though Smith and Orzabal were still essentially the frontmen and public face of the band.
The album, produced by Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes (record producer)
Chris Hughes is a music producer and a former drummer for Adam and the Ants....
and Ross Cullum, showcased synthesiser-based songs with lyrics reflecting Orzabal's bitter childhood. The Hurting may be considered Tears for Fears' only true concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, as references to emotional distress
Emotional distress
Mental distress or anxiety suffered as a response to a sudden, severe, and saddening experience.Emotional distress may refer to:* Law of torts:** Intentional infliction of emotional distress** Negligent infliction of emotional distress* Medicine:...
and primal scream
The Primal Scream
The Primal Scream is a book by Arthur Janov Ph. D, the inventor of Primal Therapy. It is subtitled Primal Therapy: The Cure for Neurosis. The book describes the experiences Arthur Janov had with 63 patients during his first 18 months discovering and practicing Primal Therapy...
therapy are found in nearly every song. The album itself was a big success and had a lengthy chart run (65 weeks) in the UK, where it reached no. 1 and platinum status. It also reached the Top 20 in several other countries and yielded the international hit singles "Mad World
Mad World
"Mad World" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Both "Mad World" and its B-side, "Ideas As Opiates", would turn up...
" (top 5 hit in South Africa), "Change
Change (Tears for Fears song)
"Change" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's fourth single release. It would eventually become the second hit from their debut LP The Hurting and second UK Top 5 chart hit, following the success of "Mad World"...
" (top 40 hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and South Africa), and a re-recorded version of "Pale Shelter
Pale Shelter
"Pale Shelter" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was originally the band's second single release in early 1982 - called at that time "Pale Shelter " - but would not find chart success until a reissue the following year...
". All three of these singles reached the Top Five in the UK.
Towards the end of 1983, the band released a new, slightly more experimental single, "The Way You Are
The Way You Are (Tears for Fears song)
"The Way You Are" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. It was the band's sixth single release overall and their fourth UK top 40. The song was written by the full band while on tour in support of their debut LP The Hurting in 1983 and was recorded immediately after the tour's end. Bassist...
", intended as a stopgap while they worked on their second album. The single was a Top 30 hit in the UK, but did not come close to matching the success of their three previous hits, despite a national concert tour
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
in December of that year (captured on the In My Mind's Eye
In My Mind's Eye
In My Mind's Eye is a concert performance video released by the British pop group Tears For Fears. It was recorded in December 1983 at the London Hammersmith Odeon , and released on home video in late 1984....
live video release). The single, which heavily featured sampling and programmed rhythms, led to a departure in Tears for Fears' musical approach. In the liner notes to their 1996 B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
compilation album Saturnine Martial & Lunatic
Saturnine Martial & Lunatic
Saturnine Martial & Lunatic is the second official compilation album released by the British band Tears for Fears. It is a collection of B-sides and rare tracks, spanning some ten years of recording from the band's Mercury/Phonogram era.-Track listing:...
they wrote that "this was the point we realised we had to change direction", although the somewhat experimental style of the single continued to be reflected in their forthcoming B-sides.
Songs from the Big Chair and worldwide fame (1984-1986)
In early 1984, they began working with a new producer, Jeremy Green, on their new single "Mothers TalkMothers Talk
"Mothers Talk" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears.Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal, it was the band's seventh single release and fifth UK Top 40 chart hit...
". However, the band were ultimately unhappy with the results and so producer Chris Hughes was brought back into the fold and the "Mothers Talk" single reproduced for release in August 1984. A departure from their earlier works, the single became a Top 20 hit in the UK, but it was the follow-up single "Shout
Shout (Tears for Fears song)
"Shout" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears.Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal , it was the band's eighth single release and sixth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at #4 in January 1985...
" (released in the UK in November 1984) that was the real beginning of the band's international fame.
This Top 5 hit paved the way for their second album, Songs from the Big Chair
Songs from the Big Chair
Songs from the Big Chair is the second album by the British rock band Tears for Fears. It was released in 1985 on Phonogram Records, and remains their highest selling album to date. The album peaked at no.2 in the UK and reached no.1 in the US...
