Further Listening

The Hurting MERCURY, 1983

Tears for Fears’ debut album arrived at the height of the early 1980s synthpop movement that included British acts such as the Human League, Depeche Mode and Soft Cell. But instead of following the example of their peers’ shiny pop music during the MTV era, The Hurting focused on childhood trauma—the result of the duo’s interest in the writings of Dr. Arthur Janov, a psychologist who popularized the idea of primal therapy. The album turned out to be a success in the U.K., yielding the hit songs “Pale Shelter,” “Change” and the nowclassic “Mad World.”

Songs From the Big Chair MERCURY, 1985

Tears for Fears’ next record dispensed with the turbulent and psychological drama of The Hurting for something more extroverted and similar to the anthemic rock of Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams. Featuring key contributions from producer Chris Hughes, keyboardist Ian Stanley and drummer Manny Elias, Songs From the Big Chair reached number one on the Billboard album chart and sold 5 million copies in the U.S. thanks to such hit singles as “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Shout” and “Head Over Heels.”

The Seeds of Love MERCURY, 1989

Nowadays, a four-year gap between studio albums by a musical act is not too long of a wait. But at the time, there were huge pressures to follow up the massive success of Songs From the Big Chair. In a departure from its predecessor, The

Seeds of Love found the band shifting from synthrock toward a more organic, live band sound galvanized by the presence of singer Oleta Adams. The album’s leadoff single “Sowing the Seeds of Love,” an homage to Beatles-inspired ’60s pop, went to number two in America; other notable songs included the gorgeous “Woman in Chains” and the elegant “Advice for the Young Heart.”