PLAY MUSIC DUO CAN THANK THE LORDE

split in 1991 may have ended in a nasty legal spat, but ironically it was lawyers who reunited UK duo Tears for Fears’ Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal.

“It was a real estate lawyer, not a litigation lawyer,” Smith said. “We own buildings together in England, so we were still tied together through business.”

That led to 2005’ s Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, the first Tears for Fears album since 1989. The title referenced their reunion. Since then they’ve become a regular touring act. Another new Tears for Fears album, The Tipping Point, is due for release next year.

“We’re both very aware what we do together is bigger than the sum of its parts,” Smith said.

In the last 15 years Tears for Fears’ songs have been covered and sampled by a wide range of musicians. It started with the Gary Jules and Michael Andrew cover of their 1982 hit Mad World for the Donnie Darko soundtrack. The stark reinvention became a UK No. 1.

Then today’s R& B and hip- hop artists began championing Tears for Fears’ 1983 debut The Hurting. Kanye West sampled Memories Fade for his song Coldest Winter, while The Weeknd’s song Secrets samples their 1982 single Pale Shelter.

Kiwi singer Lorde also reinvented the 1985 global rock anthem Everybody Wants to Rule the World for a Hunger Games soundtrack. Her haunting remake became a hit and helped a legion of younger fans discover Tears for Fears.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World has also been covered by Don Henley and Patti Smith.