Tears for Fears

After 40 years in existence, the shorthand of critics of Tears for Fears has been to describe them as an 80s band. It is understandable why that categorisation happens when songs like ‘Mad World’ appear in films that typify that period and ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ has a prolonged life as one of the most-streamed songs on Spotify. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith quickly transformed from mod-revivalists Graduate to introspective studio obsessives with The Hurting, to global hitmakers, on Songs from the Big Chair, before releasing The Seeds of Love - epic in terms of vision and cost. Musical differences and strained relations led to the dissolution of the original partnership at the end of the decade, while Orzabal carried on under the Tears for Fears banner in the 1990s. Everybody loves a happy ending and that’s what fans got in 2004 when the reformed duo released that jocularly titled album. Then followed a long wait for a new record, a period occasionally punctuated by extensive touring commitments around the world. The patience of their loyal followers was rewarded in 2022 with the universally-lauded The Tipping Point released after 18 years of waiting. This book is a chance to reflect on the diverse sound that is Tears for Fears, album by album and song by song.