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 of the 1980s, and attained international chart success as part of the Second British Invasion.
The Seeds of Love is the third studio album by British pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 September 1989 by Fontana Records. It retained the band's epic sound while incorporating influences ranging from jazz and soul to Beatlesque pop. Its lengthy production and scrapped recording sessions cost over £1 million. The album spawned the title hit single "Sowing the Seeds of Love," as well as "Woman in Chains," and "Advice for the Young at Heart", both of which reached the top 40 in several countries.
Elemental is the fourth studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 7 June 1993 by Mercury Records. It was the band's first album recorded following the departure of co-founder Curt Smith, with Roland Orzabal assuming sole leadership with the help of additional musicians.
Songs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by English band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Mercury Records, distributed by Phonogram Inc. A 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.
The Hurting is the debut studio album by British new wave band Tears for Fears, released on 7 March 1983 by Mercury Records distributed by Phonogram Inc. The album peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in its second week of release and was certified Gold by the BPI within three weeks of release. The album also entered the Top 40 in several other countries including Canada, Germany, and Australia. It was certified Platinum in the UK in January 1985.
"Mad World" is a 1982 song by British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Both "Mad World" and its B-side, "Ideas as Opiates", appeared on the band's debut LP The Hurting (1983). This single was also the band's first international success, reaching the Top 40 in several countries in 1982–83.
Curt Smith is a British singer, songwriter, musician and record producer, who is best known as the co-lead vocalist, bassist and co-founding member of the pop rock band Tears for Fears along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Smith has co-written several of the band's songs, and sings lead vocals on the hits "Mad World", "Pale Shelter", "Change", "The Way You Are", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", and "Advice for the Young at Heart".
Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana is a British musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. He is the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, main songwriter and a co-founder of Tears for Fears. Orzabal has been the only constant member of the band, having appeared on every Tears for Fears studio album. He is also a producer of artists such as Oleta Adams. In 2014, Orzabal published his first novel, a romantic comedy.
Saturnine Martial & Lunatic is a compilation album by the British 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/Phonogram. The album also includes their 1983 hit single "The Way You Are".
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears from their second studio album Songs from the Big Chair (1985). It was written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, and Chris Hughes and produced by Hughes. It was released on 22 March 1985 by Phonogram, Mercury, and Vertigo Records as the third single from the album. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a new wave and synth-pop song with lyrics that detail the desire humans have for control and power and centre on themes of corruption.
Raoul and the Kings of Spain is the fifth studio album by the British pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 16 October 1995 by Epic Records. Like the band's previous album, Elemental (1993), it is essentially a solo effort by Roland Orzabal, as neither album involved Curt Smith.
Graduate were an English new wave and mod revival musical group formed in 1978, in Bath, England. They were only mildly successful, and broke up by 1981. They are today best known as being the initial recording vehicle for future Tears for Fears members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, who found international fame in the 1980s and 1990s.
The English new wave/pop rock band Tears for Fears have released seven studio albums, along with numerous singles, compilations and videos. Formed in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, the duo signed to Phonogram Records in the UK and released their first single the same year. It was not until Tears for Fears' third single, "Mad World" (1982), that they scored their first hit, and their platinum-selling debut album The Hurting (1983) was a UK number one.
"Head over Heels" is a song recorded by British band Tears for Fears for their second studio album Songs from the Big Chair (1985). The song was released by Mercury Records, as the album's fourth single – initially on 10 June 1985 in Germany and then on 14 June in the UK. It was the band's tenth single release in the United Kingdom and eighth top 40 hit in the region, peaking at number 12. In the United States, it was the third single from the album and continued the band's run of hits there, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A limited edition four-leaf-clover-shaped picture disc was issued for the single's release in the UK. The song was also an international success, reaching the top 40 in several countries.
"Change" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's fourth single release. It would eventually become the second hit from their debut LP The Hurting (1983) and second UK Top 5 chart hit, following the success of "Mad World". The song also gave Tears for Fears their first charting single in the United States when it cracked the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1983. "Change" was also a big international success, reaching the Top 40 in numerous countries.
"Pale Shelter" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was originally the band's second single release in early 1982. The original version of the song, entitled "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)", did not see chart success at the time of its original UK release. However, it did later become a top 20 hit in Canada and a top 75 hit when it was reissued in the UK in 1985.
"The Way You Are" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. It was the band's sixth single release overall and their fourth UK Top 40 hit. Released as a single in November 1983, it was intended as a stopgap between the band's first and second albums, mainly to keep the group in the public eye, and was not included on the band's second album.
"Mothers Talk" is a 1984 song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal, it was the band's seventh single release (the first to be taken from their second album Songs from the Big Chair and fifth UK Top 40 chart hit. The song was released six months in advance of the album, and enjoyed moderate success internationally.
"Break It Down Again" is a song by British band Tears for Fears, released as the first single from their fourth studio album, Elemental (1993). It is one of the band's later songs with the typical late 1980s sound, using synthesizers. The song was the second single released after the departure of Curt Smith from the band.
In My Mind's Eye is a concert performance video released by the British group Tears for Fears. It was recorded in December 1983 at the London Hammersmith Odeon, and released on home video in October 1984.
