Tears For Fears Fun Trivia(PART 1)

MCS Exclusive: Tears For Fears Fun Trivia(PART 1)

Written by Jamie Ortega

Calling all ‘80s babies! We know how excited you all are for the spandex-filled, neon color flooded, Bermuda bag wearing madness that is sure to descend upon Araneta Coliseum on August 15, 2012, but before you unearth your bauls for your grooviest ‘80s outfit to wear to Tears For Fears Live In Manila here are some fun tidbits about the iconic English rock band to whet our dear MCS fans’ appetite.

·         Tears for Fears was formed in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. They met as teenagers in Somerset, southwest England. They started out as session musicians for the band Neon which was where they met future Tears For Fears drummer Many Elias. Orzabal and Smith eventually had their own band  called Graduate. Graduate released an album, Acting My Age which was popular in Spain and Switzerland but wasn’t able to do as well in the UK.

·         Do you think History Of Headaches is a good name for a band? That’s what Orzabal and Smith first called Tears For Fears. We wonder if they would have attained the same amount of success with that name

·         Tears For Fears was first signed to Phonogram Records, UK, in 1981 by Dave Bates. Their first single, Suffer The Childrenwas released in November 1981, followed by their second single, included in the first edition of Pale Shelter, released in March 1982. Unfortunately, neither of them was successful.

·         Looks like three’s a charm for Curtis and Orzabal- their third single Mad World reached no 3 in the UK in November 1982. Their first album, The Hurting, released in March 1983, was full of tunes inspired by Orzabal’s bitter childhood. Nearly all of their songs had references to emotional distress and primal scream therapy. The band’s success is proof that there is more than a little grain of truth to the adage, “misery loves company.” The Hurting finally tapped their hometown audience, reaching No 1 as well as platinum status in the UK. It also reached top 20 in other countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland and Italy

·         The band decided to have a slight change in musical direction for their second compilation, Songs From The Big Chair. Inspired by the book and television miniseries Sybil, a story of a woman with multiple personalities, the duo decided to give their alb um that name because they felt that each of the songs had their own distinct personality.

·         Songs From The Big Chair possessed more of a sophisticated sound and less of the band’s signature synth-pop feel.  Going off in that direction was apparently a good decision because the album became certified triple platinum in the UK and quadruple platinum in the US. It also had the most number of hit singles, fromShout, to Everybody Wants To Rule The World, to Head Over Heels

·         Head Over Heels peaked at 12 on the UK charts, 3 in the US, and 8 in Canada. Shout, on the other hand, peaked at 4 in the UK charts, 1 in the US, Australia, Canada, and Germany charts.  Everybody Wants To Rule The World did very well, too, hitting the second spot on both the UK and Irish charts as well as bagging the top spot in the US and Canadian charts. Yes, the boys from Somerset have definitely arrived!

·         Apart from their commercial success, the band also achieved critical success, bagging the Best British Single award, Best British Group, and Best British Album at the 1986 Brit Awards in London. They released their third album The Seeds Of Love In 1989. The album still kept their epic, signature sound in check for their third offering, although critics did notice a smattering of jazz, blues and The Beatles influences in all the songs. However, this was most evident in their mega-hit single, Sowing The Seeds Of Love. The second single from the album, Woman In Chains, became a top 40 hit in the UK, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and the US. It also entered the UK album charts at 1, and made the top 10 in the US among other countries. Striking while the iron was hot, the band went on a Seeds Of Love world tour. They also released a book which chronicled their adventures and misadventures as a band. The book included rare photographs and exclusive insight from each of the members.

That’s all for now- we will be releasing part 2 very, very soon! 

Catch Tears For Fears LIVE in Manila with special guest: Per Sorensen of Fra Lippo Lippi LIVE on August 10 & 11 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and on August 12, 2012 at the Waterfront Hotel Cebu. Tickets for Manila show are available at all Ticketnet outlets. Call 911-5555 or visit www.ticketnet.com.ph. Per Sorensen will be performing only in Manila. Event made possible by Ovation Productions. Don't miss it!