Tears For Fears - Dancing To Their Own Trauma ("Mad World") | New British Canon

[@TrashTheory]

Every now and then I get people asking for a playlist of every song mentioned in my videos: Well here's a Spotify link for this one: open.spotify.com/playlist/72JnkRycjRrnuv6mYy5GCH?si=ce9d9aec4356472b&nd=1&dlsi=434c84439b0b4661 and the KZbin Music one: music.kzbin.info/aero/PLooaZ33lSalfcXBGFoOBiaxxozb9ibK_R&si=C7lSCH_I97eENits

[@BlackZynfyndel]

Does AM get one?

[@rapchee]

thank you for making these!

[@TuneHawk]

Maybe do a Mixcloud too? Spotify is evil

[@joyboricua3721]

​. La ggnga

[@relwaretep]

Genuinely surprised Woman In Chains didn't get a mention. Definitely one of my top 5 favourites of TFF.

[@martinmcwilliams]

New British Cannon is one of the best series on KZbin. Trash Theory is so underrated. This channel should have millions of subscribers.

[@cocainefortoothaches3882]

Nailed it

[@kundeleczek1]

True

[@spj_7]

Genuinely my favourite channel on here, please don't stop any time soon!

[@Toggitryggva]

Correct. Just brilliant stuff.

[@jsmrt6875]

I wish I could like this comment 1000 times!

[@helencourtnell5621]

They made pop intelligent and worthwhile listening to. And their work still stands up today.

[@nimhard]

It still sounds fresh and timeless. Agreed.

[@jamescook4116]

Summed up very well.

[@newforestpixie5297]

if it was between 1998 & 2024 & you were in southern England , the refreshing regional sound of Wave105 allowed you to listen to Everybody Wants To Rule The World on repeat for 24 hrs a day & only interrupted by Traffic & Travel 🙄👍

[@remyvermunt8623]

like also Prefab Sprout

[@bajanboy2553]

Nit gon lie...I didn't know they were British.

[@alisonjane7068]

the existential wallop of the first two lines "welcome to your life / there's no turning back" hit me like a truck every time

[@jimbotron70]

There's always a way out 😏

[@dreamyprizemusic]

@@jimbotron70 the way out is through

[@jimbotron70]

@dreamyprizemusic Or the next exit...

[@JammyGit]

I had never thought of it like that, thanks Alison 👍✌️

[@jessicagreen1876]

AND I can't stand this indecision married with a lack of vision.

[@spiralpython1989]

The Hurting album quite literally saved my life. Someone finally understood my very real adolescent pain. I still love it. The Big Chair album was enjoyable; and Shout was a super meaningful song for me, but The Hurting remains the most impactful album.

[@magicconches.]

Same here! I got really into “The Hurting” during my goth/synth 80s music phase when I was 17-18 and it really helped me through my last years of high school. I got out of the hospital at that time, and it really alienated me. That album really helped me through that tough time.

[@TesterAnimal1]

Yes! It sounded perfect from the first time!

[@danyeldenfer5543]

Idem

[@43painter]

Very well said. I was 19 back then and this album meant the world to me!! At that age I dared so little, but their music gave me courage, especially artistically. I then went to the fashion academy. I get melancholic listening to it again.

[@nitedreamer23]

I’ve always said “Songs from the Big Chair” is a stone cold classic. I’m glad it’s being reassessed as such. Trash Theory never fails. Another amazing breakdown.

[@dennisbloomquist9220]

as good as it gets. Head Over Heels is on my list of songs that end up being played at least a half dozen times in a row.

[@marlmachine]

It's a perfect album!

[@randybobandy9828]

Was it not well received at release?

[@wildsmiley]

So is The Hurting.