(released in February 1985), which entered the UK album chart at no. 2 and remained in the upper reaches of the chart for the next 12 months. They did away with the predominantly synth-pop feel of the first album, instead expanding into a more sophisticated sound that would become the band's stylistic hallmark. Anchored around the creative hub of Orzabal, Stanley, and producer Hughes, the new Tears for Fears sound helped to propel Songs from the Big Chair into becoming one of the year's biggest sellers worldwide, eventually being certified triple-platinum in the UK and quintuple-platinum in the US (where it remained the #1 album for five weeks in the summer of 1985). The album's title was inspired by the book and television miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Sybil, the chronicle of a woman with multiple personality disorder
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
who sought refuge in her analyst's "big chair", Orzabal and Smith stating that they felt each of the album's songs had a distinctive personality of its own. The band had also recorded a track entitled "The Big Chair", which was released as the B-side to "Shout" but was not included on the album.
The album's success came in conjunction with the array of hit singles it yielded: "Mothers Talk" (re-recorded yet again for its US release in 1986), "Shout
Shout (Tears for Fears song)
"Shout" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears.Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal , it was the band's eighth single release and sixth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at #4 in January 1985...
" (#4 UK, #1 in the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and a huge hit in other territories, in fact one of the biggest hit songs of the 1980s), "Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by the British New Wave band Tears for Fears.It was the band's ninth single release in the United Kingdom and seventh UK Top 40 chart hit, peaking at number two in April 1985...
", (their highest-charting UK and Irish hit at #2 and another #1 in the US and in Canada), "Head over Heels
Head over Heels (Tears for Fears song)
"Head over Heels" is a song by the British New Wave band Tears for Fears.It was the band's tenth single release in the United Kingdom and eighth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at #12 in July 1985...
" (UK #12, US #3, Ireland #5, Canada #8) and "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)
I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)
"I Believe " is a single by the British band Tears for Fears. It was the band's eleventh single release and ninth UK Top 40 hit...
" (UK #23 and Ireland #10). Some territories even saw the release of limited edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
10" singles for these hits, and a variety of double packs and picture discs in addition to the regular 7" and 12" formats.
Following the album's release, the band went on a world tour that lasted most of the year. Among these concerts was a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
in July 85. During this tour, Orzabal
Roland Orzabal
Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is known mainly as a co-founding member of Tears for Fears, of which he is the main songwriter and joint vocalist, but he has also achieved success as a producer of other artists.- Early career :Orzabal...
and Smith
Curt Smith
Curt Smith is an English musician. He is best known for forming the band Tears for Fears, along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Also a solo artist, he released his third album Halfway, Pleased in May 2008....
also discovered an American female singer/pianist, Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams is an American soul, jazz, and gospel singer and pianist.-Biography:Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised with gospel music. In her youth her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth.Before gaining her opportunity to perform,...
, who was performing in a Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
hotel bar, and whom they invited to collaborate on their next album.
The band also released a video collection/documentary entitled Scenes from the Big Chair
Scenes from the Big Chair
Scenes from the Big Chair is a documentary film about the British pop band Tears For Fears. Released on home video in 1985, the 75 minute documentary was made at the height of the band's global success following the release of their multi-platinum selling album Songs from the Big Chair.The...
later in the year, while their first two earliest singles were re-released, this time both reaching the Top 75 of the UK Singles Chart.
In February 1986, having completed the lengthy and exhausting Big Chair world tour, the band were honoured at the Brit Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
where they won the Best British Single award for "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". The band were also nominated for Best British Group and Best British Album, and Chris Hughes was nominated for Best Producer. The band performed the song at the ceremony, which became the final public performance of drummer Manny Elias who left the group shortly afterwards.
Orzabal and Stanley then worked together on a side project named Mancrab and released a single, "Fish for Life", which was written for the soundtrack of the film The Karate Kid, Part II
The Karate Kid, Part II
The Karate Kid, Part II is a 1986 American martial arts film and is a sequel to 1984's The Karate Kid. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi, respectively. The original music score was composed by Bill Conti...
. The track was written and produced by Orzabal and Stanley, and featured vocals by US singer/dancer Eddie Thomas.
