Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair
Tears for FearsSONGS FROM
THE BIG CHAIR.
Tears for Fears turned psychological theory, meticulous studio construction and huge pop hooks into one of the defining albums of the mid-1980s.
Album artwork shown for commentary and historical reference. Image source: Cover Art Archive / MusicBrainz.
SEVEN THINGS
WORTH KNOWING.
Recording stories, credits, physical details and numbers worth keeping with the record.
Songs From the Big Chair was released on February 17, 1985.
Original editions vary between eight and nine listed tracks because some versions combine "Head Over Heels" and the live reprise of "Broken."
The album includes "Shout," "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," "Head Over Heels" and "Mothers Talk."
Chris Hughes produced "Shout," with David Bascombe credited as engineer.
MusicBrainz credits Curt Smith on bass, Ian Stanley on keyboards and Manny Elias and Chris Hughes on drums for "Shout."
The album title was inspired by the 1976 television film Sybil and the idea of the analyst's chair as a place of safety.
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was a late addition to the album and developed from an earlier lyric idea built around the phrase "Everybody Wants to Go to War."
WHY THIS
ALBUM MATTERS.
Songs From the Big Chair sounds enormous, but the construction is surprisingly methodical. Repetition, programmed textures, live instruments and carefully layered vocals make the songs feel simple on first listen and much more complicated underneath.
THE
NUMBERS.
RELEASE
The album arrived in February 1985.
MAJOR SINGLES
Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Head Over Heels and Mothers Talk anchor the album campaign.
TRACK LISTING
Different original formats list the album as eight or nine tracks.
THE
PHYSICAL OBJECT.
The cover is unusually intimate for an album full of giant singles. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith sit close together rather than posing like distant pop stars, keeping the human side of the record visible.
RESEARCH SOURCES
Facts are checked against artist, label, archival and recording-credit sources before publication.
KEEP
DIGGING.
More recording stories, strange credits, cover art, chart numbers and details hiding inside the records.