Tears For Fears "Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92)"

Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92) is a greatest hits album by the English pop/rock band Tears for Fears. It was released on 2 March 1992 by Fontana Records. Preceded by the single "Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)", the album contains the band's UK and international top-20 singles (except "Everybody Wants to Run the World"). It has been certified double platinum in the United Kingdom, platinum in the United States, and gold in several other countries including Canada, France and Germany.

Tears Roll Down originally peaked at number one in Italy and number two in the UK and France upon its release, but re-entered the UK top 10 at number six in 2004 for several weeks following the success of Gary Jules' cover version of "Mad World".

A compilation video under the same title was also released in 1992, and later issued on DVD.

The album itself was reissued in 2004 as a 2-CD/1-DVD set under the "Sound+Vision Deluxe" line, and again in 2005 with a bonus disc containing several remixes.

Track listing

1. "Sowing the Seeds of Love" – 6:19 from The Seeds of Love
2. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" – 4:11 from Songs from the Big Chair
3. "Woman in Chains" – 6:28 from The Seeds of Love
4. "Shout" – 6:33 from Songs from the Big Chair
5. "Head over Heels" – 4:14 from Songs from the Big Chair
6. "Mad World" – 3:29 from The Hurting
7. "Pale Shelter" – 4:39 from The Hurting
8. "I Believe" – 4:50 from Songs from the Big Chair
9. "Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)" – 4:44 Previously unreleased
10. "Mothers Talk" – 4:59 from Songs from the Big Chair
11. "Change" – 3:54 from The Hurting
12. "Advice for the Young at Heart" – 4:54 from The Seeds of Love

Tracks 1 and 5 written by Roland Orzabal/Curt Smith.

Track 2 written by Orzabal/Ian Stanley/Chris Hughes.

Tracks 3, 6, 7, 8, and 11 written by Orzabal.

Tracks 4 and 10 written by Orzabal/Stanley.

Track 9 written by Orzabal/Dave Bascombe.

Track 12 written by Orzabal/Nicky Holland.

Various Artists "Platinum 80s"

Platinum 80s is a double CD compilation album, released in 2002 by Warner Strategic Marketing.

Track list:

CD 1

1. Queen & David Bowie Under Pressure 3:57
2. Madonna Holiday 3:51
3. Peter Gabriel Sledgehammer 4:40
4. David Bowie Let's Dance 3:36
5. Talking Heads Road To Nowhere 4:19
6. Depeche Mode Personal Jesus (Single Edit) 3:43
7. Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) 4:35
8. Madness Our House 3:21
9. Genesis Invisible Touch 3:12
10. Simply Red Money's Too Tight 4:12
11. Fleetwood Mac Little Lies 3:37
12. The Smiths This Charming Man 2:42
13. Blondie Call Me 3:29
14. A-Ha The Sun Always Shines On TV 5:06
15. Tears For Fears Shout 4:45
16. Culture Club Do You Really Want To Hurt Me 4:22
17. Human League* Don't You Want Me 3:56
18. Prince Kiss 3:38
19. Falco Rock Me Amadeus 3:20
20. The Cars Drive 3:55

CD 2

1. John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over 3:54
2. Pink Floyd Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2) 3:50
3. Van Halen Why Can't This Be Love 3:31
4. Frankie Goes To Hollywood Relax 3:56
5. Duran Duran Rio 4:44
6. Crowded House Don't Dream It's Over 3:53
7. Belinda Carlisle Heaven Is A Place On Earth 4:04
8. Bananarama Venus 3:38
9. Fine Young Cannibals Good Thing 3:09
10. Communards* Don't Leave Me This Way 4:29
11. New Order Blue Monday (88 Radio Edit) 3:48
12. Erasure Sometimes 3:37
13. Kim Wilde Kids In America 3:24
14. Simple Minds Don't You (Forget About Me) 4:18
15. Kate Bush Babooshka 3:28
16. Spandau Ballet Gold 3:52
17. Tina Turner What's Love Got To Do With It 3:35
18. The Pretenders Don't Get Me Wrong 3:46
19. Bee Gees You Win Again 3:50
20. Phil Collins In The Air Tonight 5:29

Various Artists "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s Vol.15"

Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s is a series of compilations issued by Rhino Records, on both CD and audio cassette, featuring various artists from the new wave era 1977–1985.