[@MarkS_1768]

@@randybobandy9828 I was 7 or 8 when it came out so too young to remember but I get the impression that it was huge for a couple of months but then got kind of forgotten about, particularly as new wave itself was starting to die out, so within a year or two, they were yesterday’s news for the most part. I’m just glad that their music has been reassessed over the past couple of decades, particularly Everybody Wants To Rule The World, which is one of the greatest pop songs of all time in my opinion, it’s a timeless, eternal song.

[@MrGringissimo]

Was a huge metalhead when this album came out, but my crew used to listen to this unironically between bouts of Zeppelin, Crue, and Van Halen. No matter what kind of music you were into, there was not denying the songs. Just genius.

[@honyakupjp]

Songs from the Big Chair is without question one of the best albums of the 80s, even all time.

[@massdrivermusic]

I agree.

[@TheNightBadger]

Had a friend who discovered The Hurting late in life in the late 00's. I told him he would love Songs too, but for some reason even though he loved Hurting he never showed any interest in listening to Songs. Didn't understand that at all.

[@dianamiller3307]

The songs that aren't famous are just as good as those that are. To this day "Listen" sends chills down my spine

[@globalturfwar]

I grew up in Harrow, North West London in the 80s. We were (literally) surrounded by the musical revolution happening all around us, permeating us, without us realising that we were living through a moment in history that would never be repeated. The music soundtrack to our lives was all around us I'm talking Simon Le Bon living down the road, shopping at our local woolworths (served by girls from our school - Rooks Heath), Wham hanging out in a tiny bar 5 minutes away from said school, gossip of who'd seen who over the weekend. Tears For Fears were great - but never entered my consciousness fully till the 2000s, when the party was over (and arguably music was being mulched by Simon Cowell and his band of merry capitalists.) They grew and grew in my world until now, their sound is probably the most evocative, haunting and full of other-worldly possibilities, I've ever experienced. Thanks for giving them the love they deserve.

[@NewsRedial]

Now it's a chavy, banal, violent hell hole.

[@peterkarlsson1825]

Please do "Talk Talk" next.

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

Please! The remarkable Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock would deserve a video by themselves. Mark Hollis was among the most original performers in music since the 70s.

[@danielboard9510]

Spirit of Eden. Is in my top ten albums of all time!!

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

@@danielboard9510 Oh yes...bleak, but beautiful and brilliant. Sounds like Mark Hollis was wilfully trying to make an uncommercial album after his chart-friendly original albums, but he made a cult classic instead.

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

@s3lfl3ssn3ss The last two Talk Talk albums were certainly experimental. Then again, his subsequent solo album was hardly more conventional. All very interesting though.

[@danielboard9510]

@@PaIaeoCIive1684 Yeah, fuck all that. In the depths of a heroin binge, Spirit of Eden is like a warm hug, that maybe your magic anthem, Mendelson, bride marching to death.

[@alisonjane7068]

the way "head over heels" puts me on cloud 9

[@wildsmiley]

Same

[@JoseCalderon-qx8mq]

Yup, I feel physically and emotionally changed every time I hear it.

[@zeddeka]

​@@JoseCalderon-qx8mqis written in something called the Lydian Scale. It's something used in music where you want to evoke a sense of other worldliness and mystery. It's often used in film soundtracks - notably "Yoda's Theme" in the star wars trilogy. There are a few videos about it here on KZbin.

[@petabulmer3317]

My favourite song of TFF!

[@deborahray4568]

@@alisonjane7068 I would probably say my favorite album is Seeds of Love. An absolute masterpiece. I also like absolutely everything that Roland has done. (With or without Curt.) Fish out of water comes to mind. 🐟

[@wildsmiley]

An absolutely crucial band. I can't begin to express the depths of my love for their music. I love Orzabal's look nowadays, too: like a new wave Gandalf.

[@sealisa1398]

I think he looks fantastic.

[@kennethrussell1158]

I know that im probably going to get alot of flack for this but i always thought that Tears For Fears was better than U2.

[@deborahray4568]

Same here.

[@stevespell2766]

No flack here. U2 blows.

