Songs From The Big Chair

Atmospheric while also being poppy. Still feels fresh 40 years later. Has both very well known songs, and also songs that would be considered lesser known. I am almost on the verge of giving this a five. Actually the more I think about it, the more I like this album. Fuck it.

It's hard reviewing an album that's perfect but here's me giving it a shot. I've been well acquainted and quite familiar with Tears for Fears's work for quite some time now. It's obviously all the smash hits I know them for, but I'd be lying through my teeth if I didn't start grinning when I saw this album as the next to listen to. I was excited and I had damn good reason to be. This is the album with Shout! With Everybody Wants to Rule the World! It's quite the star studded affair and hopes were high. Suffice it to say, this album didn't disappoint, not by a long shot. The aforementioned Shout kicks off the album in a downright chilling manner. The samples and loops used are accompanied by ice-cold keyboards and Roland Orzabal's chilling vocals. If I didn't know about the song beforehand, it would've probably stunned me into silence. It's a masterful track and the first one, no less. Moving on from there, we descend into smooth jazz with The Working Hour. It's yet another superb blend of various different genres, but the mood of desperation and bitterness rages on. These guys have a lot to say on this album and they don't mince their words or leave out details; they get to the point backed with vast arrangements and multiple different things happening at once. Nowhere is that better enunciated than on The Working Hour. Moving on from there we have the smash hit of the album Everybody Wants to Rule the World. I don't think I need to say much about it. It was always an iconic track and one I've known for as long as I can remember. The message often flies through people's heads but the truth is the commentary on corruption and dictatorial rule that was prevalent during that time (after all, this album was literally recorded at the pinnacle of the Cold War of the 1980s) will always be ahead of its time. The arrangement is glistening and glossy, while the lyrics, continuing with the theme of the album, are anything but. Another iconic track that proved to be an intergenerational hit. From here on out we really get to the meat of the album. Mothers Talk is more of a drum exercise than the previous few songs incorporating world music elements and in the process almost sounding like a Talking Heads leftover. Of course I mean that in the nicest and sincerest way possible. I Believe is built upon one of the sparser arrangements of the album. It's also my favourite song of the entire album. The saxophone solo merely sealed the deal, but even before that I was entranced by Roland's lonesome vocals and the slow, brooding drums and piano. From there on out we enter what I like to call a medley of sorts. Broken kicks off where I Believe left off and it's one of the more vibrant songs of the album. It gets into gear almost immediately and in its 2 and a half minutes accomplishes a lot with seemingly nothing. After that we have another instant transition into Head Over Heels, another well known track off the album and another absolute masterpiece. I wouldn't be surprised if people write this song off because of its pop sensibilities ,but I like it directly because of that. The poppier nature of the track serves as a cleanser to the past few moody songs that have preceded it. The live snippet of Broken, featured earlier on the album, makes a cameo at the tail end of the song, following another seamless transition. I don't find much rhyme or reason in putting that short snippet there, but it really does the track no harm and it's not something worth wasting energy over. The final track on the album is also the most emotionally poignant and daring. Listen starts off simple enough with a keyboard line, but eventually crescendoes and evolves into this African chant-like structure, furthering their relations with world music. Drums are barely present and yet you don't notice it, because the squealing guitar and atmospheric keys more than make up for it. What a joyride this album was! Who knew that a simple band from Bath could string along different genres so easily, seamlessly and in a way that amplified their messages and improved their songs. From start to finish, this project is an all killer, no filler affair. It's also one of the few albums whose album cover defines the music present on the album. The monochrome cover perfectly encapsulates the music behind it. The arrangements are often cadaverous and chilling, other times hypnotic and soulful and on occasion smooth and mellow as well. The lyrics get to the point and the core of many sociopolitical issues of the time. Sensational doesn't even begin to describe it; this underrated gem is a must for everyone trying to broaden their horizons as far as British 80s music goes and further acknowledge Tears for Fears as one of the most underrated bands of the 1980s. 10/10

SOMETHING HAPPENS AND IM HEAD OVER

Masterful pop production. It wears its era on its sleeve, which is perhaps the only complaint, but also a big part of the charm. There are plenty of legitimately interesting ideas across the eight songs, while they all manage to sound like the commercially successful pop music which they were.