The series contained 15 volumes. The first five were released on 21 June 1994, volumes 6–10 on 18 October 1994, and the last five volumes on 20 June 1995. Additional themed volumes—New Wave Dance Hits, New Wave Women, New Wave Halloween, and New Wave Christmas—came out in subsequent years. Rhino Records discontinued the series, due to rights issues and with no plans to re-release them. Many of the songs in the series are mastered from the 7" single masters. The series includes some songs making their first CD appearance (in some rare cases, their only CD appearance).

The fifteenth volume was released on both CD [R2 71977] and audio cassette on June 20, 1995. Includes liner notes by Jean Rosenbluth.

1. "Walking on Sunshine" Katrina & the Waves 4:00
2. "Head over Heels" Tears for Fears 4:19
3. "It's a Mistake" Men at Work 4:34
4. "Life in a Northern Town" The Dream Academy 4:18
5. "Beat's So Lonely" Charlie Sexton 5:18
6. "Guitar, Talk, Love & Drums" Gary Myrick 4:18
7. "Since Yesterday" Strawberry Switchblade 2:56
8. "Obsession" Animotion 4:04
9. "Endicott" Kid Creole and the Coconuts 4:29
10. "Perfect Way" Scritti Politti 4:06
11. "So in Love" Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 3:31
12. "Election Day" Arcadia 4:34
13. "19" Paul Hardcastle 3:40
14. "Why?" Bronski Beat 3:58
15. "Some People" Belouis Some 4:01
16. "Like a Virgin" The Lords of the New Church 3:49

Compiled & Produced for release by: David McLees & Andrew Sandoval

Sound Produced by: Bill Inglot

Compilation Assistance: David Kapp, Emily Cagan, Jim Neill, Brady Benton, Ken Lesnik, Joe Phiefer, Ted Myers, Gary Peterson, Gary Stewart, Chris Farman

The licensing King: Mark Pinkus

Discographical Annotations: Patrick Milligan

Project Assistance: Garson Foos, Keith Altomare, Jim Neill, Steve Poltorak, Craig Kamins, Bill Inglot, Jock Elliot, Antone DeSantis, Arny Schorr, Darcy Sullvan, Stephen K. Peeles, Norma Edwards, Nancy Hopkins, Michaeal Mazzarella, Nat Brewster, Janet Grey, David Miller.

Research: Patrick Milligan, Gary Peterson

Remastering: Bill Inglot, Andrew Sandoval & Ken Perry

Front Cover Photo: Blind Gary & Dirty Pierre Silva (Volumes 6–15 only)

Design: Julie Vlasak (Volumes 6–15 only) & Steve Bates

Art Direction (Volumes 6–15 only): Monster X

Rhino New Wave Hits of the '80s Team: Keith Altomare, Steve Bates, Emily Cagan, Chris Clarke, Julie D'Angelo, David Born, Garson Foos, Teresa McGurrin, David McLees, Jim Neill, David Newberg, Mark Pinkus, Faithe Raphael

Special Thanks: Michael Ackerman, James Austin, Hugo Bernham, Jay Boberg, Chris Castle, Cliff Chenfeld, Paul Cope/Record Rover, Jesse & Rachel Donahue, Richard Foos, Maria Garza, Jeff Gold, Paul Grein, Tanya Harman, Bruce Harris, Keith Johnson, Lisa Kellerhouse, Howie Klein, Scott Lasker, Bill Levenson, Tom Lopinski, Donna Malyszko, Toby Mamis, Paul C. Mawhinney/Record Rama, Maria Mandez, Brad Morrison, Mark Mulcahy, Frankie Pine, Ken Reed/Main Street Records, Fred Schneider, Suzanne Steers, Lisa Sutton, Gerrard Talbot, David Tedds, Vincent Vero, Paul Williams

Various Artists "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s Vol.11"

Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s is a series of compilations issued by Rhino Records, on both CD and audio cassette, featuring various artists from the new wave era 1977–1985.

The series contained 15 volumes. The first five were released on 21 June 1994, volumes 6–10 on 18 October 1994, and the last five volumes on 20 June 1995. Additional themed volumes—New Wave Dance Hits, New Wave Women, New Wave Halloween, and New Wave Christmas—came out in subsequent years. Rhino Records discontinued the series, due to rights issues and with no plans to re-release them. Many of the songs in the series are mastered from the 7" single masters. The series includes some songs making their first CD appearance (in some rare cases, their only CD appearance).

The eleventh volume was released on both CD [R2 71974] and audio cassette on June 20, 1995.

