Songs from the Big Chair

Last updated

Songs from the Big Chair
Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair.jpg
Studio album by
Tears for Fears
Released25 February 1985 [1]
Recorded1983–1984 [a] [b]
Studio The Wool Hall (Beckington)
Genre
Length41:52
Label
Producer Chris Hughes
Tears for Fears chronology
The Hurting
(1983)		Songs from the Big Chair
(1985)		 The Seeds of Love
(1989)
Singles from Songs from the Big Chair
  1. "Mothers Talk"
    Released: August 1984
  2. "Shout"
    Released: November 1984
  3. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
    Released: March 1985
  4. "Head over Heels"
    Released: June 1985
  5. "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)"
    Released: October 1985
  6. "Mothers Talk (US remix)"
    Released: April 1986

Songs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by the English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records and Mercury Records. The follow-up to the band's successful debut album, The Hurting (1983), Songs from the Big Chair was a significant departure from that album's dark, introspective synth-pop, featuring a more mainstream, guitar-based pop rock sound, sophisticated production values and diverse stylistic influences, while Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley's lyrics displayed socially and politically conscious themes.

Contents

The album peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in the US, becoming a multi-platinum seller in several countries and the band's most successful studio album to date. The singles "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" both topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart, while "Head over Heels", "Mothers Talk", and a re-recorded version of "I Believe" were also successful internationally. Receiving positive critical reviews upon release, Songs from the Big Chair has accrued lasting praise and has been named one of the best albums of the 1980s, [7] [8] [9] and was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [10]

Background

The album was to be titled The Working Hour, but Roland Orzabal thought to change it to Songs from the Big Chair, [11] a title derived from the 1976 American television film Sybil about a woman with multiple personality disorder who only feels safe when sitting in her analyst's "big chair." The title, according to Curt Smith, reflects both the distinct personalities of each song on the album, and the band's opinion that they were the targets of a hostile British music press at the time. [12]

In an interview for the 2006 deluxe-version booklet, Smith noted: "We were very introverted on The Hurting ; it was a very dark album. We found the need to be more outgoing on The Big Chair." [13]

The band started to generate new material for their second album in 1983. The first songs written for the new album were "Mothers Talk", "Head over Heels", and "The Working Hour", which the band played live during their December 1983 tour, as captured on the In My Mind's Eye concert performance video. [13]

Writing and recording

The album was recorded at The Wool Hall (the band's own studio) in 1984. Conceptually and musically, it further developed the band's sound from the previous studio album The Hurting (1983), expanding the use of guitars in addition to their electronic sound and imparting a wider approach overall. Early songs written for the album included "Head over Heels", "The Working Hour", and "Mothers Talk", which was released months before the album as a single. These songs, as well as "We Are Broken" (the B-side to "Pale Shelter" and now segued with "Head over Heels" due to the shared musical motif), were all performed on Tears for Fears' December 1983 tour that featured in In My Mind's Eye. [14] The song "Shout" became a central work during the recording of the album, and the band and producer Chris Hughes spent months working on the track. [15]

The album utilises many styles and influences, and progressive rock was cited as a primary influence on the album. [16] "I Believe" was influenced by the songwriting of Robert Wyatt, and was originally intended for him to record but the band recorded it themselves. [4] "Broken" is a reworking of the earlier "We Are Broken" and a studio version and a live reprise bookends the song "Head over Heels". The largely instrumental "Listen" has been described as a symphonic piece. [4] Lyrically, the psychological themes on The Hurting were continued and extended to include a variety of themes such as politics, war, money, and love. [4]

Near the end of the completion of the album, Roland Orzabal played two simple chords on his acoustic guitar that formed the foundation of the song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". Although he was initially not interested in working on it, Orzabal was convinced to write a song based on the two chords and he added the chorus line. The song was completed in about a week and was the last track recorded for the album. [15]

Release

Songs from the Big Chair was released on 25 February 1985 [1] with a black and white photograph of Orzabal and Smith on the record cover. LP copies retained a mixing error in which the left and right stereo channels were swapped; this was corrected for most CD editions. The sole exception was a 1998 reissue by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, which retained the LP stereo imaging. [17]

