Songs from the Big Chair

Infobox Album
Name = Songs from the Big Chair
Type = Studio
Artist = Tears for Fears


Released = 27 February 1985
Recorded = 1983-1984
Genre = Rock
Length = 41:19
Label = Mercury Records
Producer = Chris Hughes
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:16ge4j570wal link]
*Robert Christgau (B) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=3895&name=Tears+for+Fears link]
*"Rolling Stone" (favorable) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/tearsforfears/albums/album/104567/review/6067723/songs_from_the_big_chair link]
Last album = "The Hurting" (1983)
This album = "Songs from the Big Chair" (1985)
Next album = "The Seeds of Love" (1989)
Misc = Singles
Name = Songs from the Big Chair
Type = Studio
single 1 = Mothers Talk
single 1 date = August 1984
single 2 = Shout
single 2 date = November 1984
single 3 = Everybody Wants to Rule the World
single 3 date = March 1985
single 4 = Head Over Heels
single 4 date = June 1985
single 5 = I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)
single 5 date = September 1985

"Songs from the Big Chair" is the second album by the British pop band Tears for Fears. It was released in 1985, and remains their highest selling album to date. The album peaked at no.2 in the UK (where it remained in the top 30 for almost a year) and reached no.1 (for five weeks) in the US. It contained a string of international hit singles, including: "Mothers Talk", "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Head Over Heels".

The album title was derived from the 1976 television film "Sybil".

The record remains highly regarded:

In the loping, percolating "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," Tears for Fears perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the mid-'80s while impossibly managing to also create a dreamy, timeless pop classic. Songs From the Big Chair is one of the finest statements of the decade. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:16ge4j570wal]

Once the band had finished a lengthy touring and promotion schedule for the album, they took an extended hiatus from the music industry. In 1989, their third album, "The Seeds of Love", marked their return.

Re-issues

The album was remastered and re-issued on CD in 1999 with bonus tracks, including b-sides and remixes. Three of the tracks ("The Conflict", "The Marauders" and "Broken Revisited") are actually from the "The Hurting" period.

The album was re-released again in a Deluxe Edition 2-disc format in 2006 with the full collection of B-sides and many alternate versions and remixes of the album's tracks.

Track listing

Original release

# "Shout" (Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley) – 6:33
# "The Working Hour" (Orzabal, Stanley, Manny Elias) – 6:31
# "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (Orzabal, Stanley, Chris Hughes) – 4:11
# "Mothers Talk" (Orzabal, Stanley) – 5:06
# "I Believe" (Orzabal) – 4:54
# "Broken" (Orzabal) – 2:38
# "Head over Heels/Broken (Live)" (Orzabal, Curt Smith) – 4:32
# "Listen" (Orzabal, Stanley) – 6:541999 remastered CD bonus tracks:

9. "The Big Chair" (Orzabal, Smith, Stanley, Hughes) – 3:21
10. "Empire Building" (Smith, Orzabal, Stanley) – 2:52
11. "The Marauders" (Orzabal, Stanley) – 4:16
12. "Broken Revisited" (Orzabal) – 5:16
13. "The Conflict" (Orzabal, Smith, Stanley) – 4:05
14. "Mothers Talk (U.S. Remix)" – 4:13
15. "Shout (U.S. Remix)" – 8:02

*"Head over Heels/Broken (Live)" is erroneously listed as "Head over Heals/Broken (Live)" on the remastered CD.

Deluxe Edition (2006)

Disc one

# "Shout" – 6:33
# "The Working Hour" – 6:31
# "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" – 4:11
# "Mothers Talk" – 5:06
# "I Believe" – 4:54
# "Broken" – 2:38
# "Head over Heels/Broken (Live)" – 5:02
# "Listen" – 6:54
# "The Working Hour (Piano Version)" – 2:08
# "The Marauders" – 4:16
# "Empire Building" – 2:52
# "The Big Chair" – 3:21
# "Pharaohs (Single Version)" (Orzabal, Smith, Stanley, Hughes) – 3:43
# "When in Love with a Blind Man" (Orzabal, Stanley) – 2:22
# "Sea Song" (Robert Wyatt) – 3:51
# "Broken Revisited" – 5:16

Disc two

# "The Way You Are (7" Version)" (Orzabal, Smith, Stanley ,Elias) – 4:49
# "Mothers Talk (Short Version)" – 3:53
# "Shout (Edit)" – 4:03
# "Everybody Wants to Rule the World (7" Version)" – 4:08
# "Head over Heels (Dave Bascombe 7" Mix)" – 4:15
# "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)" – 4:41
# "Mothers Talk (U.S. Remix)" – 4:13
# "Shout (U.S. Remix)" – 8:02
# "Shout (Dub Remix)" – 6:49
# "Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Urban Mix)" – 6:06
# "Mothers Talk (Beat of the Drum Mix)" – 8:54
# "Broken/Head over Heels/Broken (Preacher Mix)" – 8:00

Singles (released during this period)

# "Mothers Talk" 1984 (IDEA7)
# "Shout" 1984 (IDEA8)
# "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" 1985 (IDEA9)
# "Head Over Heels" 1985 (IDEA10)
# "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)" 1985 (IDEA11)
# "Mothers Talk (US Remixed Single)" 1986
# "Everybody Wants to Run the World (Theme for Sport-Aid Week)" 1986 (RACE1)

Personnel

*Roland Orzabal – guitar, keyboards, vocals, grand piano on 5, vocal styling on 8
*Curt Smith – bass guitar, vocals
*Ian Stanley – keyboards, vocal arrangements on 8
*Manny Elias – drums

Additional personnel

Dave Bascombe - Engineer

* Shout : Sandy McLelland – backing vocals, Chris Hughes - drums

* The Working Hour: Jerry Marotta – drums, William Gregory – saxophone solos, Mel Collins – saxophone, Andy Davisdn – grand piano

* Everybody Wants to Rule the World : Neil Taylor – 2nd guitar solo

* Mother's Talk : Stevie Lange – backing vocals

* I Believe : William Gregory - saxophone

* Broken : Neil Taylor - guitar solo

* Head over Heels : Sandy McLelland - backing vocals, Andy Davis - grand piano, Annie McCaig – backing vocals, Marilyn Davis – backing vocals

* Listen : Marilyn Davis – operatic vocal

Charts

Album

Later Samples

*"Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
**"Rule" by Nas from the album "Stillmatic"