“Woman In Chains” by Tears for Fears

"Woman in Chains" was the second single from The Seeds of Love, Tears for Fears' third album, from 1989, and it's a lush, soulful slow-burner. Roland Orzabal wrote the words, which some have called a feminist anthem, and he shares the song with Oleta Adams, whose voice rises through it like a gospel wave. Phil Collins sits in on drums, landing heavy hits that give the slow build its weight, and David Bascombe produced alongside the band.

It made the top 40 in Britain, the US, Canada, France and the Netherlands. Adams went on to a successful solo career, and in 1992 the song was reissued, now billed as featuring her, to help promote the Tears Roll Down compilation.

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