Songs From the Big Chair by Tears for Fears

Songs From the Big Chair, the second Tears for Fears album, came out on 25 February 1985 through Phonogram and Mercury, and it's the moment the band stepped out of the gloom. Their debut The Hurting (1983) had been dark and inward-looking; this time, with Chris Hughes producing, Roland Orzabal and company went big, glossy and wide-screen, letting more guitar into the room and pulling from a whole grab bag of styles.

What's remarkable is that the songs got bigger without getting dumber. The lyrics, from Orzabal and Ian Stanley, look outward at the world and its politics, and the two biggest singles wear that conscience lightly. "Shout" is a slow, stomping chant that builds like a protest march, while "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" rides a loping shuffle and a sparkling guitar line with a sly, easy confidence. "Head Over Heels" is a swooning, piano-led sweep, and "Mothers Talk" twitches with nervous energy.

It went to number two in the UK and all the way to number one in the US, and both "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" topped the Hot 100 while landing in the UK top 5. It sold multi-platinum in several countries, stands as the band's most successful album, and has been hailed as one of the best records of the '80s. The critics liked it then, and they still do.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.