[@Jamiecbailey]

Infinitely more integrity found in the music to Tears for Fears.

[@faustuskrauss6457]

U2 USED to be cool until they released The Joshua Tree.

[@darkspy666]

I absolutely agree. U2 were so bloody pretentious.

[@headerahelix]

my appreciation for them has increased immensely. nobody knowing where to place you means you're truly original.

[@martinsatyen7833]

This is the highest quality music channel on YT. Intelligent, nuanced, crafted like an artist. Reintroduces you to beloved bands and songs of yore, and peels back their layers to reveal hidden gems and things unknown. Thank you for your work, and obvious passion for bands and music 🙏🏼💖🕊️

[@StrangelyBrownNo1]

Absolutely. I've got next to no interest in many of the artists he talks about but watch all the videos religiously. And always learn something and come away with newfound respect for the acts.

[@zakryan4136]

The Clarisa explains it all drum fill nod.... Right out of left field. love it

[@Eric_Hunt194]

@@zakryan4136 that one hit me like a freight train!

[@barrybloye]

“Hey Sam!”

[@clbeswick8453]

I remember playing The Hurting over and over. Something I NEVER did with a new album. But there were just so many anthems of MY own childhood and upbringing in those lyrics, it carried me through some of the most desperate and dark days of my teenagehood. Then came Seeds of Love and I was once again listening to Tears for Fears non-stop...this time as a young adult ready to take on the world. Which I did. With Tears for Fears as my own personal soundtrack. Shout still gets me on my feet...

[@DavidPeacock1972]

Head Over Heals Is just one of the most perfect eighties songs ever.

[@massdrivermusic]

Yes!

[@embee5557]

You are correct sir, yes!

[@spiralsturns9835]

🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@londonhatred]

i have been WAITING for a Tears For Fears episode

[@plasticsoundwavecult]

“The Working Hour” is one of the most textural songs out there. The guitars and saxophone really tie that song together. The album Songs From The Big Chair is still one of my favorites since it was able to transcend the 80’s.

[@rumblefish9]

The saxophonist on that track and on their tour is the co-founder of Goldfrapp.

[@CraigHollabaugh]

We listened to The Hurting hundreds of times after it's release in 1983. Still have the LP. Thanks for this back story.

[@21palica]

I was just a kid when TFF were big. Our neighbor's son, who was barely a teenager, but became like a big brother to me, was also a big music lover, listening to Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, Ultravox, New Order and other synth bands of the time, He had a double deck cassette tape recorder, and I kept bugging him to make me a mixtape of the songs I "liked" the most. So when I became about 10 years old and started listening to music on my own, hearing those mixtapes again I developed a clear preference and strong bond to early '80s sound. I could recognize all the melodies of songs I heard as a kid, so this rediscovery of the bands on those tapes, had a big influence on my later taste in music. Another great episode of New British Canon! This one really took me back. Thank you Trash Theory!

[@NotsocasualT]

One of my warmest memory is my uncle playing Tears for Fears on a Sat morning when I was young in Soweto , South Africa. As a teen their lyrics spoke to me. Music for the ages ,transcending culture and race ❤. Loving the series

[@foxbasealpha]

40 years later, “Pale Shelter” continues to be my favorite TFF song with its killer bass solo by Curt. Their 1985 US tour was my first concert.

[@woodybalfour8213]

On the day of the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum which I knew would fail, I went to a bar with open decks and played the 7" of Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World in protest. Thank you so much for this episode...Utterly brilliant.

[@s.gharavi1614]

Here here

[@roberthiltz2741]

I was still in diapers when they were getting noticed, nowadays these tracks are like a mantra for me; broken family, the struggle to succeed, faceless monetizing… as an adult I know now why it struck a chord in me. Fantastic video, I really enjoyed!

[@driouxbie]

The bridge of "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" is one of the most flawlessly executed moments in the history of music. Never fails to land with a heart-soaring thrill.

