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Tears for Fears are an 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 formed in
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
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 Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
bands of the 1980s, and attained international chart success as part of the Second British Invasion. The band's debut album, '' The Hurting'' (1983), reached number one on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
, and their first three hit singles – " Mad World", "
Change Change, Changed or Changing may refer to the below. Other forms are listed at Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of t ...
", and " Pale Shelter" – all reached the top five in the UK Singles Chart. Their second album, '' Songs from the Big Chair'' (1985), reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200, achieving multi-platinum status in both the US and the UK. The album contained two US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number one hits: " Shout" and " Everybody Wants to Rule the World", both of which also reached the top five in the UK with the latter winning the Brit Award for Best British Single in 1986. Their belated follow-up, '' The Seeds of Love'' (1989), entered the UK chart at number one and yielded the transatlantic top 5 hit " Sowing the Seeds of Love". After touring ''The Seeds of Love'' in 1990, Orzabal and Smith had an acrimonious split. Orzabal retained the Tears for Fears name as a solo project, releasing the albums ''
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 ...
'' (1993) – which produced the international hit " Break It Down Again" – and '' Raoul and the Kings of Spain'' (1995). Orzabal and Smith reconciled in 2000 and released an album of new material, '' Everybody Loves a Happy Ending'', in 2004. The duo have toured on a semi-regular basis since then. After being in development for almost a decade, the band's seventh album, '' The Tipping Point'', was released in 2022, giving the band their sixth UK Top 5 album and their highest chart peak in 30 years, and reaching the Top 10 in numerous other countries, including the US. In 2021, Orzabal and Smith were honoured with the
Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
for 'Outstanding Song Collection' recognising their "era-defining Tears for Fears albums" and "critically acclaimed, innovative hit singles".


History


Formation and influences

Orzabal and Smith met as teenagers in Bath, Somerset, England. Their professional debut came with the band Graduate, a mod revival/new wave act whose influences included
the Jam The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey, consisting of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in ...
and two-tone music. In 1980, Graduate released an album, ''Acting My Age'', and a single "Elvis Should Play Ska" (referring to
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
). The single just missed the top 100 in the UK, but performed well in Spain and in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. The band split in 1981. Shortly afterwards, Orzabal and Smith became session musicians for the band
Neon Neon is a chemical element; it has symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is the second noble gas in the periodic table. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with approximately two-thirds the density of ...
, where they first met future Tears for Fears drummer Manny Elias. Neon also featured Pete Byrne and Rob Fisher, who went on to become Naked Eyes. The pair continued working together, drawing inspiration from artists such as
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads
,
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...
and
Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...
. Impressed by the
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
sound of
Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the New wave music, new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two st ...
's " Are 'Friends' Electric?" (1979), Orzabal and Smith began to explore the possibilities of electronic music. Their new creative direction was assured upon hearing the work of bands such as
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Meols, Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals). Regarded as pioneers of electronic musi ...
(OMD),
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
and
the Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...
. The likes of OMD and
Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synth-pop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball (electronic musician), David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit versio ...
had popularised the "duo" presentation within synth-pop, inspiring Orzabal and Smith to package themselves as a two-man unit. Orzabal was also influenced by post-punk band
Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...
, whose music explored themes of suicidal ideation. The duo initially adopted the name History of Headaches. Their eventual Tears for Fears moniker was inspired by
primal therapy Primal therapy is a Psychological trauma, trauma-based psychotherapy created by Arthur Janov during the 1960s, who argued that neurosis is caused by the Psychological repression, repressed Psychological pain, pain of childhood trauma. Janov argued ...
, developed by the American psychologist Arthur Janov, which gained tremendous publicity after
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
became Janov's patient in 1970. When Orzabal and Smith finally met Janov in the mid-1980s, they were disillusioned to find he had become quite "Hollywood" and wanted the band to write a musical for him. As Tears for Fears, Orzabal and Smith intended to form the nucleus of the group and bring in surrounding musicians to help them complete the picture. Around this time they met local musician Ian Stanley, who offered them free use of his home 8-track studio. Stanley began working with the duo as their keyboard-player and, after recording two demos, Tears for Fears were signed to
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
in the UK in 1981 by A&R manager Dave Bates. Their first single, " 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, but neither release was successful.