The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and spawned five commercially successful singles: "Mothers Talk" (UK #14), "Shout" (UK #4), "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (UK #2), [18] "Head over Heels" (UK #12), [19] and "I Believe" (UK #23). [20]

The radio-friendly "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" marked the band's breakthrough in the United States; both this single and its follow-up, "Shout", reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Songs from the Big Chair also reached number one on the Billboard 200 and sold five million copies in the US alone. [1] In the UK, it spent 79 consecutive weeks on the album chart, remaining on the chart for 18 months until September 1986. [20]

To mark the album's 30th anniversary, Universal Music released Songs from the Big Chair in five different formats on 10 November 2014. [21]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [22]
Consequence A+ [23]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [24]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [25]
Pitchfork 8.9/10 [4]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [26]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [27]
Smash Hits 8/10 [28]
Sounds Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [29]
The Village Voice B [30]

Contemporary

Songs from the Big Chair received generally positive reviews. Comparing it with The Hurting, Johnny Waller of Sounds said that "Tears for Fears have lovingly crafted a new masterpiece with softer, smoky vocals, more tempting melodies and less abrasive rhythms", concluding that "within accepted confines, Tears for Fears are stretching and growing, expanding both their imagination and their horizons." [29] Smash Hits critic Ian Cranna found that the band's "looser, more exploratory" approach resulted in songs of "unflinching lyrical honesty" and "touching vulnerability", [28] while in Melody Maker , Barry McIlheney called it "an album that fully justifies the rather sneering, told-you-so looks adopted by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal on the sleeve". [31] In NME , Danny Kelly praised Songs from the Big Chair as "a calculated and brilliant peak, a quintessence of polished pop putty ... perfect at its shimmering surface, worthless to its craven core." He described it as a descendant of 10cc's The Original Soundtrack (1975) and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)–a "product of obsessional care and attention to (often unnecessary) detail". [32]

Eleanor Levy was more ambivalent in Record Mirror , finding Songs from the Big Chair produced too "slickly" at points and stating that Tears for Fears "come up with the occasional classic, but they can't carry this through a whole album. Not yet". [27] Don Shewey of Rolling Stone found the band derivative of acts such as U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, and XTC but complimented the album's "sparkling" production, ultimately deeming its songs "more interesting for their textures than for their melodies or lyrics." [33] The Village Voice 's Robert Christgau felt that while its music and lyrics showed "substance", the record is "not so much pretentious as portentous, promising a depth and drama English lads have been falling short on since the dawn of progressive rock." [30]

Retrospective

Calling it "an artistic tour de force", AllMusic reviewer Stanton Swihart said that Songs from the Big Chair "heralded a dramatic maturation in the band's music, away from the synth-pop brand with which it was (unjustly) seared following the debut, and towards a complex, enveloping pop sophistication." He added that "Orzabal and Smith's penchant for theorizing with steely-eyed austerity was mistaken for harsh bombasticism in some quarters, but separated from its era, the album only seems earnestly passionate and immediate". [22] In a 2006 piece for Stylus Magazine , Andrew Unterberger wrote that "even today, when all rock musicians seem to be able to do is be emotional and honest, the brutality and power of Songs from the Big Chair's catharsis is still quite shocking." [34] Michael Roffman of Consequence credited Tears for Fears for managing to create an album that, although more commercial than their previous work, "actually feels more expansive and sprawling and adventurous". [23]

In his review for Pitchfork , Tal Rosenberg reflected that "in the same way that Fleetwood Mac's Rumours conveys the lonely narcissism and hedonism of the '70s, or Love's Forever Changes captures both the bliss and the ominousness of the Summer of Love", Songs from the Big Chair "manages to exude the 1980s" with its "personal psychology, meticulous compositions, and world-sized choruses", which all "evoked the loss of control in an overwhelming era". [4] Similarly, Mark Elliott from Record Collector commented that the album and its "high-gloss" sound "captured the mid-80s zeitgeist perfectly." [26] Roffman noted its usage of novel production techniques for its time such as MIDI programming and sampling and argued that "such sonic tinkering pushed Tears for Fears ahead of their colleagues, elevating the outfit as a legitimate forerunner of pop music", while also observing that the album's songs had endured "far past the crazy '80s, instead becoming essential anthems for generations yet to come." [23]