[@IndaloMan]

It is on my daily walking Playlist. Love the 'floating' vibe as I smile to myself recalling my married years living near Bath....

[@robtronik]

The drums from Shout came from the Linndrum. The bell sound and massive drum sound were from that machine. The actual kick drum is from a sample from Led Zeppelin’s when the levy breaks that they used in the Linndrum. Great series and great video. Thanks for making all these.

[@Eric_Hunt194]

Until seeing the pre-TFT band Graduate, i hadn't realised that there's an enormous The Jam-shaped hole in your excellent "New British Canon" series. It's always struck me as a great injustice that they didn't catch on in the USA in the way that The Clash did, though to an extent it's understandable given how quintessentially British their references are.

[@TheNightBadger]

Agreed. Probably one of the biggest gaps in the UK/US 80's music relationships. Journey were massive in the US, but never had a single UK hit (until after the Internet came along). Shakin' Stevens was massive in the UK... but not really very credible so I guess he doesn't count.

[@b.w.22]

Man, it’s funny you say that given how popular and huge an influence the Jam were in Washington, DC.

[@disastershock]

Well done another great video. Apparantley Joe Strummer thought Roland Orzabal got the title of the hit Everybody Wants To Rule The World from The Clash's 'Charlie Don't Surf'. Strummer confronted Orzabal and said he owed him. Orzabal obliged, taking a five pound note out of his pocket

[@craftygirl9666]

How did Strummer react? haha

[@tmamone83]

Most radio stations (or at least here in the US) nowadays only play Tears for Fears' two big hits: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Shout." But they have so many great songs that I think should be just as well-known, including "Break It Down Again" and my personal favorite "The Hurting." The local alt rock station WHFS in DC (near which I grew up) used to play the latter a lot in the '80s.

[@SparkleFunHorse]

Pale Shelter, full stop. Beautiful floating background synths & vocals, Smith's voice is perfect for the lyrics... and I'm an hardcore/metal guy!

[@EgoShredder]

Loads of Metal guys like us love bands like Tears For Fears, a~ha, Depeche Mode etc.

[@brunohebert1351]

That's what great music does. It can affect anyone even if the "genre" is not the one they prefer.

[@Suelabrie]

my favorite song of theirs

[@nicholashylton6857]

I love "Woman in Chains." One of the most soulful songs I have ever heard. And the soaring vocals? OMG, they are perfection!

[@aledandrian]

I listened to The Hurting for the first time a few years ago because of this song, and I truly couldn’t believe how bleak, dissonant and confrontational much of it was while still being instantly catchy and cutting-edge synthpop

[@rachael_grey]

I still have my vinyl from 1983.

[@Pomegranate_David]

You should read Arthur Janov's books to understand why.

[@Hiznogood]

“Break it down again” has a special place in my heart as it was the tune I played in my car going home from hospital after witnessing my first child be born, my beautiful daughter! It was such a jubilation, an incredible joy, it was like the biggest rush I ever had and I was full of emotions and then this song played … it was heavenly. Still today when I play it I do remember the feelings of a proud father. I wish I could explain it better, but English isn’t my first language - Thanks Tears for Fears, I still have the CD left but today I’m more likely to play it on Spotify.

[@einsame_loewin]

There should be a law prohibiting “Head Over Heels” from being played without “Broken” before it. And this is the best Tears For Fears “song”.

[@Prizzy999]

These two guys are simply one of the best bands in music history and I've been a fan for 40 years, Roland Orzabal's a freaking musical genius.

[@rachael_grey]

These guys are only a scant few years older than I am, so I felt they "understood" what so many of us were experiencing.

[@Battledrone]

As always an excellent video with lots of little details you can't find anywhere else. Also blown away by the tracks that kept their big anthems from the number one spot. Back then you'd get massive pop songs thrown at you on a weekly basis.