Live Aid
On 13 July 1985, Tears for Fears were scheduled to perform at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia for Bob GeldofBob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
's Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
charity event. However, on the morning of the historic event, it was announced that the band had pulled out of the show (they were replaced by blues rock group George Thorogood And The Destroyers
George Thorogood
George Thorogood is an American blues rock vocalist/guitarist from Wilmington, Delaware, United States, known for his hit song "Bad to the Bone" as well as for covers of blues standards such as Hank Williams' "Move It On Over" and John Lee Hooker's "House Rent Boogie/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One...
, which has a strong Philadelphia-area following). The official reason given for their non-appearance was that two of their backing musicians, guitarist Andrew Saunders and saxophonist Will Gregory
Will Gregory
William Owen Gregory is best known as a songwriter, and the lead keyboards/synthesizer player & producer of the electronic music group Goldfrapp. Originally a classical music student at the University of York, Gregory is the son of an actress and an opera chorus-line singer...
, had quit due to the expiration of their contract, they were replaced by Alan Griffiths
Apartment (Bristol band)
Apartment were a Post Punk band formed in Bristol, UK in late 1978. Fronted by Alan Griffiths -Vocals/Guitar, with Emil on Drums and Richard White playing Bass....
on guitar & Josephine Wells playing saxophone for the remaining bulk of the 1985 world tour. In place of appearing, the band pledged to donate proceeds from their concerts played in Tokyo, Sydney, London and New York.
As a further donation, the band also recorded a slightly rewritten version of one of their biggest hits and released it for the British fund-raising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
initiative Sport Aid
Sport Aid
Sport Aid was a charitable event held on May 25 1986, raising $37m to support famine relief in Africa, and is the sporting event with the most participants in history....
, a sister project of Band Aid
Band Aid (band)
Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
in which people took part in running races of varying length and seriousness to raise more money for African famine relief projects. Sport Aid's slogan was "I Ran the World", therefore Tears for Fears released "Everybody Wants To Run The World
Everybody Wants to Run the World
"Everybody Wants to Run the World" is a re-recording of the song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", originally written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley and Chris Hughes of the British band Tears for Fears and featured on the band's 1985 second LP Songs from the Big Chair.The re-jigged single was...
" (#5 in the UK and #4 in Ireland). Indirectly, the band were involved in the earlier Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?
Do They Know It's Christmas?
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a song written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money for relief of the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The original version was produced by Midge Ure and released by Band Aid on 29 November 1984....
" from 1984, which featured a slowed down sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
from their song "The Hurting" in the introduction.
The Seeds of Love (1989-1990)
It was 1989 before the group released their third album, The Seeds of LoveThe Seeds of Love
-Bonus tracks:Note: A remix of "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams" was also released as a separate single in the UK and reached #70 on the charts.-Personnel:* Drums - Manu Katché, Chris Hughes, Phil Collins, Simon Phillips* Bass - Pino Palladino, Curt Smith...
(on which Ian Stanley appeared for the last time as a TFF member), at a reported production cost of over a million pounds. The album was written largely by Orzabal along with keyboardist Nicky Holland, who had toured with the band on their "Big Chair" world tour in 1985. Moving from various studios and using various sets of producers over many months, the band ultimately decided to scrap the recordings and take the reins themselves with assistance from engineer David Bascombe
David Bascombe
David Bascombe is an English music producer and mix engineer. He has worked with many bands and musicians, such as Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode and Suede.-Selected engineering, production, mixing and remixing:*Tears for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair...
. Much of the material was recorded in jam sessions and later edited down. The length of the production left the band with towering debt and a record company eager to cash in on lost earnings. The album retained the band's epic sound while showing increasing influences ranging from jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, the latter being evident on the hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Sowing the Seeds of Love
Sowing the Seeds of Love
"Sowing the Seeds of Love" is a 1989 song and single by the British group Tears for Fears from their 1989 album The Seeds of Love.A worldwide hit, it reached the top five in the UK, Canada , Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and the Netherlands. In the US, it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot...
" (the first record ever played on the British Isles-based longwave radio station Atlantic 252
Atlantic 252
Atlantic 252 was a long wave radio station broadcasting to Ireland and the United Kingdom on 252 kHz from its 1988 purpose built transmission site Clarkstown radio transmitter, which provided service to Atlantic 252 from 1989 until 2002. The station's studios were located just 12 km away in...