1. "In a Big Country" Big Country 3:55
2. "99 Luftballons" Nena 3:55
3. "Just Got Lucky" JoBoxers 3:44
4. "Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)" The Flirts 3:45
5. "Change" Tears for Fears 4:00
6. "Talking in Your Sleep" The Romantics 3:57
7. "Emotion" DFX2 4:57
8. "President Am I" Slow Children 2:50
9. "One Thing Leads to Another" The Fixx 3:25
10. "The Fanatic" Felony 3:36
11. "Shiny Shiny" Haysi Fantayzee 3:46
12. "Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour)" Dollar 3:22
13. "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)" Fun Boy Three 3:14
14. "Black Coffee in Bed" Squeeze 4:18
15. "Send Me an Angel" Real Life 3:56
16. "True" Spandau Ballet 5:35

Tears For Fears "Head Over Heels (Single & Video)"

"Head over Heels" is a song by British new wave band Tears for Fears. It was the band's tenth single release in the United Kingdom (the fourth taken from their second LP, Songs from the Big Chair) and eighth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 12 in July 1985. In the United States, it was the third single from the album and continued the band's run of hits there, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A limited edition four-leaf-clover-shaped picture disc was issued for the single's release in the UK. The song was also an international success, reaching the Top 40 in several countries.

"Head over Heels" had been developed nearly two years prior as part of a segue with the song "Broken", which was previously a stand-alone B-side to the 1983 "Pale Shelter" single. As the two songs share the same piano/synth motif, "Head over Heels" eventually came to be sandwiched in between two bookend parts of "Broken" in live performances. This placement carried over to the final track listing of the Big Chair LP, with a studio recording of "Broken" preceding "Head over Heels" and a live reprise of "Broken" (recorded at the concert, which was released on the "In My Mind's Eye" VHS) following it.


The song features Roland Orzabal on lead vocals, with Curt Smith singing a couple of lines in the background during the second verse.

It is basically a romantic love song and one of the most simple tracks that Tears for Fears have ever recorded. It is a romance song that goes a bit perverse at the end.
— Roland Orzabal

"Head over Heels" has seen only three official remixes since its release.

The 12" version was titled the "Preacher Mix" and is an extended remix of the entire "Broken/Head Over Heels/Broken" medley. The mix was done by producer Chris Hughes and features an unusual spoken word intro in which Roland Orzabal recites lyrics from the song "I Believe" in the style of a preacher. This mix contains the only released studio recording of the "Broken" reprise (the version on the Songs from the Big Chair album is a live recording). The sung vocals from the album version of "Broken" are completely absent, as is the lead guitar line.

The 7" remix was done by David Bascombe and notably ends in a cold stop after the "time flies" lyric, instead of the segue into the reprise of "Broken" found on the album.

There is also a unique radio-only version that was issued on a double A-side single featuring the regular single mix on the other side. This was issued to radio stations for promotion only and has the catalog number IDEDJ 10. The radio mix is noticeably different from the regular single version in that it omits the flanging effects from the drum fill after the second chorus and the closing "time flies" vocals. Whereas the regular single credits the remix to Dave Bascombe, the radio version simply credits Chris Hughes as producer. This version of the single does not include "When in Love with a Blind Man" and has blue-coloured injection molded labels.

The music video for "Head over Heels", filmed in June 1985, was the fourth Tears for Fears clip directed by music video producer Nigel Dick. A lighthearted video in comparison to the band's other promos, it is centred on Roland Orzabal's attempts to get the attention of a librarian (Joan Densmore), while a variety of characters (many played by the rest of the band), including a chimpanzee wearing a Red Sox jersey, engage in shenanigans in the library. The final scene shows Orzabal and the librarian as an older married couple. The video was filmed at the Emmanuel College Library in Toronto, Canada.

Tears For Fears "Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Single & Video)"

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by English band Tears for Fears. Originally released in the UK on 22 March 1985 it was the band's ninth single release in the United Kingdom and the third from their second LP Songs from the Big Chair. It was their seventh UK Top 30 chart hit, peaking at number two in April 1985, and thus becoming the group's highest-charting UK single. In the US, it was the lead single from the album and gave the band their first Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit on 8 June 1985, remaining there for two weeks. It also reached number one on both the Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales charts in the US. The song has since become the pinnacle of Tears for Fears' chart success.

In 1986, the song won "Best Single" at the Brit Awards.

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was somewhat of an afterthought during the recording of Songs from the Big Chair. According to Roland Orzabal, he initially regarded the song as a lightweight that would not fit with the rest of the album. Originally, the lyrics of the song were "everybody wants to go to war", which Orzabal felt was lacklustre. It was producer Chris Hughes who convinced him to try recording it, in a calculated effort to gain American chart success.