[@EHiggins]

I love the extended version of "The Way You Are". I had no idea they hated it. It was my drive time song for heavy traffic. Awesome video! Thanks!

[@mierezsaturday1452]

Their discography is breathtaking. Stunning lyrics decade after decade after decade.

[@frisnitfrisnit]

While all of the New British Canon videos are great and help shed a light on bands (and facts) I was less familiar with, it hits so much harder when it's a band you have a stronger connection with, like Tears for Fears for me. Great video, keep up the fantastic work! I did struggle with Smith's braid mullet back in the day though :D

[@danielaf1487]

Tears for Fears were the first band I ever saw live in my entire life. I was a very young teenager, just fresh out of childhood, and it was 1989. Later that same year I saw Sting and then The Cult, but you never forget your first time, so TFF remain special to me in that sense.

[@JackMellor498]

Been waiting for this one. 26 and they’re my favourite band, next to Depeche Mode and The Cure. My favourite song of theirs is probably The Working Hour, I could listen to that intro of synths and sax for hours and never get bored. It’s so fucking beautiful!

[@adamflanagan5433]

I still love The Working Hour. Such a masterpiece. The whole album is sublime.

[@frankc.357]

Just played Head over Heels at the bar. One of my favorites. Great channel.

[@lloydgoldston3620]

At just 11 years old the whole album “The Hurting” meshed with everything I was going through as a child whose parents had divorced. Music for therapy is very real. ❤

[@Annie-ez4ol]

I saw them at The Hyde Park concert in 2017 (supporting The Killers). Hearing the opening notes of Everybody …. Takes me straight back to a very memorable day. They were fantastic.

[@dirkbogarde44]

Should have been the other way round.

[@thejoneseys]

Absolutely loved this, your best upload so far (for me). These guys were the soundtrack of my entire childhood. Ah, memories of people and places that are no longer here 😥

[@tobolulo]

The Working Hour is about Roland and Curts interaction with the music business, but with lyrics like "find out what this fear is about" 🎶 it's about society and power structures that control our lives, and it also has some of the best saxophone work in 80s pop music.

[@danielx555]

I was living in the Pacific Northwest in the US and in 1985 or so everyone I knew had their records and we all listened to them all the time. My brother was a heavy metal guitarist, and he listened constantly to them. People at frat parties listened to this. Intellectual and serious people listened to those records. They had a serious image but the music was so well recorded and so perfectly written and so complicated in terms of what it means and how you feel when you listen to it. It's hard to imagine any band having this much impact today. I remember that the records were really beautiful and the liners were intricate and you could read lyrics for hours.

[@robopecha]

perfect! i wish your videos existed when i was a teenager. so many bands i just know a bunch of songs from that were on mtv back then, but i never knew anything about their background. and now it turns out they all kind of fit together like a puzzle. very satisfying to learn about.

[@jonquiloconnor987]

You needed a deeper dive into the impact The Seeds Of Love album had in the early 90's. I personally, thought it was sublime! It's so good to hear their story. An example of when you DON'T sell your soul......

[@JoeyLevenson]

Roland’s solo record Tomcats Screaming Outside could be the greatest TFF record no one’s ever heard and it’s a goddamn shame. It’s intense and the lyrics are just as genius level.

[@HakunaMaPasta]

a few days ago i was looking for a new british cannon video on tears for fears cause I thought you had made one already until i realized you hadn't! This video couldn't have come at a better time

[@katdroidd]

In the US, we consider TFF a 'proto-goth' band, because we all found each other at their concerts. Thanks for a trip back through this time in my life! My favorite song by them is so difficult to choose because I tend to listen to entire albums at a go. You didn't touch on it much, but I think that Orzabal's solo album "Elemental' may have some of his best work. It's so intense and joyful. His band performed a couple of tracks on the Johnny Carson Show and received a standing ovation, something that just doesn't usually happen.