''The Hurting'' and first hit singles (1982–1983)

The band achieved their first success with their third single, " Mad World", which reached No. 3 in the UK in November 1982. Their first album, '' The Hurting'', was released in March 1983. The album, produced by
Chris Hughes Christopher Hughes (born November 26, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and author who co-founded and served as spokesman for the online social directory and networking site Facebook until 2007. He was the publisher and editor-in-chief of ''The ...
and Ross Cullum, showcased guitar- and synthesizer-based songs with lyrics reflecting Orzabal's bitter childhood and his interest in
primal therapy Primal therapy is a Psychological trauma, trauma-based psychotherapy created by Arthur Janov during the 1960s, who argued that neurosis is caused by the Psychological repression, repressed Psychological pain, pain of childhood trauma. Janov argued ...
. The album 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 Change, Changed or Changing may refer to the below. Other forms are listed at Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of t ...
" (top 40 hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, Poland and South Africa – their first single to reach the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100), and a re-recorded version of " Pale Shelter". All three of these singles reached the Top 5 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 A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...
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, was a departure from Tears for Fears' previous musical approach. In the liner notes to their 1996 B-sides compilation album '' Saturnine Martial & Lunatic'' they wrote "this was the point we realised we had to change direction", though 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 Talk". 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 re-produced 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. "Shout", a top-5 UK 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 synthpop feel of the first album, instead expanding into a more sophisticated sound that would become the band's stylistic hallmark. Anchored on 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 No. 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 dissociative identity disorder who sought refuge in her analyst's "big chair", Orzabal and Smith stating they felt each of the album's songs had a distinctive personality of its own. The band had also recorded a track titled "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" (No. 4 UK, No. 1 in the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and a huge hit in other territories), " Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (their highest-charting UK and Irish hit at No. 2 and another No. 1 in the US and in Canada), " Head over Heels" (UK No. 12, US No. 3, Ireland No. 5, Canada No. 8), and " I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)" (UK No. 23 and Ireland No. 10). Some regions 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, playing notably at the ''Montreux Golden Rose Rock and Pop Festival'' in May 1985. In September 1985, the band performed "Shout" at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards at the
Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...
in New York. Also during the tour, Orzabal and Smith discovered an American female singer/pianist, Oleta Adams, who was performing in a
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...
hotel bar, and whom they invited to collaborate on their next album. Towards the end of the year, they released a video collection/documentary titled '' Scenes from the Big Chair''. In February 1986, having completed the lengthy and exhausting Big Chair world tour, Tears for Fears were honoured at the 1986 Brit Awards in London, where they won the Best British Single award for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". The band was also nominated for Best British Group and Best British Album, and Chris Hughes was nominated for Best Producer. Tears for Fears performed the song at the ceremony, which became the final public performance of drummer Manny Elias who left the group shortly afterwards. At the same time, the band was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Duo/Group and Favorite Pop/Rock Duo/Group Video Artist at the 1986
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
; performing "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" during the TV show. And in April, a remixed version of "Mothers Talk" was released in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, reaching the US Top 30. The same year, Orzabal and Stanley 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, who was one of the dancers in the video for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".


Live Aid

On 13 July 1985, Tears for Fears were scheduled to perform at JFK Stadium in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
for the
Live Aid Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...
charity event. However, on the morning of the event, it was announced that the band (who had actually been billed to appear before they had even agreed to do so) had pulled out of the show. They were replaced by blues rock group George Thorogood and the Destroyers, which had a strong Philadelphia-area following. The official reason given for their non-appearance was that two of their backing musicians, guitarist Andrew Sanders and saxophonist Will Gregory, had quit due to the expiration of their contract; they were replaced by Alan Griffiths on guitar and Josephine Wells on 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
fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
initiative Sport Aid in 1986, 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" (No. 5 in the UK and No. 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?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...
" from 1984, which featured a slowed down sample from their song "The Hurting" (from their debut album of the same name) in the introduction.


''The Seeds of Love'' (1987–1990)

It was 1989 before the group released their third album, '' The Seeds of Love'' (on which Ian Stanley appeared for the last time as a member of Tears for Fears), at a reported production cost of over a million pounds. With Stanley and Chris Hughes having both left the project and the band early during the recording sessions due to creative differences, the album was written largely by Orzabal along with keyboardist Nicky Holland (who had toured with Tears for Fears 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 Dave Bascombe. Much of the material was recorded in jam sessions and later edited down. The length of the production was difficult for the band's management company, which had financially over-extended itself in other business matters and was hoping for an earlier release date to pay off its debts. The album retained the band's classic sound while showing increasing influences ranging from
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
to
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
, the latter being evident on the
hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...
" Sowing the Seeds of Love". The second single from the album was " Woman in Chains" (a top 40 hit in the UK, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and the US), on which
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
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 Albums Chart at no. 1, making the top 10 in the US and in numerous other countries, eventually going on to sell millions of copies internationally. The band set out on an extensive "Seeds of Love" world tour sponsored by Philips to start recovering the debt incurred during the recording process. The band's show in
Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...
, in May 1990 would be captured on the '' Going to California'' live 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 Virgin Books is a British book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Group, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company. History Virgin established its book publishing ...
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 (1991–1992)

