KB’s Look Back at the 80’s Music Scene: Tears for Fears

By Karen Beishuizen

Picture this:

Bath, England, 1981

Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal form the band Tears for Fears. They come up with the title after reading about a primal therapy, developed by the American psychologist Arthur Janov, which gained tremendous publicity after John Lennon became Janov’s patient in 1970.

Their musical instrument was the synthesizer which was synonymous with the 1980s and the guys used it to the limit.

They achieved success with their third single “Mad World” which reached No. 3 in the UK in November 1982. It was from their debut album “The Hurting” which was released in March 1983.

Their second album “Songs from the Big Chair”(released in February 1985) became their big break with the second single “Shout” going crazy all over the world’s hit charts, followed by “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” which became an even bigger hit.

“Everybody Wants To Rule the World” is about Cold War-era tyrants and power madness, and “Shout” is a generalized protest song that explores mental health themes with both of those songs going to No. 1 in the United States.

On 13 July 1985, Tears for Fears were scheduled to perform at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia for the Live Aid charity event. However, on the morning of the event, it was announced that the band had pulled out of the show. The official reason given was that two of their backing musicians had quit due to the expiration of their contract. As they felt guilty, the band pledged to donate proceeds from their concerts played in Tokyo, Sydney, London and New York.

Tears for Fears spent years working on their follow-up album, returning at the end of the 1980s with a brand new but old sound. “Sowing the Seeds of Love” with hit singles “Sowing the Seeds of Love” and “Woman in Chains” on which Phil Collins played drums and Oleta Adams shared vocals.

In 1991 the band split up, only to come back together in 2004 with the release of a new album “Everybody Loves a Happy Ending”.

Fast Forward to 2026:

In November 2025, “Songs from the Big Chair” was released in a special edition to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal are still performing together as Tears for Fears.

Check out their website for info and upcoming shows: HERE

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