Listen

The song Listen, part of the album Songs From The Big Chair, has an interesting origin that deviates from the typical structure. The instrumental base emerged from a demo that keyboardist Ian Stanley created while Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith were busy promoting The Hurting. Stanley, experimenting with drum machines, put together an idea that he later presented to his bandmates. Orzabal decided to use that base for the song’s most subdued section, adding only a melody for Smith’s vocals. From there, the song began to take shape.

The Spanish vocal part, which appears in the second half, is a repeated phrase: “Cumple años chica no hay preocuparse.” This translates to “Crece, chica, no tienes que preocuparte.” The album Songs From The Big Chair, released in 1985, was a major international success for Tears For Fears, selling millions of copies. The album’s title, which was ultimately chosen by Roland Orzabal, comes from a 1976 film about a woman with multiple personality disorder, and reflected the band’s perception of being targeted by an unfavorable British music press.