). The second single from the album was "Woman in Chains
Woman in Chains
"Woman in Chains" is a hit song by the British band Tears for Fears, released as the second single from their 1989 album The Seeds of Love....
" (a Top 40 hit in the UK, in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and the US), on which Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
played drums and Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams is an American soul, jazz, and gospel singer and pianist.-Biography:Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised with gospel music. In her youth her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth.Before gaining her opportunity to perform,...
– whom Orzabal would later guide to a successful solo career – shared vocals. The album was a worldwide success, entering the UK album charts at no. 1, making the Top 10 in the US (though charting lower there than its multi-platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
predecessor) and in numerous other countries, eventually going on to sell millions of copies worldwide. The band set out on an extensive "Seeds of Love" world tour sponsored by Philips to start recovering the debt incurred. The show would be captured on the "Going To California
Going To California (Tears For Fears video)
Going to California is a concert performance video by the British pop group Tears for Fears. Released in 1990, it is a recording of the band's show at the Santa Barbara County Bowl in May 1990 during their "Seeds of Love" World Tour....
" video as the singles "Advice For The Young At Heart
Advice for the Young at Heart
"Advice for the Young at Heart" is a song released in 1990 by the British band Tears for Fears, taken from their 1989 album The Seeds of Love....
" and "Famous Last Words
Famous Last Words (Tears for Fears song)
"Famous Last Words" is a song by the British group Tears for Fears, originally released on their 1989 album The Seeds of Love. It was released as the fourth and final single from the album in 1990 and peaked at #83 in the UK.-Track listing:7" single # "Famous Last Words"# "Mothers Talk" CD...
" delivered modest chart success.
A 64-page companion book, simply titled "Tears for Fears – The Seeds of Love", was released by Virgin Books
Virgin Books
Virgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
in 1990 and offered extensive insight from Orzabal, Holland and Adams into the songwriting and production process for the album, as well as the musical scores for each track and rare promotional photographs from the era.
Break-up and solo careers
After The Seeds of Love, Orzabal and Smith had an acrimonious falling out and parted company in 1991. The split was blamed on Orzabal's intricate but frustrating approach to production and Smith's desire to slow down the pace of their work. Prior to The Seeds of Love, Smith's marriage had also broken down. Orzabal kept the band name alive by releasing the 1992 hit single "Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)
"Laid So Low " is a song by the British band Tears for Fears.It was released as a single in 1992 to coincide with the release of the band's Greatest Hits album Tears Roll Down . The song was a Top 20 hit in the UK, France, Italy and in the U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks and a Top 40 hit in Canada,...
" in order to promote the greatest hits collection Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82-92)
Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82-92)
Tears Roll Down is a compilation album released by the British band Tears for Fears in 1992.The album contains all the Top 20 hits up to that point released in the U.K. and internationally, and one new single, "Laid So Low ", which also made the Top 20 in the U.K...
which featured every single to reach the Top 20 either in the UK or internationally, apart from the Sport Aid fundraiser.
Smith relocated to New York City, and in 1993 he released his first solo album, Soul On Board
Soul on Board
Soul On Board was the first solo album by Curt Smith, member of the British pop band Tears for Fears. It was released on 23 August 1993.The album was Smith's first musical venture after leaving Tears For Fears in 1991. Preceded by the single "Calling Out", both the album and the single were...
. The album was a commercial failure and Smith himself has said on numerous occasions that he despised it, alleging that he only made it in order to fulfill his recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
. In 1995 he met local songwriter and producer Charlton Pettus. The two formed a self-described "organic" partnership, writing simple, melody-based songs and recording them at home on vintage analogue equipment. The result was released under the name Mayfield and a short US tour followed.
Second line-up: Elemental and Raoul and the Kings of Spain (1993-1996)
In 1993, Orzabal (still under the name Tears for Fears) released the album ElementalElemental (Tears for Fears album)
Elemental is the fourth album by the British pop band Tears for Fears. It was released on 7 June 1993 and includes the hit single "Break It Down Again". The album peaked at #5 in the UK and #45 in the US, and reached the Top 30 in several European countries.Elemental was the first new Tears for...
together with longtime collaborator Alan Griffiths
Apartment (Bristol band)
Apartment were a Post Punk band formed in Bristol, UK in late 1978. Fronted by Alan Griffiths -Vocals/Guitar, with Emil on Drums and Richard White playing Bass....
and co-producer Tim Palmer. It yielded the international hit "Break It Down Again
Break It Down Again
"Break It Down Again" is a song by the British band Tears For Fears, released as the first single from their 1993 album Elemental. The song was an international hit, reaching #20 in the UK, #25 in the US, and the Top 40 in several other countries, and also reached #1 on the US Billboard Modern...