Songs from the Big Chair has appeared in several professional lists of the best albums of the 1980s. The album was ranked 95th by Slant Magazine , [7] 87th by Pitchfork, [8] and 47th by Paste . [9] It was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [10] In February 2020, the album was the focus of an episode of the BBC's Classic Albums documentary series. The episode included new interviews with key personnel including Orzabal, Smith, Stanley, Hughes, engineer Dave Bascombe, Oleta Adams, John Grant, and A&R man David Bates. [11]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Shout"
6:32
2."The Working Hour"
6:30
3."Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
4:10
4."Mothers Talk"
  • Orzabal
  • Stanley
5:09
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Believe"Orzabal4:53
2."Broken"Orzabal2:38
3."Head over Heels / Broken (live)" (reprise)
5:01
4."Listen"
  • Stanley
  • Orzabal
6:48
Total length:41:52

Personnel

Tears for Fears

Additional personnel

Production and artwork

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications for Songs from the Big Chair
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia—150,000 [67]
Brazil—200,000 [68]
Canada (Music Canada) [69] 7× Platinum700,000^
France (SNEP) [70] Gold100,000 [71]
Germany (BVMI) [72] Gold250,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [73] Platinum20,000*
Netherlands (NVPI) [74] Platinum100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [75] Platinum15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [76] 3× Platinum900,000^
United States (RIAA) [77] 5× Platinum5,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide—9,000,000 [78]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Broken" (live) recorded December 1983 at Hammersmith Odeon
  2. ↑ "Mothers Talk (U.S. remix)" recorded 1986