Classic. Feels like I took a time machine back to the 80s listening to it

Mom bought the first Sony Discman, the D-50, shortly after it came out: a minimalist, chunky half-cube of a gadget with an LCD readout, maybe four buttons and a volume dial. It was the future. It played shiny discs that had a prismatic glow when you held them under light. As far as I was concerned at five or six years old, it was magic. Among the discs Mom would purchase following her acquisition of the new magical music machine: selections from The Beatles’ catalog, Phil Collins’ “No Jacket Required”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme”, a host of classical and new age recordings and this record right here, Tears For Fears’ “Songs From the Big Chair”. If you asked me the name of my first grade teacher or what I got for Christmas in 1987, I couldn’t begin to tell you, but I remember sitting in our living room on the dark blue carpet popping this disc or “No Jacket Required” or “Help!” into the CD player like it was yesterday. …Fuck me, I loved “Sussudio” back then. Now I’ve a got a closet full of prismatic discs that haven’t seen the light of day in close to two decades. For me, they’ve been rendered obsolete by the even more minimalist and thin rectangular slab that nearly everyone on earth carries with them at all times and by a format that’s even older than the compact disc: the vinyl record. I’ve been collecting vinyl for nearly a quarter century now and have found that I prefer the experience of listening to the medium that preceded the cd when sitting crosslegged on the floor of my living room. So here’s to the Compact Disc and all the other inventions that changed the world and have since been relegated to dust: Sic transit gloria. (Glory fades)

Excellent synth pop album. A more accessible, but still very interesting, successor to their debut The Hurting.

There's no way to remove our own biases, experiences, and subjectivity from, well, anything, really, and rendering an opinion on music is no exception. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. It surprised me when it was released and fell in love with it (its release year, 1985, was the year I graduated high school and entered college) because this was so popular and I fancied myself quite a bit of a hard rocker and wannabe punk rocker who was just way too cool for silly ol' popular music (I was then, as I am now, completely full of poop). Didn't matter though: this band, this album, these songs...they all gripped me. I know it's all associated with what was, for the most part, an extraordinarily memorable year for me, in many outstanding ways (had some really crappy moments, too, but that's how life does its life thing). I have a particular fondness for Roland Orzabal's voice and I believe he is an underrated guitarist. (Speaking of guitar, Neil Taylor's outro solo on "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" is excellent.) Curt Smith's voice is great, too, and his bass playing is also overlooked. They are actually fantastic musicians, composers, and writers. A good look into their abilities can be found YouTuber Rick Beato's 'What Makes This Song Great' episode on "Head Over Heels," one of my favorite of many favorite TFF songs. Check it out if you're interested. So glad this project gave me an excuse to listen to this masterpiece all the way through again. 5+ Stars from me.

I love the variety of music, I love how songs are interconnected, and I love the music. Especially the lesser known songs (eg Broken).

Everybody Wants To Rule The World is an 11/10 track. Rest of the album didn't do much for me

Everybody Wants to Rule the World was my favorite song then ("Real Genius" anyone?) and remains one of my favorites to this day. The whole album is iconic; an 80's colored jewel that continues to sparkle even as the years tumble by. Thank you to the reviewer who mentioned Beato has covered Head over Heels. Heading there now.

Super into this. What's not to love about 80s synth pop?

Very 80s. Starts strong but fizzles

Saw a tweet one time that was just this picture, captioned “these honkeys were COOKING” and it’s so true. ‘Shout’ is just one of those few 80’s gems that will never be replicated. It’s got AURA. It’s got ATTITUDE. This can be said for the entire album actually. Tight, direct song structure that knows when to slip in and out of instrumental atmospheres. A massive generational pop hit. One iconic vocal melody after another. A mystical album ender. Socially conscious messaging. This album has it all and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at all. Perfect! It’s incredible that we got this less than a year after Purple Rain. It’s worth noting that they’ve done the impossible recently - they made a song that’s unique and new sounding, unlike every other legacy band from the 80’s or earlier pumping out nothing-burgers to cash in on yet another world tour. Check out ‘No Small Thing’ it’s worth a listen

Absolute classic. I met Roland in at The Ivy in LA once. He was lovely.

Fuck it, too many hits and the 2nd disc makes this another 5.

wild how the 80s exist huh first track is lame but everything after is pretty great. everyone wants to rule the world is some of the best shit from the 80s prolly. this was before pop artists stopped making 6 minute songs so a couple songs drag a lil but never too bad since theyre all good anyways. 9/10

I love this album. Was already familiar with several of the songs but hadn't listened to it all of the way through. The way Broken hints at then shifts into Head Over Heels is fantastic.

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS WE CAN WORK IT OUUUUT

One of the best albums of the '80's, hands down

Perfect modern pop album! If u like depeche mode - listen!

Super relaxed album. Best song is for sure "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". Best deep track is "Listen"

I love this band and album with my whole heart

I wouldn't mind listening to the happier songs 24/7. The other songs are somewhat more boring, though

Probably top 3 albums we’ve listened to thus far yeesh.

OMG, was a great album, automatically added to my favourites

Amazing!

I fucking love this album. Only listened through it entirely about 3 times, but I've heard Everybody about a thousand times. So glad that the whole thing is just as great.

so funky cool

Excellent

my era music. The hits are there and enjoyable, rest of album pretty good too.

This is crazy 80s sound, like super cheesy I would never listen to this. Oh well. Sticking with it. Only on song 2. On the last song. This is really bad. Awful.

Disliked this band for multiple reasons back in 1985. Notably their image, fan base, music videos and especially the music itself. The image faded, the fans dispersed and the videos are relegated to YouTube obscurity. Yet the music endures. I can’t.

Still rules the world

Almost perfect. The ultimate 80s album. One that has grown on me over the years rather than one I was drawn to immediately (The Smiths were everything in ‘85, but the more I hear this album the more I love it. Almost brings me to tears of joy and nostalgia every time.

The Good: anthemic album off an age gone by The Bad: that too many people confuse this with Synth-Pop The Ugly: or just plain’ ol’ po’ p’ Back in the day, like any teenager, I too enjoyed Everybody Wants To Rule The World, while Shout was a little beyond my taste at the time… Today, I wish I could go back in time and actually purchase the album and listen to it countless times, like I did to the more poppy contemporary artist such as Prince, Phil Collins, Duran Duran. Madonna, What and later George Michael. Tears For Fears are one of few acts that survived the ‘80s and when you listen to their “old” recordings now, you realize that how great the stuff is. It has held up wonderfully, even if it sounds like the ‘80s, it isn’t like listening to Spandau Ballet, or ABC, or Bronski Beat, or any true synth-pop from that era. 5* even if, technically speaking, it should get a 4 1/4

Peak 80s

Tears for Fears, a band that made Pop music that sounded 80's but was much less annoying than most and aged pretty well. Their blend of Synthpop and New Wave with catchy melodies and hooks that created the anthemic and introspective masterpiece titled 'Songs From the Big Chair\". It's one of the best Pop records released in the 80's and maybe of all time. Multiple classic songs are featured here including the generationally known 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' 'Shout' opens the album in the typical blend of Synthpop, New Wave & Big Music that is present on the pretty much every song here. It also gets a little progressive by bringing in slight notes of Industrial into the production which as weird as it sounds, works really well. And even at its nearly 7 minutes of length it really keeps the attention of the listener with great performances and production. The song is so unbelievably catchy and melodic that I am mad that not every 80's pop band with a smiliar sound turned out like this! The bridge is crazy and the whole way they keep the flow of the song and add more and more detail is phenomenal. It's a hypnotic and atmospheric listen especially in the second half, nearly ethereal. And the way it changes its emotional depth by adding slight changes but keeping the same rhytmn and melody. Yeah, I think you get that I really like this song. It's perfect start to finish. On 'The Working Hour' they take on a very mature and sophisicated nearly Jazzy sound that stands in complete contrast to the darkness that the first song ended on. It does take time to build up but it's worth the wait. The vocals are really good and the calm sound is very relaxing while keeping the intricate production. Do I love it? No, but it is a great song nonetheless even if it does drag a little and feels streched towards the end. And to return to the greatness of the start, 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' with the intro that everybody recognizes. What can I say: the song is perfect in every way. It's romantic and full of great lyrics and songwriting. Do I prefer it over 'Shout'? No... that one's got my heart even more than this classic. 'Mothers Talk' gets a little funky and artsy with the influences ranging from Dance-Punk to Industrial Dance. All of it gives a lot of similarities to Depeche Mode's early stuff. It's very groovy and interesting by being kind of weird with the details in the production. I really like it for the raw and energetic performance and chorus. It's really good, like incredibly good and if they would've left the outro away, it might've been perfect. The albums second half starts with 'I Believe' which returns to the calm and relaxed sound that nearly feels like some Lounge music with the simpler production. Again, I think that makes it a little boring for my liking even if I think they did a great job. It just feels too much like background music and doesn't grab my attention enough for me to genuinely appreaciate the song. Luckily, 'Broken' returns to the Dance-Punk influences in an even punkier way. That results in one of the most underappreaciated tracks on the album. Just because it's short doesn't mean that's worse. Quite the opposite actually, it's incredibly groovy and energetic and I love it. The other song that most know is 'Head Over Heels' because it is one of the best songs on the album. The chorus is so intricate and emotional, the vocals are performed to perfection. The production, songwriting and melody are all curated to its greatest possible form. And as if it wasn't enough, they added a little bit of 'Broken' to the end as a kind of continuation of that. Another perfect song. The album ends with the weirdly ambient 'Listen' that closes the album in a minimal but hypnotizing finale that includes many details from choir to glitchy video game sounds to whips to tribal anthems. It's a magical and atmospheric experience, relaxing and sentimental without being boring. Yes, it's not one of the craziest songs but it has so many incredible moments that I feel like the vocals weren't actually needed at all. This closes the album in the way it should've ended. favourites: Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Head Over Heels, Broken least favourites: I Believe, The Working Hour Rating: light 9 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Und immer schön so’n büschen Hall drauf, gell? Nein: Wow. Das ist mal ein „Album“: ordentlich Abwechslung, feine Dramaturgie, Ruhiges und echte Knaller – das alles bei konsistentem Sound und hervorragenden Musikern. Souverän, zart, geil.

This album may have the most new-wavey vocals I've ever heard - it's that seamless switching between soft and smooth, and deep, towering cadences. I heard this album a while back, a couple of times because I liked the song 'Everybody Wants to Rule The World', but I don't remember many songs off of it. Re-listening to it now, I can see why. To me, it sounds like the type of album you'd thoroughly enjoy while listening, front-to-back, but the next day you'd struggle to remember a single song off of it. Relax that's just how I feel! I'll need to test that hypothesis again now, though I won't be able to update this review with the conclusion. Anyways what am I talking about? Oh yeah, this album. Nice, colorful, fluttery, well-produced, new-wavey power music that can very comfortably soundtrack a walk through a tropical beach. 'Shout' is the perfect, anthemic, and catchy opener this album needed; and while I usually dislike clean saxophone lines in '80s (white) music, the one on 'The Working Hour' managed to win me over. 'Head Over Heels/Broken' is another incredibly solid cut with one of the most earwormy choruses here. The synth lead and pads that open up the song 'Listen' are yet another incredible production moment here, the entire track is ethereal, sounding like you've stumbled upon this gorgeous bio-illuminated grotto in the middle of the jungle. It's got ambient elements like that. I tend to use the descriptor "clean production" with a negative connotation a lot of the time, but despite this album being the epitome of that descriptor, I'd say the shininess of the production only helps elevate its lush and scenic sound. The high quality of it all makes everything just pop. A great album with a great sound that captures its era beautifully, there's a reason this album's so revered in the new-wave world. Let's hope I remember how much I liked it come tomorrow night.

I first heard this band on TV ads for one of those MEGAHITS OF THE 80s compilation CDs and though that 'Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I could do without' was a hilarious thing to say in a song. But you know what, there are things I could do without and if I could just shout to let them all out, I would love to. Everybody Wants to Rule the World rules. That little guitar intro thing that's pushed aside by the two synth chords, ooh baby! So simple, so effective, just pure pop perfection. Head Over Heels has an incredible piano riff that builds tension and releases into a floaty verse and propulsively off kilter chorus and some totally unique vocal delivery. The rest is full of cool tones and textures, angsty vocals, smooth sax, glossy simmering synth surfaces and rubbery bass and some of THE definitive 80s drum sounds. Drags a bit on the slow stuff in the middle. It's like if Splenda was an album.

My distaste for 80s synthpop instantly leaves my body like an evil spirit the moment I hear the opening notes of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". There's some filler on this album ("I Believe" is boring as hell), but it's still like Top 5 synthpop albums of all time. They really let it all out.

TFF, were you progs out of joint? Just a little bit? You mind if I respond in kind? Had my second listen had been on the whispering domestic speakers of the first rather than headphones, I would’ve dismissed this with Simon’s “go to the Greatest Hits” instruction, but a closer listen unveils a well-balanced, nicely-lit structure, with gentles wafts of charcoal, designer hash and hot tarmac, held up by two mighty singles, tapering to a moody spot at the back for the devotees. I’ve spent the last two hours preparing for our first Canadian Thanksgiving, and I think the Turkey fumes and heat have infused into my bone-house. The lyrics are abstract, but not pretentious, which is a hard combination to achieve, and in part due to the musical context: the urgency in the songs alternates between being martial, foreboding, or introspective, avoiding monotony, and the words come off as code between lovers and comrades. Now all is clear: Tears for Fears were the secret Bath Resistance.

Oh yeah - probably the first album I really appreciated as a whole, as opposed to being a few songs I liked co-mingled with boring ones I tolerated and/or fast-forwarded. Being made from wall-to-wall 4 min+ bangers that flow into each other probably helped. Not quite as good as I remember, unsure about the proggy/proto-Enigma last track, but a nostalgic 4* nonetheless. Those haircuts!

All the hits and with some be great (to my surprise) prog rock and truly industrial sounds tucked away between them.

1985!!! yo era un niño cuando sonaba esto en la radio pero aún lo recuerdo. Está bien, las dos canciones que recuerdo son un bombazo: "Shout" y "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". Solo por eso merece la pena, el sonido años 80 real también es un extra.

I was today years old when I found out “Shout” was not a Depeche Mode song lol. That EWTRTW song is a meme, a beat up meme also. Good I hate the 80’s pop sound. So cliché, so clownish…

Shout....can't bear to ever hear it again....Head over Heels...same. The only redeeming song on this album, to me....is Everybody wants to rule the world....that song is a classic!

All the was bad about 80s music, 41 minutes and 52 seconds too long.

Beautiful album, honestly a classic

My favorite band growing up, and still a top favorite of mine today. These guys are excellent musicians, and both Roland and Curt's vocals are unique and add so much to their songs. Listening to Songs From the Big Chair after so many other recent albums, which I rated only a one or two stars , points out the stark contrast between Tears for Fears and these other bands. These guys are so polished and the studio album is just so tight. Songs flow extremely well from one track to the next. Starting off with the high energy, angsty "Shout" is an outstanding way to pull listeners right into the action on this album Things immediately seem to mellow out with "The Working Hour," but by the end of track two, there's ramped-up energy in that song as well. The album's, most famous song - in fact, probably the group's most famous song - is their third track, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" which still sounds fresh and modern 40 years later. Other notable tracks include "Head Over Heels" and "Mothers Talk," but honestly, I can't really find much to critique on this whole album. It's just so polished and the musicianship and instrumentals are head and shoulders above most of the drivel I've listened to within the last several weeks through this platform. Tears for Fears are touring again in 2025 and if you've never seen them live, they put on a hell of a show! High energy, their voices still sound pretty damn amazing all these years later and their music quality has improved, if anything. Highly recommend you check them out.

Somehow I had 3 back to back 80s bangers so far, including this album. Even outside of the usual discussion points like head over heels, everybody wants to rule the world, or shout, there is some fantastic stuff hiding around. Tracks like "The working hour", "Broken" and "Listen were certainly favorites of mine. All in all, it is one that was very much enjoyable.

It's always interesting to finally listen to the non-single tracks on an album that's mostly known for a couple of mega-hits. Or so I thought! "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Head Over Heels" were the big hits in the US but in the UK a literal majority of the tracks on this thing charted. Surprisingly, "Broken" is not one of those. Out of all the new-to-me tracks, this one seems like the one best suited for club play.

One of the great pop/rock albums of the 80's A great set of singles of this LP and a hidden gem in The Working Hour which never gets as much airplay as the hits. Top stuff from this duo who are still going.

Truly, this is one of my favorite bands and favorite albums. I wore out my tape back in the day. I think this whole album stands the test of time. It’s intelligent pop. Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a masterpiece - it’s a quintessential 80s song that still slaps today. Shout gets anyone moving. Mother’s talk has some funk to it. Head over heels is so fun to sing along to. It’s an album I love to listen to in its entirety. 10 out is 5 stars!

Timeless songs.

Shout - 5/5 The Working Hour - 5/5 Everybody Wants to Rule the World - 5/5 Mothers Talk - 4/5 I Believe - 4/5 Broken - 4/5 Head Over Heels - 5/5 Listen - 5/5 Average score: 4.6/5 my nostalgia could be clouding my judgement, but damn does this album SLAP this is 80s pop at its finest. whether you were born in that decade or not, most of these tracks can have a way of making anyone reminisce the good times of the past i feel

Music that defined the 80s

Banger

This is one of my favorite albums of all time. I believe it is the pinnacle of that new wave sound. Every single song hits and is unskippable, from the popular singles to the instrumentals. My favorite song is "Head Over Heels", but I believe "Listen" is the most underrated song off the album. I don't know why it enthralls me so much, but I get lost in the melodies every time I listen to it and before I know it, it's over. Just such a great album.

Great album. Very '80s.

Wonderful

80s essential album, loved it all

shout 🗣️ SHOUT 🗣️ LET IT ALL OUT 🗣️ THESE ARE THE THINGS I CAN DO WITHOUT 🗣️ 🎷 this is the WOOOORKING HOOOOUR 🕗 🎷 THERE'S A ROOM WHERE THE LIGHT WON'T FIND YOUUUU 💃 HOLDIN' HANDS WHILE THE WALLS COME TUMBLIN' DOWN 💃 WHEN THEY DO I'LL BE RIGHT BESIDE (BEHIND?) YOU 👥

Great music and lyrics with - for me - surprising depth. I like the 80s sound with the societal criticism. Hereby added to my LP wishlist.

This album has been a favorite for a long time. Some real bangers meant to listened to loudly!

I danced a lot to some of the songs in my youth. So yes, I like this album.

Some moments stick with you. I was heading up to from the metro NYC area to Western NY to visit my then fiancée, driving across the Throggs Neck Bridge. I popped a cassette of this album into my tape player and Boom! Instant wow. The music from Song from the Big Chair had just started playing in the clubs but I hadn't yet listened to them. For the next 45 minutes, I drove the worst part of driving to Upstate NY (Cross Bronx Expressway anyone?) and kept my sanity listening to this fantastic album. The breakout album for Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair took them away from the mope rock of The Hurting (which was still awesome) and towards the Beatlesque pop of their subsequent albums. It also made the MTV stars. Top 40 hits include Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Shout, both now fixtures of classic alt rock. Head Over Heels was also popular on New Music radio and College radio at the time and is my personal favorite song on the album. Songs from the Big Chair was an inflection point between the new wave and disco influenced music of the early 80s and the brit pop of the latter 80s and 90s. Listen for the history but especially for the songs.

This might be the best pop-album that I've ever heard and it contains maybe the best popsong of the eighties: 'Shout'. What an incredible song that is. I'm always complaining that there's not much happening in popmusic, but on this album that's far from reality. The compositions are very strong, the build-up in the songs - listen to the intro of 'The working hour' and neglect the sound - and the arrangements with.a very clever mix of (sometimes ugly) electronics and real instruments - it's alle great. There are five very strong songs on this album. The three hitsingles in order of quality 'Shout' Head over heels' and 'Everybody wants to rule the world', whereas the almost proggy 'The working hour' and the rather sharp 'Broken' - that's fantastically intertwined with 'Head over heels' are very strong. An album containing these songs would deserve a 10/10. But unfortunately the remaining three songs are much much weaker. 'Mothers talk' is ugly eighties music, ' I believe' is a misplaced George Michael ballad and closer 'Listen' is too long. Nevertheless, it's still a solid five star. I might buy this one.

