Broken

When you dive into Broken, you encounter a piece with an interesting story behind it. Originally, what we now hear as Broken was born in 1983 as the B-side of another track, called We Are Broken. The Tears for Fears team took that foundation, gave it more energy and a more rocking touch to transform it into the song we know. Furthermore, there's a sonic detail that connects it in a special way with Head Over Heels, another song from the same album. If you pay attention to the middle of Broken, around the 0:52 mark, you can hear a sped-up version of the introduction to Head Over Heels, creating a kind of mini-suite within the record.

This track is part of Songs From the Big Chair, the second album by Tears for Fears, released in February 1985. Unlike their previous work, The Hurting, which had a darker and more personal sound, this album opted for a more polished production and a more accessible style, incorporating more guitar and exploring social and political themes in the lyrics. The record had a significant impact, reaching number two in the UK and topping the charts in the United States, becoming their most successful album to date. The production of Broken, like the rest of the album, was handled by Ross Cullum.