It was written and recorded in two weeks and was the final track to be added to the Songs from the Big Chair album. The shuffle beat was alien to our normal way of doing things. It was jolly rather than square and rigid in the manner of 'Shout', but it continued the process of becoming more extrovert.

— Roland Orzabal

The concept is quite serious – it's about everybody wanting power, about warfare and the misery it causes.

— Curt Smith

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a new wave song set in the key of D major with a 12/8 time signature and a tempo of 112 beats per minute.

The band have stated that the driving shuffle rhythm was influenced by Simple Minds' "Waterfront", released in 1983.


As was the case with the three hit singles from Tears for Fears' debut LP The Hurting, the song featured bassist Curt Smith on lead vocals.

In 1986, the song won "Best Single" at the Brit Awards. Band member and co-writer Roland Orzabal argued that the song deserved to win the Ivor Novello International Hit of the Year award, claiming that the winner—"19" by Paul Hardcastle—was not an actual song, but only a "dialogue collage".


In 2015, 30 years after its release, the song was honoured at the annual BMI Awards in London for achieving 6 million radio airplays.

The promotional clip for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", filmed in early 1985, was the third Tears for Fears clip directed by music video producer Nigel Dick. It features Curt Smith driving an antique Austin-Healey 3000 sports car around numerous Southern California locales, including Salton Sea and Cabazon. Interspersed with these clips are shots of the full band performing the song in a London studio. Along with the clip for "Shout", the "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" video had a big hand in helping establish Tears for Fears in America, due to its heavy amount of play on the music video channel MTV.

"Everybody Wants to Run the World" is a re-recording of the "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". The reworked single was released in 1986 to promote the Sport Aid campaign, a charitable event held to raise money for famine relief in Africa. It was a success in the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's sixth top 5 hit, peaking at number 5 in June 1986. The song also reached number 4 in Ireland.

Tears For Fears "Shout (Single & Video)"

"Shout" is a song by British band Tears for Fears, written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal (with Curt Smith duetting on the chorus). First released in the UK on 23 November 1984, it was the band's eighth single release (the second taken from their second album Songs from the Big Chair) and sixth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at no. 4 in January 1985. In the US, it reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 3 August 1985 and remained there for three weeks. "Shout" would become one of the most successful songs of 1985, eventually reaching the Top Ten in 25 countries. "Shout" is regarded as one of the most recognizable songs from the mid-eighties and is also recognized as the group's signature song, along with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".

While Tears for Fears' previous single "Mothers Talk" had showcased a new, more extroverted songwriting style, "Shout" was completed with power chords, heavy percussion, a synth bass solo and a vocal-sounding synth riff. The song even features a lengthy guitar solo, something previously unheard of in Tears for Fears' usual music style.

The song was written in my front room on just a small synthesizer and a drum machine. Initially I only had the chorus, which was very repetitive, like a mantra. I played it to Ian Stanley, our keyboardist, and Chris Hughes, the producer. I saw it as a good album track, but they were convinced it would be a hit around the world.

— Roland Orzabal

We were halfway through recording 'Mothers Talk' when Roland first played us a rough version of a new song he'd been working on. It was then very slow and very simple. I remember saying "this is so simple it should take about five minutes to record." Weeks later... We were halfway through recording 'Shout' when Roland had a birthday party. That evening I asked the four of them separately if they had any thoughts about sleeve notes for the record. Roland said "White text on black paper and say something about arguably the best offering yet." Curt said "You're probably the best person to make up some off the wall irrelevant drivel." Ian said "I don't like them, I'm not interested." Manny said "Did you know I used to play drums for 'Rocky Ricketts and The Jet Pilots of Jive?"


— Chris Hughes, from the "Shout" single sleeve notes

"A lot of people think that 'Shout' is just another song about primal scream theory, continuing the themes of the first album. It is actually more concerned with political protest. It came out in 1984 when a lot of people were still worried about the aftermath of The Cold War and it was basically an encouragement to protest."

— Roland Orzabal

"It concerns protest inasmuch as it encourages people not to do things without actually questioning them. People act without thinking because that's just the way things go in society. So it's a general song, about the way the public accepts any old grief which is thrown at them."


— Curt Smith

"Shout" is by far the most abundantly remixed song in the Tears for Fears catalog, with at least 15 different versions of it having been officially released under the band's name.