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 perfectionist approach to production and delays caused by Smith's jetsetting lifestyle and desire to slow down the pace of their work (Smith was also going through a divorce at the time). Another factor in the break-up was the band's manager, Paul King, who declared bankruptcy in 1990 and was later convicted of fraud in 2004. Following the break-up, Orzabal retained the Tears for Fears name and released the 1992 single " Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)". The single was released to promote the band's 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. The album peaked at no. 2 in the UK, where it was certified double platinum, and also reached the Top 10 in several other countries, including France, Italy and New Zealand.


Solo era: ''Elemental'' and ''Raoul and the Kings of Spain'' (1993–1999)

In 1993, Orzabal (still under the name Tears for Fears) released the album ''
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 ...
'' together with longtime collaborator Alan Griffiths. Co-produced by 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 no. 25. Although it charted considerably lower in the US than the previous two studio albums (no. 45), it still earned a Gold disc there for sales of over half a million copies. Orzabal, still working with Griffiths and Palmer, released another Tears for Fears album, '' Raoul and the Kings of Spain'', in 1995. This album was a more contemplative work that delved into his own Spanish heritage and showcased a new
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
musical influence (Raoul was originally the name Orzabal's parents wanted to give him, and is also the name of his own first son). 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". In 1996 a B-sides compilation album, '' Saturnine Martial & Lunatic'', was released on Mercury, which included B-sides and some rare tracks from the successful 1982–93 period.


Reunion: ''Everybody Loves a Happy Ending'' (2000-2009)

Around 2000, the duo began talking again after Orzabal helped Smith with some routine legal paperwork. Smith flew back to England (where Orzabal still lived) and they had dinner and decided to work on a new album together. The songwriting sessions included Charlton Pettus (Smith's collaborator since the mid-1990s), and 14 songs were written and recorded in less than six months. After initially being signed to
Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
by L.A. Reid in 2003, record company mergers and the departure of Reid led to the band opting to terminate the contract. The ensuing album, '' Everybody Loves a Happy Ending'', was eventually released in September 2004 on New Door Records in the U.S. Two U.S. tours followed, and the 2004 tour included an unrehearsed guest appearance by Oleta Adams at the
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...
show for a performance of "Woman in Chains". ''Everybody Loves a Happy Ending'' was released in the UK and Europe in March 2005 on
Gut Records Gut Records was a British independent record label, based in Maida Vale in London, England. Formed in 1991, Gut was founded by Guy Holmes, who had been Head of Promotions at Island Records. The first single released on the label, Right Said ...
, 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 Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in both comedy and drama. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to pursue a career in a ...
riding in a
hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...
. The European releases of the album contained all fourteen tracks recorded during the recording sessions, while the US version only contained twelve. A brief tour of larger UK venues followed in April. A live performance at the
Parc des Princes The Parc des Princes (, ) is an all-seater stadium, all-seater football stadium in Paris, France. It is located in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin (P ...
stadium in Paris, recorded in June 2005, was released on CD and DVD in France and
Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...
. Titled '' 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 a new studio song, "Floating Down the River", and a remastered Curt Smith/Mayfield track, "What Are We Fighting For?". During this period, "Mad World" was re-recorded by Michael Andrews and
Gary Jules Gary Jules Aguirre Jr. (born March 19, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, known primarily for his cover version of the Tears for Fears song " Mad World", which he recorded with his friend Michael Andrews for the film '' Donnie Darko''. ...
for the soundtrack of the 2001's film ''
Donnie Darko ''Donnie Darko'' is a 2001 American Science fiction film, science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly (filmmaker), Richard Kelly in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut, and produced by Flower ...
''; a 2003 single release of the song reached number one in the UK for three consecutive weeks and won Orzabal his second
Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
. This version also reached the Top 40 in numerous other countries between 2003 and 2013. In 2006, ''Songs from the Big Chair'' was re-issued again by Universal Music. It included the rare piano version of "The Working Hour", which had previously only been available as a limited edition item. In August 2009, the ''Raoul and the Kings of Spain'' album was also re-issued by
Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...
, featuring seven bonus B-side tracks from the time of its original release.


