Latest Release
- Songs from the Big Chair · 1985
- Songs From the Big Chair (Super Deluxe Version) · 1985
- Songs from the Big Chair · 1984
- Songs From the Big Chair (Super Deluxe Version) · 1985
- Songs from the Big Chair · 1985
- The Hurting (Remastered) · 1983
- Songs From the Big Chair (Super Deluxe Version) · 1985
- Songs From the Big Chair (Super Deluxe Version) · 1985
- Songs From the Big Chair (Super Deluxe Version) · 1985
- Elemental · 1993
Essential Albums
- The British duo’s bid to rule the pop world.
2005
2005
2021
2005
2022
Artist Playlists
- One of the most celebrated synth-pop bands of the '80s.
- Thrilling experiments from pop savants.
Singles & EPs
- 2015
- 2008
Compilations
More To Hear
- The band on their album 'The Tipping Point.'
More To See
About Tears for Fears
After the dissolution of their first group, a mod outfit called Graduate, in 1981, childhood friends Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal (along with keyboardist Ian Stanley) set out to form England’s next big synth band. But while they were aiming for Duran Duran, they ended up with “Mad World," a darkly relatable song that offered an early sign that Tears for Fears were more contemplative than the boilerplate New Wave band. After all, they took their name from Arthur Janov's book on primal therapy and imbued their lyrics with many of his ideas, like the lines concerning dreams about dying on 'Mad World.'" Their 1983 debut album, The Hurting, earned them a lot of success in the UK, but it was their 1985 follow-up LP, Songs from the Big Chair, that introduced their sobering pop to the world. First, there was the brash “Shout,” which paired synths with a catchy chorus, metal guitars, and a rumination on political protest, and then the plaintive sing-along hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” which tapped into Cold War anxiety. Four years later, they returned with a soulful, Beatles-esque sound for 1989’s The Seeds of Love, featuring "Sowing the Seeds of Love," the band’s reaction against Thatcherism and most overtly political single to date. Smith left the band shortly thereafter, but Orzabal persevered, releasing Elemental in 1993, buoyed by the pop-rock anthem “Break It Down Again,” and 1995’s Raoul and the Kings of Spain. After Gary Jules’ cover of “Mad World” was featured in 2001’s Donnie Darko, Smith and Orzabal reunited for 2004’s aptly titled Everybody Loves a Happy Ending.
- HOMETOWN
- Bath, England
- FORMED
- 1981