[@asher3491]

When I was young teenager in the 2010s I listened to a lot of my mom's CDs. Tons of goth, new wave, and punk. I really loved tears for fears. But I wanted so bad to fit in with my cool emo friends so I never told anybody that it was some of my favorite music. She. My friends found Donnie darko, I finally felt cool saying I listen to tears for fears 😂

[@glocrowhurst]

The irony is that I feel like Tears for Fears fits in with emo really well. Idk, not in sound, but the vibe.

[@Mario88881000]

The Cure, Depeche Mode and TFF invented emo. I grew up with this stuff, you kids gave it a name. Same tribe recognizing itself accross generations. 🤜🏼

[@therealpancakegirl777]

that movie legitimized my naff love of all things 80’s

[@barrybloye]

I was an ‘81 baby and so would regularly hear their hits on the car radio when I was growing up. It’s only the last couple of months or so, though, that I’ve really started to appreciate what a creative force they are. I think Head Over Heels might even be one of my all-time favourite songs!

[@thebackyardbrewer5611]

My parents bought me songs from the big chair for my 12th birthday in 1985, it's music is still a deep part of my life to this day

[@nikopachinko6969]

Always a good day when you upload! Thank you

[@guy8029]

One little feature I love with your videos is the interview excerpts when the year they were quoted from, you find an era appropriate clip - great work as usual.

[@chelebeaqueen]

fantastic documentary work here! i was 11yo or so in 1985 and TfF were one of the bands i had in my newly blossoming tape cassette collection. i loved Songs From the Big Chair! it was one of the first albums i played over and over until i knew it by heart. i remember seeing them 'perform' Everybody Wants to Rule the World on the US prime time music variety-ish show Solid Gold. (my 11yo son just recently discovered this song via the Skibidi Toilet youtube series and that fostered his interest in the band, so i took him on a mini tour of TfF not toi long ago!) i recall my 11yo self marveling at something that i liked being so popular. girls had their Tiger Beat crushes haha and my fave was Curt Smith (i also adored John Taylor of Dutan Duran - had a poster on my bedroom wall and didn't know their music aside from what played on the radio!)... favorite TfF song? ... hmmmm ... probably Change, which i am unsure if i knew it was one if theirs when i first heard it. on the Big Chair album, i remember really liking I Believe : i was just a few years away from my high school jazz choir days, which seasoned my 1980s musical taste with jazz standards et al along with my sprouting infatuation with Elvis Costello. [...iin a jazz ballad standard kind of way, I Believe echoes Almost Blue and Shipbuilding; two songs i became very familiar with through over-listening to an EC greatest hits album : they were on the tracklist near my absolute favorite EC and 'of all time' song Beyond Belief]... anyways, i am a new subscriber to your channel and look forward to exploring your video library and seeing whatever you put out next! cheers, 🥰

[@craigevans-jj9pv]

Tears for Fears is without a doubt, the best artists to exist. Pure genius. Couldn't pick a favourite song, way too many.

[@MissFeline]

100%!!!!!🥰

[@brianwilson49]

This series of mini documentaries is superb - I have learned so much about music and artists that i thought I knew it all about already and have learned a lot about artists and music that i usually would have passed by. Please do keep the coming,

[@MapleLeaf0269]

I always thought there first album had tragic undertones but loved the atmosphere of the songs. Their personal history ties it all together..

[@LunarJetwoman]

When you hear songs like sketches of pain you appreciate just how misunderstood they are. The album it’s off is a good example of what you said about them not fitting in. I love tears for fears. Great video Thanks

[@pgrvloik]

I was introduced to TFF by Pale Shelter, as a teenager. Which I still listen to today at 52. The Hurting was the first CD I bought. Thanks for this awesome channel.

[@sioioos]

This came up randomly on my feed. What a great production all round. Thank you. Just subscribed. Favourite Tears for Fears track. I'd probably say 'Everybody Loves A Happy Ending'.

