Tears for Fears

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Tears for Fears
Curt Smith (left) and Roland Orzabal (right), 2017
Curt Smith (left) and Roland Orzabal (right), 2017
General information
Genre (s) Pop rock , synth pop , new wave
founding 1981
Website tearsforfears.com
Founding members
Roland Orzabal
Curt Smith (1981–1990, since 2004)
Ian Stanley (until 1989)
Manny Elias (until 1986)
Current occupation
Roland Orzabal
Curt Smith

Tears for Fears is a British band from Bath , United Kingdom .

history

In 1981 it was founded by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith . They took the band name from a book by the American psychotherapist and founder of primary therapy , Arthur Janov . Janov's themes are the basis for many of the band's lyrics.

Before their first official album, they released the album Acting My Age in 1980 as a band, Graduate , which emerged from a school band . Orzabal was also a singer and songwriter here, other musicians were Steve Buck, Andy Marsden and John Baker. The style was completely different, more in the direction of ska to pop.

Her first album The Hurting , released in spring 1983, expressed Orzabal's difficult childhood and had a very unique sound. Four singles were released from this globally successful album: Suffer the Children , Change , Mad World and Pale Shelter . In 2000, Gary Jules and Michael Andrews re-recorded the song Mad World as the theme tune for the film Donnie Darko and thus entered the charts at the end of 2003, in Great Britain even at number one.

With their second album Songs from the Big Chair , released in the spring of 1985, Tears for Fears found their sound - typical of the synth pop of the late 1980s - which from then on became their trademark. The album made them famous on both sides of the Atlantic. The two single releases Shout (1984) and Everybody Wants to Rule the World (1985) are still broadcast by radio stations today. The latter song was voted the most famous song of the year in the USA and was awarded two million radio hits almost ten years later.

The two band members Manny Elias (drums) and Ian Stanley (keyboards) were also involved in these first two albums . Stanley is also co-author of the hits Shout , Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and Mothers Talk .

The third album The Seeds of Love , released in autumn 1989 and on which Ian Stanley was a member for the last time, showed influences from jazz and blues . In their hit single Sowing the Seeds of Love , the influence of the Beatles was felt; this concept album was reminiscent of their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band . In the Single Woman in Chains played Phil Collins drums. Oleta Adams , who was able to start a successful solo career through Orzabal's engagement, was involved as a singer and pianist on the album. Tears For Fears released the dance song Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams under the pseudonym Johnny Panic .

After their last tour together, The Seeds of Love , Curt Smith dropped out in late 1990. The albums released under the band name from this time on were produced by Tim Palmer .

Orzabal and Smith have been in contact again since 2000. In 2004 the two musicians released another album together: Everybody Loves a Happy Ending .

In 2008, both band members reunited for the concept tour The Nokia Night of the Proms , where they performed live on stage with the songs Sowing the Seeds of Love , Mad World , Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Shout . The "Rule the World Tour 2018" planned for 2018 was postponed to 2019 due to illness. At the same time Tears For Fears announced a new record.

Discography

Studio albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks / months, awardChart placementsChart placementsTemplate: chart table / maintenance / monthly data
(Year, title, rankings, weeks / months, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US US
1983 The hurting DE15 (23 weeks)
DE
- - UK1
platinum
platinum

(65 weeks)UK
US82
gold
gold

(20 weeks)US
First published: March 7, 1983
Sales: + 900,000
1985 Songs from the Big Chair DE1
gold
gold

(27 weeks)DE
AT22 (1 month)
AT
CH5 (16 weeks)
CH
UK2
Triple platinum
× 3
Triple platinum

(83 weeks)UK
US1
Quintuple platinum
× 5
Quintuple platinum

(68 weeks)US
First published: February 25, 1985
Sales: + 6,950,000
1989 The Seeds of Love DE5
gold
gold

(37 weeks)DE
AT13 (2 months)
AT
CH8th
gold
gold

(11 weeks)CH
UK1
platinum
platinum

(30 weeks)UK
US8th
platinum
platinum

(34 weeks)US
First published: September 25, 1989
Sales: + 1,875,000
1993 Elemental DE26 (11 weeks)
DE
- CH24 (10 weeks)
CH
UK5
silver
silver

(7 weeks)UK
US45
gold
gold

(21 weeks)US
First published: June 7, 1993
Sales: +610,000
1995 Raoul and the Kings of Spain DE88 (3 weeks)
DE
- CH42 (2 weeks)
CH
UK41 (1 week)
UK
US79 (5 weeks)
US
First published: October 9, 1995
2004 Everybody Loves a Happy Ending DE35 (4 weeks)
DE
- CH48 (4 weeks)
CH
UK45 (1 week)
UK
US46 (3 weeks)
US
First published: September 14, 2004

Web links

Commons : Tears for Fears  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Tears For Fears performances canceled. Retrieved April 23, 2018 .
  2. Chart sources: