Tears for Fears: Music in a Mad World (I)

Welcome back. (:

*Note: I originally planned to contain this idea in one post, but it quickly got out of hand. I ended up having over a thousand words, and I had not yet reached the middle. So, in short, I broke the idea down into two posts; part one will explain my reasoning, and part two will cover the band itself. In case you are interested, the second half should prove more interesting than this one (so stay tuned…).*

I have wanted to type this blog since the end of December/ beginning of January, so needless to say, I am pretty stoked. Warning: You will learn a lot of “unnecessary” information about a band you probably have no idea exists. And so it begins…

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Why have I decided to create this post?

1. I am tired of people thinking that Gary Jules made “Mad World”.
2. “Tears for what? What the heck is that?”
3. “Ever heard of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World?’,” and then the reply: “What.”
4. I received a record as a Christmas present.
5. My brain has false nostalgia.
6. I spent my holiday break madly researching for no reason.
7. I am easily addicted to music (like any other normal human being).

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My journey with Tears for Fears began around the fall of 2018. I had two online classes back-to-back, and I survived only with the aid of loud music and earbuds. Thanks to YouTube, I listened to a ton of music from different genres (well, a few genres…). Basically, I listened to music I knew before exhausting myself, and then I branched out by chasing random songs I vaguely remembered. I liked the song “Shout”, so I searched, listened, and repeated the cycle over and over again until the song ran through my head like a mantra. Then “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” floated into perspective, and I included its presence because it was also familiar to me. And so the journey began. I listened to “Head Over Heels/ Broken” while furiously typing last-minute essays, my classmates mocking Spanish, sleeping, and watching Vines to the point of frustration. Yep, that is how I survived living out procrastination’s dreams. I listened to a few more songs—most likely “Mad World” (which I was happy to tell everyone that they created it) and “Pale Shelter”. And, after three hours of hanging on to Tears for Fears for sanity everyday, I sort of abandoned their music.

For Christmas (2019), I wanted a record from an 80’s band because I had developed a potent addiction to synth music. I liked a few specific bands, but I mainly listened to random songs. But Tears for Fears called out to me from the depths of sophomore year, and I decided that I wanted to know them better because their music spoke to me. By that, I mean that I found their lyrics interesting…Okay, and I will admit that I found the band catchy and amusing—the music videos that I had watched made me laugh a lot. But, yes, Christmas…I opened a crisp copy of their most recent collection album: Rule the World. It surprised me, but I immediately loved it. It contained two individual records, so I received four sides worth of material from every era of theirs (sixteen songs!).

So, part one of my journey ended, and the second and most recent half began. Before I delve into that, I must inform you that I listened to more of Tears for Fears before I received my record. I was on the computer a lot for academic work and writing, so it was inevitable. My knowledge expanded to include a few more songs, music videos, and vague understandings of album covers. But after listening to Rule the World, I realized that I had more albums to explore. Although I had records from bands I casually listened to, I felt compelled to add TFF to the group that I know nearly one hundred percent; I honestly have no idea why. After listening to Rule the World on repeat for hours, I acted upon that random want. I searched the order of their albums, and then I went through each one. After listening to The Hurting, their first album, I forgot all about “Shout” and the music videos of them yelling and dancing on beaches. I immediately knew with “The Hurting” (the first song on their album The Hurting) that I had found a new favorite band.

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(The album I have a physical copy of…so beautiful.)

 

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Below is a link to a Tears For Fears documentary I found on YouTube, if you are curious. Keep in mind, however, that my next post will cover the same information and more (plus personal opinions and fun pictures/videos).

https://youtu.be/aeUXVg40c38

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The last-minute decision to severe this blog in half pained me significantly, but it proved the sole logical scenario. Stay tuned for next Wednesday! On that day, I will have peaked in my blog-posting career of many, many days.

(:

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Wednesday’s Fun Fact:

A daily intake of chips and salsa can save you 50% off your next purchase of happiness (in other words, consuming chips with salsa can make you a happier human being…or something).

Until next Wednesday…