[@LastBastion9999]

So THAT'S where the "they had to fade it" line came from. ALSO: this pursuit of perfectionism explains why 'The Seeds of Love' had a 4-CD deluxe reissue a few years ago. Actually, I'm a bit surprised now - there could have been maybe a 14-CD reissue based on this logic. TFF still are making great music today. Thanks for the vid, as always.

[@gerhard7988]

I think Suffer the Children is one of the best songs ever recorded. Thanks for this episode.

[@stellaVista]

The Hurting (album) came exactly at the right time. It really was Joy Division with catchy melodies and exciting sounds. We found it hilarious that all words like PAIN, HURT and SUFFERING were typed in capital letters on the lyric sheet. Pale Shelter is such a bop!

[@PixelPumpkin]

Pale Shelter is my favourite as well.

[@jamespohl-md2eq]

It’s as if you never listened to Joy Division.

[@stellaVista]

@@jamespohl-md2eq By 1983 I had STOPPED listening to Joy Division! It was time to move on.

[@tonygallagher6989]

As much as I love Joy Division, their melodies were simple by design and the singing was sub-par. I could see them being an influence on TFT, but they definitely don't have the same musicality. It's painful for me to say that as a Mancunian, but it's the truth.

[@jamespohl-md2eq]

@@stellaVistaLol

[@rembrandx]

Thank God U2 didn't make it into Donnie Darko. It would've destroyed the film :D

[@therealpancakegirl777]

no, rite? just not the vibe

[@NewsRedial]

I start watching Trash Theory videos about bands I'm not particularly interested in and within two minutes I'm fascinated by them.

[@ryananderson8511]

I really have to say your channel has won me over with deep analytical and spiritual curtailing of music thank you now I must work on my own traumas

[@megaflux7144]

grossly underrated.. them and you.

[@nicholashylton6857]

TFF underrated? Hardly.

[@sherylF5610]

Great band! Love Tears for Fears. Mad World is such a beautiful song, but I have to say that the Gary Jules version makes me cry. Every time. There is a line that always makes me think of my little brother

[@karenkirby5152]

One of those bands that soundtracked my youth. Takes me right back to those heady teenage years. I think they have two of the finest singing voices in the business, especially Orzabal’s resonant chest voice, that still gives me goosebumps to this day. Their voices blend seamlessly to the point that it is sometimes hard to tell them apart. I found learning about their background fascinating and I respect them even more now I know this. Thank you for a great insight.

[@AutPen38]

I'm a big fan of the first two albums by TFF, so I was surprised to learn quite a lot from this video. I particularly liked the bit showing the influences and inspirations for some of their songs. It's amazing how many famous songs start off almost as failed cover versions of other records that take on a life of their own.

[@K.C.Fizzicyst]

"Songs from the Big Chair" came out when I was in 6th grade. It was such a monumental album to me. I remember recording "Shout" and "Head Over Heels" off of the radio and listening to them over and over.

[@tutubism]

it feels good to see this channel cover a classic 80s band who's song "shout" ive heard since childhood

[@willtveire]

Best video I've seen on KZbin for ages... Well done, it held me all the way!

[@lexp6099]

Ah the "bands influenced by this band" section really does them dirty! (I know the video isn't pinning the terrible "old hit slowed down" trend for movie trailers on them, this is facetious). Thanks for another great one! Love the channel, love Tears for Fears. Wish so many 80s favs weren't jumping on the AI bandwagon, though.

[@rumination2399]

I remember these guys from the 80s but I'm really here because my 7yr old son kind of loves them... thanks for the high quality vid. Feels like a quality channel, substance-wise. I get so exhausted by the flashy emptiness of most channels

[@marti2474]

They became one of the best live bands I've ever seen.