Awesome album from the 80's. I didn't appreciate it at the time - but I do now!

This one is another of my all-time favorites so definitely biased and nostalgia-goggles fully on. It was the soundtrack to one of the best summers of my life when I was 17. They were the first concert I went to. So, yeah, this one is a biggie. Listening now, more objectively (?), its a fine example of 80's "big sound" production and though there are big hooks with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," Head Over Heels," and one of my favorite songs ever, "Shout," the quieter, sonic textures of "I Believe" and "Listen" struck me more now. I love this album in all its big-shouldered, big 80's glory

Hell yeah. Production on this entire thing is just insane, can't believe it's 40 years old with the quality of the sound, even if its the 80s at its campiest at times. Would probably give 4.5 if it was an option, but screw it, five stars for Everybody Wants To Rule the World and Head over Heels/Broken

🤏🏻❤️

Ok, this is going to be a long one. As someone born after this album, their huge hits were more of the background sounds buried into my recesses of my brain as a child. That is, until I was about I was 13/14 years old and as a kid typically does while staying up late, came across the infomercials for music compilations, and in this case, 80's hits. The thing is, these infomercials included music video clips, and when I saw 1985 Roland Orzabal with his single earring and mullet sing "Shout" into the English coast with an angsty expression, I became OBSESSED. I was that weird girl who became a rabid STAN for TFF (this rabidness resurged for Kpop in much later years) that I followed message boards, watched all their live recordings online, and even subjected my classmates to the ~7 minutes of "Shout" during open music exercise time in PE. Roland and Curt were really troubled kids who experienced childhood abuse. Music, along with Janov psychology, was a type of therapy for them, and though there is the poppy synth-heavy 80s sheen in their music, there's the underlying layer of darkness and sadness. Their debut album, The Hurting, does this so well, especially for their trippy song "Mad World" (1983 Roland is so hot in that MV btw). The Hurting set up TFF as cryboys where a lot of the focus was their own trauma, but Songs from the Big Chair set them up as 80s pop idols - they took these ideas along with bigger ideas - nature of the human condition, the root sin of the Cold War, etc. Along with some great synth beats, guitar riffs, and drum kicks, they gave us some of the best pop songs of the 80s, song we could relate to. Sure, "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," and the perfect pop song, "Head Over Heels" are the heavy hitters, but there are no fillers here. I like how "Broken" seamlessly moves onto "Heads Over Heels", and all the tracks are connected - whether they are lound proclamations, or more quiet, subdued reflections. All of this to say that I am definitely still head over heels for TFF.

Every time I listen to an album from the 80s that is quintessentially 80s, like this one, I am surprised that music's circling back for inspiration never seems to come back for this. Maybe it's just too of-the-moment for pop to try to repurpose for today, but I think society would benefit from some influence from this near perfect album. Even the songs that weren't hits were great (with the exception perhaps of "I Believe"). But still, I genuinely enjoyed this and would give it 4.5 stars if that were an option. But it isn't, so I'm going to round up.

This was a pretty fun album to listen to. I’ve always been a fan of Tears for Fears, but I’ve never listened to any of their albums straight through. Instead, I always played the greatest hits or something similar. Now I feel like I was missing out this entire time. I’ll definitely be listening to this one again in the future.

Maybe my favourite album of the 80s

Awesome oldies bangers

Quick aside: people who claim an album sounds "too 80s" to the albums detriment are fools. Who do you think defined the 80s? These are the definitive albums and you get that! Show some respect. Anyways this is great. I knew a lot of the songs before and expected a solid 4/5 but the song transitions really bump this bad boy up

Good variation

tears for fears is the greatest 80s band. ever. this album helped solidify their space in the pop space in the mid 1980s. spacious, immersive and existential, this entire album demonstrates the sheer power these two have in terms of music. between the many... not even new wave bands, just bands in the 80s who used and abused synthesizers, other artists create cliché corny and tinny soundscapes, these guys create a gargantuan, regal castle of sound. the album symbolizes bursting from your shell, reflection on trauma and soaring across the world, even if you're not sure how your story ends. an essential album, for sure.