" (Top 20 in the UK, Canada, France, and Italy) and was supported with another successful world tour, including a college tour of the US where "Break It Down Again" reached #25.
The album was a Top 10 hit in the UK, France and Italy, and Top 30 in several other countries. Although it charted considerably lower in the US than the previous two studio albums (#45), it still earned a Gold disc there for sales of over half a million copies. The singles "Cold
Cold (Tears for Fears song)
"Cold" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Released in July 1993, it was the second single from the album Elemental. The single peaked at #72 in the UK, and also entered the Top 100 in France.-Lyrics:...
", "Elemental
Elemental (song)
"Elemental" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. It was the title track from their 1993 album Elemental and was released as a single in the US.- Music video :...
" and "Goodnight Song
Goodnight Song
"Goodnight Song" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears.Taken from their 1993 album Elemental, it was released as a single in North America and in some European countries , and was a minor hit in Canada.- US track listing :...
" met with minor chart success in certain territories.
Orzabal, still working with Griffiths and Palmer, released another Tears for Fears album, Raoul and the Kings of Spain
Raoul and the Kings of Spain
Due to the band's label switch to Sony in 1995, none of the B-sides from the album's singles are included on the Tears for Fears B-sides collection Saturnine Martial & Lunatic, which was released in 1996 by PolyGram, the band's old record company.-Personnel:* Roland Orzabal: Lead Vocals, Guitar,...
, in 1995. This was a more contemplative work that delved into his own Spanish heritage and showcased a new Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
musical influence (Raoul was originally the name Orzabal's parents wanted to give him, and is also the name of his own first son). Orzabal stated that it was not a concept album but that there was a theme, namely that of familial relationships. The album also included a reunion with Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams is an American soul, jazz, and gospel singer and pianist.-Biography:Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised with gospel music. In her youth her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth.Before gaining her opportunity to perform,...
who duetted with Orzabal on the track "Me and My Big Ideas".
The album was not a commercial success by Tears for Fears standards, though minor chart success came via the single release of the title track (top 40 in the UK) and (to a lesser extent) the single "God's Mistake
God's Mistake
"God's Mistake" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears, featured on their 1995 album Raoul and the Kings of Spain. The song was the first single taken from the album in the United States and Canada , but the second to be taken from the album in the UK .It reached #61 in the UK, #102 in the...
". The release of the album had been delayed for nearly a year due to a last-minute label switch from Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
to Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
(part of Sony Music), and the ensuing confusion (Mercury had already begun promotion) did not help the album's chances either. Although the track listing for the album had been changed at the record company's request, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
did not extend Tears for Fears' contract following the album's release. A worldwide tour followed, including dates in Latin America, though Orzabal declined to tour his native UK this time except for a single show in London.
In 1996 a B-sides collection, Saturnine Martial & Lunatic
Saturnine Martial & Lunatic
Saturnine Martial & Lunatic is the second official compilation album released by the British band Tears for Fears. It is a collection of B-sides and rare tracks, spanning some ten years of recording from the band's Mercury/Phonogram era.-Track listing:...
, was released on Mercury, which included B-sides and some rare tracks from the successful 1982–93 period. The liner notes, written by Orzabal and Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes (record producer)
Chris Hughes is a music producer and a former drummer for Adam and the Ants....
, gave fans an insight into the songwriting process as well as a rare glimpse of self-deprecating
Self-deprecation
Self-deprecation, or Self-depreciation, is the act of belittling or undervaluing oneself. It can be used in humor and tension release.-In comedy:...
humour regarding the tracks which they would rather forget.
Remasters and other projects
In 1999, Mercury Records released remastered editions of Tears for Fears' first three albums which included B-sides, remixes, and extended versions. Supervised by producer Chris Hughes, the remasters also included new liner notes for each album providing details and new insights into the music.Due to record company mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
in the late 1990s, Tears for Fears' back catalogue was eventually placed into the Universal Music fold.