2010–2020

In April 2010, Tears for Fears joined the reformed 1980s group
Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet ( ) were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids (New Romantics), ...
on their seven-date tour of Australia and New Zealand, before a four-date headlining tour of their own in Southeast Asia (Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and a 17-date tour of the United States. In 2011 and 2012, they played dates in the US, Japan, South Korea, Manila and South America. In May 2013, Smith confirmed that he was writing and recording new Tears for Fears material with Orzabal and Charlton Pettus. In August 2013, Tears for Fears released their first newly recorded material in nearly a decade, with a cover of
Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...
's "
Ready to Start "Ready to Start" is a single from Arcade Fire's third album ''The Suburbs''. It was released as a single in 2010. The band performed "Ready to Start" as their second performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards, immediately following ''The Suburbs'' w ...
" made available on
SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
. In 2014, the track was included on a limited edition 3-track 10" vinyl EP from the band called '' Ready Boy & Girls?'', released exclusively for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
, which also featured covers of Hot Chip's " Boy from School" and Animal Collective's " My Girls". All three songs were recorded as "kick-start" projects as the band commenced work on their seventh studio album. In an interview on
BBC Radio Devon BBC Radio Devon is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Devon. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios in the Mannamead area of Plymouth. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of ...
in October 2014, Orzabal stated that the band had now signed to
Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...
and that around five or six songs had so far been completed for the new album. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band's debut album ''The Hurting'', Universal Music reissued it in October 2013 in two deluxe editions. Deluxe editions of the band's second album, ''Songs from the Big Chair'', were released on 10 November 2014. On 12 November 2014, Tears for Fears performed "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" on ABC's ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...
'' TV programme. In mid 2015, the band began a series of live dates in the United States and Canada. In July 2016, the band played their first live dates in the UK in over ten years: the Newmarket Nights festival at
Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...
on 29 July and a closing night headlining appearance at Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle in Dorset on 31 July. The gigs marked the band's first UK festival appearances since
Knebworth Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England, immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Wald ...
in 1990. The band again toured the United States and Canada in September and October 2016. In 2017, the band toured North America with co-headliners Hall & Oates, and also played in Israel, at the British Summer Time Festival in London's Hyde Park on 8 July, and at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil on 22 September. In a July 2017 interview, Orzabal stated that the band had collaborated with songwriter/producer Sacha Skarbek on their seventh album, '' The Tipping Point'', and divulged several song titles from it including "My Demons", " I Love You but I'm Lost", "End of Night" and "Up Above the World". In an interview with SiriusXM Canada the same month, Orzabal divulged that although the band had signed with Warner Music to release their new album (which had been scheduled for October 2017), Universal Music had then approached Warner Music about buying the rights to the album so that they could release it (Universal being the rights holders of the vast majority of the band's back catalogue). Roland Orzabal's wife, Caroline, died in the summer of 2017. Tears for Fears initially withdrew from the remaining shows on their pending North American tour, but they resumed the tour in September 2017 at the
Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...
in Los Angeles. During his late wife's illness, Orzabal began writing songs that appear on the 2022 Tears for Fears album, '' The Tipping Point''. On 26 October 2017, the band performed a 65-minute live set at the BBC Radio Theatre in London for the Radio 2 in Concert series, which was broadcast on both radio and television (via the
BBC Red Button BBC Red Button is a brand used for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service. BBC Red Button's text services were due to cl ...
service). The following night, the band played their first ''full-length'' UK concert since 2005, at London's
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
. Prior to this, on 12 October, " I Love You but I'm Lost" was released as a single from a new 16-track Tears For Fears compilation album titled '' Rule the World: The Greatest Hits''. In October 2017, the band announced an 11-date UK arena tour for April–May 2018, featuring
Alison Moyet Geneviève Alison Jane Ballard (; ; born 18 June 1961), formerly known as Alf, is an English singer. Noted for her powerful bluesy contralto voice, she came to prominence as a member of the synth-pop duo Yazoo (band), Yazoo (known as Yaz in Nor ...
as the support act. However, the tour was postponed to early 2019 due to Orzabal's health problems following the death of his wife. The band performed at further UK and European festivals in the summer of 2019, starting with the Hampton Court Palace Festival on 18 and 19 June, the Forest Live festival at Delamere Forest on 21 June, and the Nocturne Live Concert Series at Blenheim Palace on 22 June. In February 2020, ''Songs from the Big Chair'' was the subject of an episode of the BBC series '' Classic Albums'' featuring new interviews with the band and all key personnel from the album's creation and subsequent success. To coincide with the album's 35th anniversary, the 2014 deluxe boxed set was reissued by Universal Music, as well as a new 12-inch vinyl picture disc of the album. In October 2020, ''The Seeds of Love'' album was reissued as various deluxe editions and returned the band to the UK Top 20. In November 2020, after a change in management, ''Everybody Loves a Happy Ending'' was made available through various streaming services for the first time.


