Tears for Fears Biography, Photos and Posters

Tears for Fears

Biography

Started: 1981
City and Country of Origin: Bath, England
Music Training:
Awards:
Top Recordings: "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)," "Mad World," "Mothers Talk," "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," "Head Over Heels," "Everybody Wants to Run the World," "Sowing the Seeds of Love," "Woman in Chains," "Advice for the Young at Heart"
Tears for Fears Biography: Tears for Fears are a popular English pop band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. They emerged after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate. They were initially associated with New Wave and the burgeoning wave of synthesiser bands of the early 1980s, but quickly branched out into mainstream chart success. Tears for Fears have sold more than 21 million albums worldwide.

Orzabal and Smith met as teenagers growing up in their home town of Bath, England. They first worked professionally with the band Graduate, a Mod Revival/New Wave act drawing on the major influences of the time, including The Jam and Elvis Costello. Graduate released an album in 1980, called Acting My Age, which just missed the Top 100 in the UK though it performed well in Spain and in the Netherlands.

The duo were influenced by artists such as the Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno. They left Graduate and formed a band called History of Headaches, a moniker which was then changed to Tears for Fears. The band's name is derived from the Primal therapy treatment of the same name developed by Arthur Janov, which was made famous after John Lennon became Janov's patient.

Tears for Fears were signed to Phonogram Records, UK in 1981 by A&R manager Dave Bates. Their first single as Tears for Fears, "Suffer the Children," was released on that label in November 1981, followed by the first edition of "Pale Shelter" in March 1982.

The band's single "Mad World" hit the top 3 in the UK in November 1982. Their first album, The Hurting, was released in March 1983. For this LP (and the next), keyboard player and composer Ian Stanley and drummer Manny Elias were considered full members of the band, though Smith and Orzabal were still essentially the frontmen and public face of the band. The songs from the concept album were based on the band's name and its relation to emotional distress and primal therapy. "Mad World," "Change" and a re-recorded version of "Pale Shelter" all were top 5 in the UK.

The band's second album came after a couple of successful singles and signalled a change in direction for them. It hit the UK charts at number 2 and stayed near the top of the charts for 12 months. The album ws more politically based and featured hit singles "Mothers Talk," "Shout," "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," "Head Over Heels" and "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)." Following the release of the album the band went on a world tour which lasted almost a year.

The groups next album featuredy an American female singer/pianist, Oleta Adams, who was performing in a Kansas City, Missouri hotel bar, with whom they invited to collaborate on their next album. The album's title, Big Chair, was influenced by the book and television mini-series Sybil, the chronicle of a woman with multiple personality disorder who sought refuge in her analyst's "big chair."

"Everybody Wants to Run the World,"a slightly rewritten version of their earlier hit, was released in 1986 for the British fund-raising initiative Sport Aid. The event featured people running races of various lenghts to raise money.

The Seeds of Love, the groups long awaited thrid album was released in 1989. The album was written largely by Orzabal along with keyboardist Nicky Holland. The album featured hit singles "Woman In Chains" and "Sowing The Seeds of Love." The album was a worldwide success entering the British charts at number 1 and making the top ten state side.

After this Orzabal and Smith had a falling out which led to the tow going their own ways. Orzabal kept the band name alive by releasing the 1992 hit single "Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)" in order to promote the greatest hits collection Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82-92) which featured every top 40 hit single to date apart from "The Way You Are" and the Sport Aid fundraiser. Meanwhile Smith moved to New York City where it took him several years to recover. He finally recorded the album Soul on Board, which he admittedly was not pleased with.

In 1995 he met producer Charlton Pettus. The 2 worked together. From 1996 to 1998 their band, Mayfield, performed occasional sets in clubs throughout Greenwich Village and SoHo including Brownie's, the Mercury Lounge, and CBGB. The band's name is actually a play on the name Curtis Mayfield (i.e.: "Curt is Mayfield"). The group released a self titled album and a second album under the name Curt Smith Aeroplane.

Meanwile Orzabel kept the name Tears for Fears alive relasing the album Elemental in 1993 and Raoul and the Kings of Spain in 1995. The first fared well in some European countries, but not in the U.S., while the latter was a disappointment.

Finally in 2000, after almost a decade the pair patched up their differences and got back together. Orzabal flew to Smith's home in Los Angeles for what they assumed would be a hesitant attempt at songwriting. The seesion produced 14 songs which they soon turned into the album Everybody Loves a Happy Ending. After a long delay the album was finally released in the UK and Europe in March 2005 on GUT Records.

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