After undertaking production work and some songwriting for the Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic singer/songwriter Emiliana Torrini
Emilíana Torrini
Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song" for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.-Early life:Torrini grew up in Kópavogur, where, at the age of...
on her 1999 album Love in the Time of Science
Love in the Time of Science
Love in the Time of Science is an album by Emilíana Torrini. The album was recorded and released in 1999 with a variety of collaborators, including Roland Orzabal, Alan Griffiths, Eg White, Siggi Baldursson, and Mark Abis...
, Orzabal re-teamed with Alan Griffiths
Apartment (Bristol band)
Apartment were a Post Punk band formed in Bristol, UK in late 1978. Fronted by Alan Griffiths -Vocals/Guitar, with Emil on Drums and Richard White playing Bass....
and released the album Tomcats Screaming Outside
Tomcats Screaming Outside
Tomcats Screaming Outside is the first solo album from British musician Roland Orzabal of the group Tears for Fears, and was released on 2 April 2001. Although Orzabal had effectively made two solo albums under the Tears for Fears moniker in the 1990s , this was the first recording to be released...
, released on Eagle Records
Eagle Records
Eagle Records is a leading independent record label, a division of Edel Records. Also exists as Eagle Rock Entertainment.In the United Kingdom the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the United States the head is Mike Carden, formerly of CMC...
as a solo project
Solo project
A solo project usually refers to a single member of a band's work independent of their original group, yet typically without having quit their original group...
under his own name. Whereas Tears for Fears' work had become guitar-based, Tomcats Screaming Outside showcased a predominantly electronic style. The album was released in April 2001 in the UK and Europe, but had the unfortunate coincidence to be released on 11 September 2001 in the US, the same day the United States experienced its 9/11 terrorist attack, and ultimately drew little notice outside the group's core fan base.
Reunion: Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
In 2000, routine paperwork obligations led the duo to re-establish contact with each other after Orzabal signed a business document on Smith's behalf. As Smith tells it, Orzabal's manager contacted Smith's manager about the possibility of reuniting, and Smith flew to Bath (where Orzabal still lived) and they had dinner. After nine minutes of awkwardness, they got along and decided to work on a new album together.The songwriting sessions included Charlton Pettus (Smith's collaborator since the mid-1990s), and fourteen songs were written and recorded in less than six months. The ensuing album, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is the sixth studio album by the British pop rock/new wave band Tears for Fears, released on 14 September 2004 in the US, and 7 March 2005 in the UK and Europe...
, was scheduled for release on Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in late 2003, but a change in management at Arista prompted the band to opt out of their contract and switch to the New Door label (a new offshoot of Universal Music), and delayed the release until September 2004. Two US tours followed, and the 2004 tour included an unrehearsed guest appearance by Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams is an American soul, jazz, and gospel singer and pianist.-Biography:Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised with gospel music. In her youth her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth.Before gaining her opportunity to perform,...
at the Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
show for a performance of "Woman in Chains". The song "Who Killed Tangerine?" was used in the movie Fever Pitch.
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is the sixth studio album by the British pop rock/new wave band Tears for Fears, released on 14 September 2004 in the US, and 7 March 2005 in the UK and Europe...
was released in the UK and Europe in March 2005 on Gut Records
Gut Records
The Gut Group was an independent record label, based in Maida Vale in London, in the United Kingdom.Formally introduced in 1991, Gut Recordings was founded by Guy Holmes, who had been Head of Promotions at Island Records...
, shortly after the comeback single "Closest Thing to Heaven" became the first Tears for Fears UK Top 40
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
hit in a decade. The promo video for the single was a colourful fantasy that featured Hollywood actress Brittany Murphy
Brittany Murphy
Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack , known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Just Married, Girl Interrupted, Spun, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys...
riding in a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
. The European releases of the album contained all fourteen tracks recorded during the ELAHE sessions, and a brief tour of larger UK venues followed in April.
