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🇬🇧 United Kingdom · 1981–present

Tears for Fears

Tears for Fears started as a London duo in 1981, formed by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. The name came from a psychology book, "Prisoners of Pain", which talked about how pain can paralyze people. From the beginning, their sound mixed pop rock with new wave and soul, something that was evident in every song they released.

The first album, The Hurting, came out in 1983 and was a success in the United Kingdom. Then came Songs from the Big Chair in 1985, which had a huge impact in the United States. Two songs from that album, Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World, reached number one on the charts. The second one won an award in England for being the most outstanding single of the year.

new wave Synth-pop art pop Pop rock psychedelic pop 1980s

3 Albums

24 Songs

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Essential songs

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The Hurting

The Hurting · 1983

4:20 02

Mad World

The Hurting · 1983

3:36 03

Pale Shelter

The Hurting · 1983

4:34 04

Ideas as Opiates

The Hurting · 1983

3:46 05

Memories Fade

The Hurting · 1983

5:08 06

Suffer the Children

The Hurting · 1983

3:54 07

Watch Me Bleed

The Hurting · 1983

4:19 08

Change

The Hurting · 1983

4:15 09

Start of the Breakdown

The Hurting · 1983

5:00 10

Listen

Songs From the Big Chair · 1985

6:50

3 album|s · 1983 — 1989

Full discography

1989 ★ Essential

The Seeds of Love

6 song|s · new wave

1985 ★ Essential

Songs From the Big Chair

9 song|s · new wave

1983 ★ Essential

The Hurting

9 song|s · new wave

Details, awards, members and more

More about Tears for Fears

Biography

Over the years, the band explored different styles. In their early albums they used a lot of synthesizers, something typical of synth pop. But later they moved towards more calm rhythms, like blues and jazz. Songs like Sowing the Seeds of Love or Woman in Chains became their classics.

In the 90s, they moved towards more rock sounds, like progressive or soft rock. Although the style changed, they always kept a base in what they liked to do from the beginning. In 2000 they reunited and released a new album. Since then, they have kept playing and releasing music, with a new album that came out in 2022.

Today, with over 30 million copies sold, they are a band that remains relevant, although not as much as in the 80s. Their legacy is in those songs that still play on radios and in the memory of those who listened to them.

Details

Nacimiento: 1 ene 1981
País: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Género: new wave

Awards and honors

🏆
Brit Awards

Record labels

Phonogram Inc. Phonogram Epic Records Epic Gut Records Gut Mercury Records Mercury Fontana Records Fontana Universal Music Universal Concord Records Concord