Classiques qu'on découvre alors qu'on les a déjà écoutés sans le savoir

4.5, rounded up

Very good! Loved shout. Everyone wants to rule the world is very nice too. Classic. His vocal is not my favourite, I hear a lot of low larynx. But it fits the music so well. The attitude the energy is a perfect match. I really like shout. It’s popular it’s artistic it’s so tasteful. Some albums have one or two strong tracks as well but I’d still doubt if one or two tracks make an album 5. Like Franz Ferdinand’s take me out is undoubtedly a masterpiece but would it make the entire album a five? Shout is slightly different. It serves as the foundation of the album, it stands out itself, but also helps me appreciate the album as a whole. It’s the motive of the album, it’s the highlight and it is the great blueprint of the album.

Had to stop and rate this. 2 all time songs, good other tracks, and not drawn out. 5 stars.

The first time I remember actively listening to Tears For Fears was on a cross-country road trip to Wyoming in a 15 passenger church van. Somewhere in the Midwest I was sharing headphones with my friend while we watched Donnie Darko on his video iPod. Eventually, Head Over Heels begins playing and I’m mesmerized. I ask Aaron who the band is for a mental note on what to find on Limewire to add to my iTunes after we got home a week later. He quickly realized that I also hadn’t heard Everybody Wants to Rule the World or Shout, so from there my mind was blown and I was swapping iPods with him every chance I got the rest of the trip to listen to this album and any other new-to-me albums he recommended. That road trip was truly a canon event for me, seeing parts of America that weren’t the Southeast and all the different music I discovered while spending 48 hours in a van with my friends was a huge part of that, and would go on to shape my taste in music, so I was very happy to return to this album in particular seventeen summers later (I feel so old typing this and have also realized that iPod screen was smaller than the area my keyboard takes up on my phone now, what a terrible way to watch that movie for the first time). As far as the album itself goes, there are three massive hits that I never get tired of listening to and the rest of the album always holds my attention with the atmospheric and poppy sounds that somehow make me nostalgic for a time I wasn’t even alive for. Also I couldn’t tell you why, but I think Songs From The Big Chair is an incredible album title. My bias might be getting the better of me here, but I’m going with five stars.

Not my usual cup of tea, but loving this album! Very iconic, peak 80s

This is on a very short list for my favorite album of the 80s. There are times listening to this album that are spiritual experiences. Perfect example of a project being infinitely more than the sum of its very very 80s parts.

Great Album. Enjoyed the Sax playing, plus what’s not to like about Tears for Fears.

Fuck yes! This is such a classic album from a classic band! I saw them a couple of years ago and they were fantastic! Also Everybody Wants to Rule The World is probably one of my favorite songs of all time!

Great album back then, great album today.

YESSSSS

“Everybody wants to rule the world with Tears For Fears” declares MF Doom on his song Rap Snitch Knishes. A rap sampler, this album is joyous from start to finish.

This album has such an atmospheric/ethereal sound while still being fairly firmly pop. It could honestly come out today and still receive overwhelmingly positive reviews and fit in with current music. I have listened to this album many times and come back to it every now and then because it's so easy to enjoy. Also, the Broken -> Head Over Heels transition is one of the best in all of pop music. It has their biggest songs, too, which adds to the overall quality and appeal.

IN MY MIIIIIIIIIND'S EYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

5 Very cool synth and sax combination. I finally get our trivia team reference, and they are worth the reference indeed

Overall: 9/10 Honestly I've listened to this a million times and was prepared to give it an 8/10 but man.....this thing slaps. It's just an excellent synth pop album that manages to be dancy and commercial while still featuring some almost ambient sounds in the mix. I wish the entire 80's pop scene sounded like this album. Fav Song: Head Over Heels Least Fav Song: Broken

So quintessentially 80's in all the best ways. Outside the obvious big hits, I forgot how good of an album this is.

One of the best albums out there.

makes me wanna time travel to when I was 16 and watching Donnie darko on my ipod after sneaking out