Album Spotlight: Tears For Fears’ ‘Songs From The Big Chair’

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Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

1985

Rock, Pop

Vinyl

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In 2022, the Tears for Fears song “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” entered the Spotify Top 50 in the U.S., as well as the Australian Top 50 – nearly 40 years after its release. Initially released on Tears for Fears’ 1985 album Songs From The Big Chair, the song became an existential anthem of the 1980s and eventually rose to number one in the U.S. and U.K. in the spring of 1985.

In the summer of 2022, the song was re-discovered by a new generation of listeners thanks to a wave of user-generated content on TikTok. “We released this song in 1985. This week, it charted in the Top 50 on Spotify. Thank you TikTok” said the band in response.

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” Was A Last Minute Addition to Songs From The Big Chair

The timeless message of the song has continued to resonate with new listeners. In 2023, it reached number nine on the U.S. Hot Rock and Alternative Songs charts, as well as number 53 on the UK Single Charts. But according to the band, the song almost wasn’t included on Songs From The Big Chair. Rather, it was a last minute addition – and one that producer and co-writer Chris Hughes went so far to describe as “bland as hell.” 

The song came together following some creative push and pull between Tears for Fears co-founder Roland Orzabal and producer Hughes. After two weeks of recording and tinkering, it was added to the album’s lineup and went on to become its first single. It was also the last song recorded for the album.

Songs From The Big Chair was a dramatic step forward for Tears For Fears, following their first album The Hurting in 1983. Emerging as a new wave and synth pop duo from Bath, UK, the band experienced early success with the single “Mad World,” but they wanted to expand their sound beyond synth pop. By 1984, the band had started writing new material, incorporating synthesizers and drum machines alongside traditional instruments in an effort to evolve their sound. 

According to Tears for Fears co-founder Curt Smith, “We were very introverted on The Hurting,  it was a very dark album. We found the need to be more outgoing on The Big Chair.” The first song written was “Head Over Heels,” an upbeat, melodic and evocative tale of getting in over one’s own head. Influenced by prog rock and the songwriting of Robert Wyatt, Tears for Fears’ songwriting became more layered, contemplative, and sophisticated, while retaining their gift for melody.

“We started off with two or three songs and bits of b-sides and within one month I came up with “Shout,” “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” and “I Believe.” And I think it was when we did “Shout” that we really moved to a completely different gear,” said Orzabal.

Near the end of the recording process, Orzabal began playing the two chords from “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” and eventually, producer Chris Hughes encouraged him to keep going. 

By February of 1985, Songs From The Big Chair was released, with a black and white photo of Orzabal and Smith on the cover. In a matter of weeks, the album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and produced five commercially successful singles – from an album featuring only eight tracks.

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” Becomes An ’80s Anthem

Meanwhile, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” helped Tears for Fears break through in the U.S., and became a number one hit. But “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” did more than just fuel record sales — it permeated pop culture and became a symbolic anthem of the ‘80s for listeners around the world. From the radio to movies to television, the song was everywhere.

Arguably the biggest hit of the band’s career, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” and Songs From The Big Chair, continue to endure and resonate with new listeners, further cementing Tears for Fears’ legacy. 

To date, Songs From The Big Chair has sold over ten million copies and is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2023, Songs From The Big Chair ranked number 55 in the top 100 albums sold on Discogs, and currently, it sits in over 100,000 Wantlists on Discogs.