As was commonplace during the 1980s, the original 12-inch vinyl single release featured an extended remix of the song. Three remixes by collaborators Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero later appeared on American releases of the single, including dub and a cappella versions. More recently, remixes have been done by notable DJs such as Jakatta, Fergie, Skylark and Beatchuggers. It was also remixed in the video game DJ Hero, where the song was mixed with Pjanoo.


In addition to the 12-inch mixes, "Shout" also appeared in three different 7-inch versions. The original single version released in the UK and much of the rest of the world clocks in at 5:53 and is the same mix of the song found on the Songs from the Big Chair LP, albeit in an edited form. The version released in Germany and Japan is 4:51 in length and fades out during the guitar solo. Meanwhile, the final version released in America is specifically tailored for radio play at a concise 3:59 in length, featuring edits to the chorus and instrumental sections.

In addition to the standard 7- and 12-inch releases, the "Shout" single was issued in two collectible formats in the UK: a limited edition 10-inch single and a 7-inch boxed pack featuring a 1985 Tears for Fears calendar. A similar limited edition 7-inch pack was released in Canada, this one featuring a 12-page booklet of band photos. In 1988, "Shout" was reissued on the short-lived CD Video format. The disc included two mixes of the title track, a remix of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", and the "Shout" music video.

The promotional video for "Shout", filmed in late 1984, was the second Tears for Fears video directed by famed music video producer Nigel Dick. It features footage of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith at Durdle Door in Dorset, England, as well as at a studio performance with the full band (including Ian Stanley and Manny Elias) performing the song amidst a crowd of family and friends. The video reportedly cost only £14,000 to produce. Along with the clip for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", the "Shout" video had a big hand in helping establish Tears for Fears in America due to its heavy airplay on the music video channel MTV. Ironically, the band had at one time considered making a second video for the song's American single release, as the original was not considered MTV friendly.

Tears For Fears "Mother's Talk (Single & Video)"

"Mothers Talk" is a 1984 song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal, it was the band's seventh single release (the first to be taken from their second album Songs from the Big Chair (1985) and fifth UK Top 40 chart hit. The song was released six months in advance of the album and showcased the band's edgier sound, as compared to their debut LP The Hurting (1983). It was also a moderate success internationally.

This was a taster for Songs from the Big Chair, the second album, on which we unashamedly tried to become more commercial. I was against it, but I was swayed by some of the people that I was working with. They wanted to come out all guns blazing, but I wasn't ready for that. It was from this point, though, that things really started to explode.


— Roland Orzabal

"Mothers Talk" was written in 1983 and was first publicly performed during the band's late 1983 tour. In early 1984, the band went into the studio to record the song as their next single, though the recording sessions with their new producer Jeremy Green did not work out as planned and the recording was scrapped. The band's previous producer, Chris Hughes, was then brought back into the fold and the song was re-recorded and finally released as a single in August 1984. Hughes stayed on with the band to record their second album, Songs from the Big Chair.


Along with its B-side, "Empire Building", "Mothers Talk" was one of the first Tears for Fears songs to demonstrate a creative use of sampling. The strings at the beginning of the song were culled from a Barry Manilow record, while the drum sample around which "Empire Building" is built was lifted from the Simple Minds song "Today I Died Again". This was the second Tears for Fears single for which Phonogram Records would use the picture disc and coloured vinyl gimmicks as a promotional tool, as well as the first one to feature multiple 12" releases offering different remixes of the track. Limited quantities of the 7" single also came with a free Tears For Fears window sticker of the band's new logo.

The song stems from two ideas. One is something that mothers say to their children about pulling faces. They say the child will stay like that when the wind changes. The other idea is inspired by the anti-nuclear cartoon book When The Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs.


— Roland Orzabal

While America saw "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" as the first single release from the Songs from the Big Chair LP, "Mothers Talk" was eventually released there as the fourth and final single from the album in April 1986, peaking at no. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although labeled as a "remix", this version of the song is actually a complete re-recording, done by the band after their Big Chair tour wrapped up. It was mixed by the award-winning producer Bob Clearmountain, who would go on to mix the band's next album with them. In addition to a different picture sleeve, the single featured the band's cover of Robert Wyatt's "Sea Song" as the B-side (this had been released as the B-side to the single "I Believe" in other countries in 1985). This version was also released in Canada and Japan at the same time.