''The Tipping Point'' and ''Songs for a Nervous Planet'' (2021–present)

On 12 June 2021, Tears for Fears released the live double album ''Live at
Massey Hall Massey Hall is a performing arts auditorium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Although original ...
'' (recorded in 1985) for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
and in September, Orzabal and Smith were honoured at the
Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
. On 7 October 2021, Smith appeared on the BBC Radio 2 programme ''The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show'' to introduce the band's single " The Tipping Point", the first track from their seventh album, '' The Tipping Point'', released on Concord Records on 25 February 2022. In November 2021, Tears for Fears announced a summer tour of the US and UK to commence in May 2022. The band had to cancel the tour before its completion, due to Smith suffering four broken ribs in a road accident in July 2022. Two further singles, "No Small Thing" and "Break the Man", were released before the album (respectively in early December 2021 and mid-January 2022). ''The Tipping Point'' received largely positive reviews from critics and entered the UK Charts at number 2 while topping the UK Album Sales Chart, the UK Physical Albums Sales Chart, the UK Downloads Albums Chart, the UK Vinyl Albums Chart, and also the Scottish regional album chart. It also reached the Top 10 in numerous other countries (entering the US ''Billboard'' 200 at number 8) and topped the US ''Billboard''
Top Alternative Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
,
Top Rock Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
and
Top Album Sales The Top Album Sales is a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's top-selling albums in the United States. The chart has been published since December 13, 2014, although the magazine also retrospectively recognize ...
charts. On 1 June 2022, a video was released for the song "My Demons" (the fourth single from ''The Tipping Point''), and while the band was on tour, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" re-entered the UK Singles Chart and entered the ''Billboard'' Global 200. In April 2023, Tears for Fears announced the second part of the Tipping Point World Tour. In June 2023, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" returned to the UK Singles Chart once again for an additional 22 week chart run, reaching its peak position at number 72 in September. On 12 September 2024, Tears for Fears announced the release of the ''Songs for a Nervous Planet'' album, featuring eighteen live tracks, recorded on 11 July 2023 in
Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...
, during the band's Tipping Point World Tour, as well as four (or five in some limited editions) new studio tracks. The cover art, described as "mixed media digital collage with AI being just one of the many tools used in the creative process", was criticized by some fans. Tears for Fears described the cover art as "a vibrant artwork that evoked a sense of sci-fi, futuristic themes, and an escape from what is known". Two of the new tracks were released as singles from the album before its issue: "The Girl That I Call Home" on 12 September and "Astronaut" on 4 October 2024. ''Songs for a Nervous Planet'' entered the Top 10 in the UK (becoming the band's seventh UK top 10 album) and the Top 40 in several other countries.Lescharts.com
/ref>


Band members

Current members * Roland Orzabal – guitars, keyboards, lead and backing vocals, bass (1981–present) * Curt Smith – bass, keyboards, lead and backing vocals (1981–1991, 2000–present) Current touring band *Charlton Pettus – guitar *Douglas Petty – keyboards *Jamie Wollam – bass drums Former members * Ian Stanley – keyboards, backing vocals (1981–1987) * Manny Elias – drums, percussion (1981–1986)


Timeline


Line-ups


Discography

; Studio albums * '' The Hurting'' (1983) * '' Songs from the Big Chair'' (1985) * '' The Seeds of Love'' (1989) * ''
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 ...
'' (1993) * '' Raoul and the Kings of Spain'' (1995) * '' Everybody Loves a Happy Ending'' (2004) * '' The Tipping Point'' (2022)


See also

* List of artists who reached number one in the United States *
List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on ''Billboard magazine's'' Dance Club Songs chart. ''Billboard'' began ranking dance music on the week ending October 26, 1974, and this is the standard music popularity chart in ...
* List of ''Billboard'' number-one dance hits * List of ''Billboard'' number-one singles


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1981 establishments in England Brit Award winners English synth-pop new wave groups English new wave musical groups English pop music duos English pop rock music groups English synth-pop groups Epic Records artists Fontana Records artists Gut Records artists English male musical duos Mercury Records artists Musical groups from Somerset Musical groups established in 1981 New wave duos Vertigo Records artists Second British Invasion artists