In 2005, the band began discussions with Universal Music for the release of a new comprehensive anthology of their work to date, including a new track entitled "Floating Down the River". However, the subsequent release (at least in the US) was a compilation issued as part of Hip-O Records
Hip-O Records
Hip-O Records is a record label, currently part of Universal Music Group, which specializes in reissues and compilations. Their Hip-O Select label is currently in the midst of releasing the Complete Motown Singles, a series of fourteen box sets which include both sides of every 45 from Motown...
' generic "Gold" series, a Universal subsidiary that specialises in budget-priced back catalogue compilations.
A live performance at the Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
stadium in Paris, recorded in June 2005, was released on CD and DVD in France and Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
. Entitled Secret World – Live in Paris
Secret World Live in Paris
Secret World - Live in Paris is a live album by Tears for Fears, released on 27 February 2006 by XIII Bis.-Track listing:Tracks 1-9 recorded in Paris, 18 June 2005...
, it was released on the XIII Bis label in early 2006 and became a best-seller, with over 70,000 physical copies sold in addition to downloads. The CD contained the aforementioned new studio song, "Floating Down the River", and a remastered Curt Smith/Mayfield track, "What Are We Fighting For?". The relationship with XIII Bis proved so successful that Smith chose the comparatively small French label to release his 2007 solo album, Halfway, Pleased
Halfway, Pleased
Halfway, pleased is the third solo album by British pop musician Curt Smith, co-founder of Tears for Fears. It was released on May 20, 2008.-Track listing:# "Perfect Day" – 4:21# "Seven of Sundays" – 4:01# "Halfway Pleased" – 4:08...
.
In 2006, Songs from the Big Chair was re-issued again by Universal Music, this time as a 2-disc Deluxe Edition with additional B-sides and rarities added, expanding further than the 1999 remastered version. The release did not include the lyrics as the band had intended with the original release, but came with a 24 page booklet including rare photographs and newly written liner notes. The 28-track set contained four sections, with the first disc containing the original album and various B-sides taken from the earlier 1999 remastered edition. It also included the rare piano version of "The Working Hour" which had previously only been available as a limited edition item. The second disc contained various 7" versions of the singles (including the aforementioned "The Way You Are", the re-recording of "I Believe", and the 1986 US remix of "Mothers Talk"), followed by various 12" remixes from the era.
In August 2009, the Raoul and the Kings of Spain album was also re-issued by Cherry Pop Records
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
, featuring seven bonus B-side tracks from the time of its original release.
In April 2010, Tears For Fears joined the reformed 80s pop group Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...
on their 7-date tour of Australia and New Zealand, before a 4-date headlining tour of their own in South East Asia (Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and a 17-date tour of the USA.
Discography
- The HurtingThe HurtingThe Hurting is the debut album by the British pop band Tears for Fears. It was released on 7 March 1983, and peaked at no. 1 on the UK Album Chart...
(1983) - Songs from the Big ChairSongs from the Big ChairSongs from the Big Chair is the second album by the British rock band Tears for Fears. It was released in 1985 on Phonogram Records, and remains their highest selling album to date. The album peaked at no.2 in the UK and reached no.1 in the US...
(1985) - The Seeds of LoveThe Seeds of Love-Bonus tracks:Note: A remix of "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams" was also released as a separate single in the UK and reached #70 on the charts.-Personnel:* Drums - Manu Katché, Chris Hughes, Phil Collins, Simon Phillips* Bass - Pino Palladino, Curt Smith...
(1989) - ElementalElemental (Tears for Fears album)Elemental is the fourth album by the British pop band Tears for Fears. It was released on 7 June 1993 and includes the hit single "Break It Down Again". The album peaked at #5 in the UK and #45 in the US, and reached the Top 30 in several European countries.Elemental was the first new Tears for...
(1993) - Raoul and the Kings of SpainRaoul and the Kings of SpainDue to the band's label switch to Sony in 1995, none of the B-sides from the album's singles are included on the Tears for Fears B-sides collection Saturnine Martial & Lunatic, which was released in 1996 by PolyGram, the band's old record company.-Personnel:* Roland Orzabal: Lead Vocals, Guitar,...
(1995) - Everybody Loves a Happy EndingEverybody Loves a Happy EndingEverybody Loves a Happy Ending is the sixth studio album by the British pop rock/new wave band Tears for Fears, released on 14 September 2004 in the US, and 7 March 2005 in the UK and Europe...
(2004)
See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart