"Cold" is a song by English

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the synth-pop bands o ...

. Released in July 1993, it served as the second single from the band's ''

Elemental An elemental is a mythic supernatural being that is described in occult and alchemy, alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsu ...

''. The single peaked at number 72 on the UK Singles Chart.

Lyrical content

According to the ''Elemental'' EPK, the song is an account of an encounter with a German photographer who was trying to take pictures of

Roland Orzabal Roland Jaime Orzábal De La Quintana (born 22 August 1961) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. He is the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, main songwriter, co-founder, and only constant member of Tears for Fears. ...

while he was on-stage. He wasn't in the mood for photos and kept turning his face away and giving her the 'cold' shoulder. He eventually received a note from her later that said 'how can someone who makes such warm music to be so cold'. The first 2 verses of the song describe this event. The song's lyrics, written by Orzabal, also contain references to prior associates of Tears for Fears such as the line "Listened to my old friend Nockles, hoped that it would warm the cockles" which is a reference to former Tears for Fears keyboardist and one time co-writer Nicky Holland whose nickname was "Nockles". Orzabal also takes a swipe at former Tears for Fears business manager Paul King with the lyric "King got caught with his fingers in the till. Where's your calculator, will you leave it in your will?" after alleged discrepancies were discovered in King's prior management of the band's financial affairs. King declared bankruptcy in 1990 and, after being found guilty of later fraudulent activities, was imprisoned in 2004 and disqualified from being a company director for a period of 10 years.

Releases

The 7-inch and CD single included the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

"New Star". This song can be heard on '' Gloryland World Cup USA 94'', the official album of the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...

. It can also be heard during the opening credits of the 1994 film ''

Threesome In human sexuality, a threesome is "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". While the term ''threesome'' typically refers to sexual activity involvin ...

'' and appears on the film's soundtrack album. It was also later included on the 1996 compilation album ''

Saturnine Martial & Lunatic ''Saturnine Martial & Lunatic'' is a compilation album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 3 June 1996. It is a collection of B-sides and rare tracks, spanning some ten years of recording from the band's era signed to Mercury ...

'' and the 2001 greatest hits album '' Shout: The Very Best of Tears for Fears''.

Music video

The music video was filmed over five days at the

Kew Bridge Steam Museum London Museum of Water & Steam is an independent museum founded in 1975 as the Kew Bridge Steam Museum. It was rebranded in early 2014 following a major investment project. Situated on the site of the old Kew Bridge Pumping Station in Brentfo ...

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

, England, and at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

in London. It employs the use of stop motion photography and features Orzabal inside a block of ice (actually clear

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...

) as people are trying to chisel him out.

Track listings

UK 7-inch: IDEA19 # "Cold" – 5:06 # "New Star" (Roland Orzabal, Alan Griffiths) UK CD single: IDECD19 # "Cold" # "New Star" (Orzabal, Griffiths) # "Deja-Vu & the Sins of Science" (Orzabal, Griffiths)

Charts

Weekly charts

References

{{Authority control 1993 singles 1993 songs Mercury Records singles Songs written by Roland Orzabal Tears for Fears songs