Three separate promotional clips were filmed for the song in total. The original version, a performance clip set in a blue toned room and interspersed with shots of a young girl being studied by scientists, was disliked by the band and quickly disowned, although it had already aired on various British television shows by this point. A replacement video (directed by Nigel Dick) was then filmed on a shoestring budget, featuring the duo in a rural location (some of which was filmed in Curt Smith's back garden) and interspersed with news and sports footage from a TV set. Both clips were released to UK and European markets in mid-1984. The third and final video was made for the "US Remix" of the song in early 1986 and portrayed a family preparing a bomb shelter for nuclear fallout, in keeping with the theme of Raymond Briggs' graphic novel When the Wind Blows. An extended mix of the song, featuring an extra verse at the beginning, was exclusive to this video until it was issued as a bonus track on the 2015 deluxe reissue of Songs from the Big Chair.

Tears For Fears "Change (Single& Video)"

"Change" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's fourth single release. It would eventually become the second hit from their debut LP The Hurting (1983) and second UK Top 5 chart hit, following the success of "Mad World". The song also gave Tears for Fears their first charting single in the United States when it cracked the Billboard Top 100 in August 1983. "Change" was also a big international success, reaching the Top 40 in numerous countries.

It's not really about much. It's just one of those cheap pop lyrics.


— Roland Orzabal

The 7" version of "Change" is the same mix of the song found on The Hurting, but in a slightly edited form. An extended remix of the song is showcased as the lead track on the 12" single. While many copies of the 12" single use the 7" mix of the song as one of the B-sides, some feature an altogether different recording. Although uncredited on the singles themselves, this mix is labeled the "New Version" on the UK cassette release of The Hurting, where it was included as a bonus track. Featuring an alternate set of lyrics, this version actually predates the 7" mix, despite its title.

It's a step backwards to what we were doing before "Mad World"... the version on The Hurting is a vast improvement.

— Curt Smith


More recently, a mix by British DJ Joey Negro was included, along with other Tears for Fears remixes, on a 2004 promotional EP.

"The Conflict" is a song that served as the b-side to the "Change" single. Its repeated verse describes a conflict between two individuals. Sung by Curt Smith, this is one of the few songs in the Tears for Fears catalogue on which he shares a writing credit.

The music video for "Change" was directed by Clive Richardson, best known for his early work with Depeche Mode.

Tears For Fears "Songs From The Big Chair"

Songs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by the British rock/pop band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Mercury Records in most countries and distributed internationally by Phonogram Inc. The album peaked at number two in the UK and number one in the US and Canada. It spawned the international hit singles "Mothers Talk", "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", "Head Over Heels", and "I Believe". It remains their best-selling album to date.

The album title was derived from the 1976 television film Sybil about a woman with multiple personality disorder who only feels safe when she is sitting in her analyst's "big chair". A mostly-instrumental track called "The Big Chair" (which includes dialogue samples from the film) was released as the B-side of "Shout" in 1984, but was not included on the album.

The album peaked at no.2 in the UK Albums Chart and remained in the Top 10 for over six months. In the US, it reached number one for five weeks (non-consecutive), and in Canada it reached number one for nine weeks (non-consecutive) and spent six months in the Top 3. In all three countries, the album went multi-platinum. It also reached number one in Germany and The Netherlands and Top 10 positions in various other countries including Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Italy.


A companion video documentary entitled Scenes from the Big Chair was released in late 1985. Once the band had finished a lengthy touring and promotion schedule for the album, they took an extended hiatus from the music industry. In 1989, their third album, The Seeds of Love, marked their return.

In 1998, MFSL remastered and re-issued the album with an extended "Head over Heels" (running 5:24) and two bonus tracks (extended mixes of "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World").

The album was remastered and re-issued on CD in 1999 with bonus tracks, including B-sides and remixes. The track listing is based on the Special Edition cassette version of the album, which featured five B-sides as bonus tracks—including three tracks ("The Conflict", "The Marauders" and "Broken Revisited") from The Hurting period. In addition to these tracks, it includes two remixes.

The album was re-released again in a deluxe edition 2-disc format in 2006 with the full collection of B-sides and many alternate versions and remixes of the album's tracks.

In 2014, the album was released by Universal Music Japan on SHM-SACD.


To mark the album's 30th anniversary, Universal Music released the album in five different formats on 10 November 2014, including a 6-disc Super Deluxe Edition which includes four CDs and two DVDs (1 audio, 1 video). This edition also includes a 30-page replica 1985 tour programme and a 32-page booklet. Additional formats released simultaneously include another 2-disc Deluxe Edition, a single disc remastered edition, a 180-gram heavyweight vinyl album, and a "Pure Audio" Blu-Ray edition. The 5.1 surround sound mix is done by renowned remixer and progressive rock musician Steven Wilson.