[@moetrymwm7807]

I was 20/21 when The Hurting was released and it sounded like nothng else being played on KROQ. It became one of my alltime favorite records. The following recording just ke[t getting better and broader. After over 40 years I finnaly got to see them live. I took my son, 16 at the time, to see them at The Hollywood Bowl. It was the band's very first time playing there, and it was magical. Sold out and their last night of their tour. It was emotional for me.

[@spoooky_matt]

I think this is my favorite video of yours that I have seen so far. I was born in 1984, so didn't really get to listen to Tears for Fears until I got into 80s music in college, and I didn't much care for them. They came off as a flash in the pan to me and were a bit too pop. Fast forward to today, and I finally get it now. This video helped me to understand and appreciate them even more.

[@tomlotti240]

This was so great. Love this band. Liked. For me, it's a toss up between "Memories Fade" and "Ideas as Opiates" and "Pale Shelter". That weird opening sequence on PS is so great.

[@3vil3lvis]

It is fascinating to hear the background of Tears for Fears and some of their songs meaning, after decades of ascribing my own meaning to them. In the 80's much of this information was not well known. Thank you for bringing these memories into context.

[@mickeypuc]

i’m so happy you finally covered tears for fears, songs from the big chair is one of my favorite albums ever

[@shannonpincombe8485]

Thank you so much for this. I love Tears for Fears. 1985 WAS Tears for Fears. After 1984 being Van Halen...these songs twisted my ear forcing me to listen to different tunes and appreciate them far more.

[@truusjoosten9447]

As a fresh student, I hung the sleeve of the album The Hurting on my wall, because the image of the little kid was meaningful to me, as were the lyrics. Now, 40 years later I recognize how I was ‘hurting’ and had no words for it myself. Brilliant brilliant album! ❤

[@KINGMONKEY1989]

This Channel never fails to produce the goods. Tears for fears have a back catalogue of hit after hit and its no wonder they had so much success. A band that i grew up with and were the soundtrack to my youth. Also when did Gandalf the grey hoin the band ?

[@TheNightBadger]

Loved this. So glad you did the deep-dive on the songs that influenced their songs in order. Learnt some new stuff.

[@Alchemiss1]

Tears for Fears are the soundtrack of a generation. Thank you for this wonderful feature.

[@robabiera733]

I think the early 80's remain underappreciated. Everybody tends to think "oh, MTV" but there was a lot of experimentation going on and influences coming together from everywhere and it was all catchy as you-know-what! If the 60's invented pop music the 80's definitely reinvented it!

[@barrybloye]

Yep. I’m realising that there were so many acts like TFF that were seen as ‘pop’ and taken for granted, when their creativity ran so much further than the radio-friendly (or not-so-radio-friendly) hits. It’s brilliant to rediscover an artist and be able to dig through so much treasure in their back catalogue.

[@T69Jimbo]

I thought the album “Elemental” without Curt was excellent, some fantastic songs on it. Roland even said making the album was a lot easier and faster doing it in his own. Glad they’re friends again and make music together.

[@1911bela]

This Channel is Gold, especially if you lived in these era's Thanks for the work

[@lainiwakura1776]

These always bring me a new appreciation of songs I grew up with. I love "Change" and "Head Over Heels."

[@althejazzman]

I always learn so much from these videos that I didn't even realise I was missing out on. I love the first two albums, but didn't realise the background was so complicated. It often is with successful musicians - such a dichotomy between artistry and financial drive.

[@lisamh9037]

This was very good, thank you. These guys have always been a bit mysterious to me, but i was around for the overplay of their biggest hits in US radio, and while I thought they were cool enough, I never looked into their story. I'm glad I watched this. I hope they're both happy these days. Their songs take me right back to where I was in life. Thanks, fellas. ❤ PS want to edit and add that throughout this I kept saying "good job, guys" and feeling proud and happy for them at every accomplishment. "Good job" making their music at their own pace, on their own terms. And now I understand "...so sad they had to fade it", and every time I hear it, I'll be glad they said it.