# Tears For Fears, anyone? ...anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604 "2004-06-28T20:53:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/1 "2004-06-28T20:53:05Z")
Soooooooo…any other Tears For Fears fans here? Anybody? Maybe someone’s been to a concert or two, and found them cool and interesting? Maybe the popular Gary Jules remix of Mad World led someone to check out the original artist, and was pleasantly surprised? Perhaps somebody has the new album, Everybody Loves A Happy Ending, and would care to discuss that? Or anything else TFF-related? Because, y’know, they’re my area of musical expertise, so I have to at least _try_… (Based on the going TFF-fandom rate in his recent experience, **Roland Orzabal** predicts perhaps four responses to this thread) ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/2 "2004-06-28T22:31:56Z")
Gee, just trying to trump yourself up, are ya, **Roland**? 😃 I didn’t even know they had a new album coming out. Which means even if I’m the only response you get, it won’t have been for naught! ---
**Author:** ![sofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@sofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sofia)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/3 "2004-06-28T22:41:14Z")
Tears for Fears is a house favorite here. Sadly, the kids got ahold of the cds before we knew about it… So we have to re-invest. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/4 "2004-06-29T00:24:35Z")
Yeah, there’s a new album coming out on September 14th. It’s available for (legal) download now, from iTunes and a couple other sources. It’s not their best, in my opinion, but I still like it. Curt Smith also has a solo CD, Halfway Pleased, coming out sometime after the TFF release. It should be intersting; not very TFF-like but enjoyable in a pop-ish sort of way. His album Mayfield is a guilty pleasure of mine. Anyhoo, you should at least give the new album a try. It’s nowhere near as heavy-handed as, say, The Seeds of Love, which should make it accessible to a wider audience. Let me know what you think! –Ian, who is not actually Roland Orzabal, but has used that username for every service that requires one (oddly, it’s never taken) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/5 "2004-06-29T00:30:00Z")
I bought _Break It Down Again_ off iTunes last night. Along with the complete oeuvre of Spandau Ballet. Don’t ask. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/6 "2004-06-29T00:33:12Z")
Could never get into them. It also didn’t help that the lead singer looks just like an ex-friend of mine. ---
**Author:** ![foxymoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@foxymoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foxymoron)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/7 "2004-06-29T00:36:47Z")
I wouldn’t call myself a ‘fan’ of TFF, but I am very fond of what I’ve heard from them. The only album I’ve of theirs I’ve ever owned is **Songs From The Big Chair**. It’s a cassette that my sister bought 19 years ago. I still have it, and listen to it in the car sometimes. I consider it a true classic. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/8 "2004-06-29T02:44:29Z")
> [@foxymoron](#): > > I wouldn’t call myself a ‘fan’ of TFF, but I am very fond of what I’ve heard from them. > The only album I’ve of theirs I’ve ever owned is **Songs From The Big Chair**. It’s a cassette that my sister bought 19 years ago. I still have it, and listen to it in the car sometimes. > I consider it a true classic. Close to the same answer here, though I did get some of their other songs from Audiogalaxy before the crackdown. I love the remake of TFF’s “Mad World” in **Donnie Darko**. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/9 "2004-06-29T04:07:09Z")
I really liked **The Hurting** , **Songs From the Big Chair** , **The Seeds of Love**. Honestly, I didn’t know they’d done anything else. Shows what I know. I’d heard somewhere along the line that Roland kicked the other guy out, but again, shows what I know. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/10 "2004-06-29T06:37:14Z")
oh my but yes. I love Tears for Fears. In fact, the first time I saw your name, I wondered where Curt was. I am really looking forward to their cd. um. How about some Trivia? I heard they got their name from primal scream therapy, which Orzabald studied. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/11 "2004-06-29T06:59:09Z")
Actually, I’d like to have some tears and KEEP my fears. I’m greedy. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/12 "2004-06-29T12:31:42Z")
I don’t really have any strong feelings one way or another about Tears for Fears, but I just want to say that a phrase from an old _People_ review of _Songs from the Big Chair_ has been stuck in my head since I read it in the 80’s: the reviewer surmised that “the big chair” might well be “Roland Orzabal’s toity.” That is all. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/13 "2004-06-29T12:49:59Z")
Shout, shout, let it all out… ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/14 "2004-06-29T17:51:31Z")
They were the first “big” band I ever saw live. It was around the time _The Hurting_ was first released in Los Angeles and the funniest thing was how happy and giddy they were to be making it big. All their intros were “Hey! We’re so glad to be here. We love every one of you and we couldn’t be any happier. Now here’s ‘Suffer the Children’”. T’was very cool. I stopped listening after _Songs_. What ever happened to Kurt? ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/15 "2004-06-29T18:33:05Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > What ever happened to Kurt? He went solo after the Seeds of Love tour, releasing Soul On Boad (which he hates vehemently) and Mayfield. During this period, Roland made two more albums under the TFF label (Elemental and Raoul and the Kings of Spain) and one under his own name (Tomcats Screaming Outside). Curt and Roland hooked up again to make the latest TFF album, and, as I mentioned above, Curt will be releasing another solo album shortly after the TFF release. For more on Curt, visit [his official website](http://www.curtsmithzerodisc.com/). For the record, no, I’m not being paid by Universal to pimp TFF on the SDMB…though maybe I _should_ be…hmm… ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/16 "2004-06-29T18:58:30Z")
> [@Bad News Baboon](#): > > oh my but yes. > > I love Tears for Fears. In fact, the first time I saw your name, I wondered where Curt was. Same here. I love them and I knew where you got your screen name, **Roland**. I love _The Hurting_ and _Songs from the Big Chair_. Damn! Now I need to go out and buy a turntable so I can listen to them again. By the way, **BNB** , aren’t you also a Split Enz/Crowded House/Neil Finn fan? Looks like our taste in music is similar. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/17 "2004-06-29T19:09:32Z")
Oh, I always thought this was a really great lyric: > [@](#): > > Memories fade but the sky’s still leaking. Then one day I was saddened to discover that it was a “Scuse me while I kiss this guy” moment. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/18 "2004-06-29T19:38:51Z")
I own _Songs From The Big Chair_, _Seeds Of Love_, and _Elemental_. I’ve never seen TFF in concert, but like the above CDs a lot. Especially _Seeds Of Love_. I had no idea that Curt and Roland got together again. I had read that Roland was pretty bitter about the breakup. Interesting. **Roland** , you got more responses than your pessimistic guess of four . 🙂 We’re a pretty diverse group here at the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/19 "2004-06-30T02:32:36Z")
I loved Tears for Fears as a teenager and I still bring out the Big Chair every once in a while. I also have my original cassette of The Hurting. Man, it was the perfect music for a brooding teen. Is it “Memories Fade but the Skies Still Linger”? I have a real hard time understanding the vocals. Is it an horrific dream? Am I sinking fast? Could a glass it be so mean? As to jump down? I’m on my own, could you lease my load? Can you feel my pain, can you please explain, The Hurting? :smack: I used to cut Curt out of my pictures that I got from the magazines with the rock ‘n’ roll beefcake. **Roland** is exoticly intoxicating. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604/20 "2004-06-30T02:59:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Is it “Memories Fade but the Skies Still Linger”? I have a real hard time understanding the vocals. It’s “memories fade but the scars still linger.” Which for my money could come off of any teenager’s woh-is-me blog. They did do some great work though. I really loved their first three albums. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-for-fears-anyone-anyone/252604.md?page=2)