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Songs From the Big Chair
Studio album by Tears for Fears
Released 25 February 1985
Recorded 1983-1984
Genre New Wave
Length 41:19
Label Phonogram Records (UK), Mercury Records (U.S.)
Producer Chris Hughes
Professional reviews
* Allmusic 4.5/5 stars
* Robert Christgau (B)
* Rolling Stone (favorable)
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 10 for over six months and in the Top 40 for over 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 about a woman with multiple personality disorder who only feels safe when she is sitting in her analyst's "big chair".
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.
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. A companion video documentary entitled "Scenes from the Big Chair" was released in late 1985.
The album has been included in the book compilation 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Track listings
1. "Shout" (Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley) – 6:33
2. "The Working Hour" (Orzabal, Stanley, Manny Elias) – 6:31
3. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (Orzabal, Stanley, Chris Hughes) – 4:11
4. "Mothers Talk" (Orzabal, Stanley) – 5:06
5. "I Believe" (Orzabal) – 4:54
6. "Broken" (Orzabal) – 2:38
7. "Head over Heels/Broken (Live)" (Orzabal, Curt Smith) – 4:32
8. "Listen" (Orzabal, Stanley) – 6:54
Personnel
* Roland Orzabal – guitar, keyboards, vocals, grand piano on 5, vocal styling on 8
* Curt Smith – bass guitar, vocals, lead vocals on 3 and 8
* 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 – percussion, William Gregory – saxophone solos, Mel Collins – saxophone, Andy Davis – grand piano
* Everybody Wants to Rule the World : Neil Taylor – 2nd guitar solo
* Mothers 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
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