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gallucci, Michael (25 February 2020). "How Tears for Fears Hit the Big Time With 'Songs From the Big Chair'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  2. ↑ "The 50 Best New Wave Albums". Paste . 13 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Top 40 New Wave Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock . 31 May 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rosenberg, Tal (20 August 2017). "Tears for Fears: Songs From the Big Chair". Pitchfork . Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  5. ↑ Munro, Scott (21 July 2017). "Steven Wilson meets Bollywood in Permanating video". Prog .
  6. ↑ Mitchell, Matt (21 July 2023). "The 50 Greatest Synth-Pop Albums of All Time". Paste . Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  7. 1 2 "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine . 5 March 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  8. 1 2 "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork . 10 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  9. 1 2 "The 80 Best Albums of the 1980s". Paste . 13 January 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  10. 1 2 Doran, John (2006). "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 531. ISBN   978-0-7893-1371-3.
  11. 1 2 "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair". Classic Albums. 14 February 2020. BBC Four.
  12. ↑ FitzGerald, Helen (9 March 1985). "On the Beach". Melody Maker . London. pp. 20–21, 29.
  13. 1 2 Lester, Paul (2006). Songs from the Big Chair (booklet). Tears for Fears (deluxe ed.). Mercury Records. 983 073-9.
  14. ↑ "Tears for Fears In My Mind's Eye (1984 Video) Soundtracks". imdb.com.
  15. 1 2 3 Johnson, Heather (August 2007). "Classic Tracks: Tears for Fears' 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World'". Mix . Vol. 31, no. 8. New York. pp. 122, 124, 126. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  16. ↑ Lester, Paul (26 February 2015). "How Prog Were Tears For Fears?". Prog . Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Sinclair, Paul (6 October 2014). "Exclusive: Remixing Tears For Fears and the stereo channel saga". SuperDeluxeEdition. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  18. ↑ "U2's The Joshua Tree voted ultimate album by BBC Radio 2 listeners". Music-News.com.
  19. ↑ "Tears For Fears' The Seeds Of Love Remains an Enticing and Challenging Listen on New Reissue". pastemagazine.com. 9 October 2020.
  20. 1 2 "Tears For Fears". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  21. ↑ Sinclair, Paul (29 September 2014). "Tears For Fears / Massive 'Songs From The Big Chair' box set coming". SuperDeluxeEdition. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  22. 1 2 Swihart, Stanton. "Songs From the Big Chair – Tears for Fears". AllMusic . Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  23. 1 2 3 Roffman, Michael (11 November 2014). "Album Review: Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair [Reissue]". Consequence . Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  24. ↑ Gibsone, Harriet (11 December 2014). "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair box set review – beefy, bizarre preposterous pop". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  25. ↑ Eccleston, Danny (January 2015). "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair". Mojo . No. 254. London. p. 115.
  26. 1 2 Elliott, Mark (Christmas 2014). "Songs From The Big Chair | Tears For Fears". Record Collector . No. 435. London. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  27. 1 2 Levy, Eleanor (2 March 1985). "Chairs, then". Record Mirror . London. p. 21.
  28. 1 2 Cranna, Ian (28 February – 13 March 1985). "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair". Smash Hits . Vol. 7, no. 5. Peterborough. p. 21.
  29. 1 2 Waller, Johnny (2 March 1985). "Electric Chair". Sounds . London. p. 26.
  30. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (28 May 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  31. ↑ McIlheney, Barry (2 March 1985). "Shout to the Top". Melody Maker . London. p. 23.
  32. ↑ Kelly, Danny (9 March 1985). "Snoozing". NME . London. p. 27.
  33. ↑ Shewey, Don (23 May 1985). "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair". Rolling Stone . No. 448. New York. p. 59. Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  34. ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (28 February 2006). "Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair – On Second Thought". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  35. ↑ Kent 1993, p. 306.
  36. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  37. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0508". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  38. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  39. ↑ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet . Vol. 2, no. 15. 15 April 1985. p. 12. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
  40. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  41. 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  42. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 31 May 2022.Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Songs from the big chair" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  43. ↑ Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Oricon. ISBN   978-4-87131-077-2.
  44. ↑ "Charts.nz – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  45. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  46. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (2015). Sólo éxitos 1959–2012 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   978-84-8048-866-2.
  47. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  48. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  49. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  50. ↑ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  51. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  52. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  53. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  54. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  55. ↑ Kent 1993, p. 437.
  56. ↑ "RPM's Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43, no. 16. 25 December 1985. p. 14. ISSN   0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  57. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts . Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  58. ↑ Bakker, Machgiel; Inglis, Cathy (23 December 1985). "Pan-European Awards 1985" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 51/52. p. 7. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
  59. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1985" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  60. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1985". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  61. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1985". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  62. ↑ "Top 100 Albums (January 5–December 28, 1985)" (PDF). Music Week . 18 January 1986. p. 11. ISSN   0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  63. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  64. ↑ "European Hot 100 Albums – Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 3, no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 35. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
  65. ↑ "Top 100 Albums (January to December 1986)" (PDF). Music Week. 24 January 1987. p. 25. ISSN   0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  66. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  67. ↑ Barker, Glenn A. (15 November 1986). "Majors (Australia Spotlight)". Billboard. p. A-10. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  68. ↑ Serpa, Paulo Ernesto (2 January 1990). "A parada de sucessos do Hollywood Rock". Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). p. 28 – via National Library of Brazil.
  69. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Music Canada. 29 March 1990.
  70. ↑ "French album certifications – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in French). InfoDisc.Select TEARS FOR FEARS and click OK. 
  71. ↑ "Les Certifications". Info Disc. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  72. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Tears for Fears; 'Songs from the Big Chair')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  73. ↑ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1990". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  74. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.Enter Songs from the Big Chair in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1989 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  75. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Recorded Music NZ. 2 June 1985. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  76. ↑ "British album certifications – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". British Phonographic Industry. 18 February 1986. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  77. ↑ "American album certifications – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Recording Industry Association of America. 15 May 1995.
  78. ↑ "Da Londra Curt e Roland portano "I semi d'amore"". la Stampa . 16 March 1990. p. 12. Retrieved 5 April 2022. Non a case lo scorsolo album "Songs from the big chair" era riuscito a vendedre ben nove million di copie

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.