Songs for a Nervous Planet
2024 live album by Tears for Fears
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Songs for a Nervous Planet is a live album[nb 1] by the English rock/pop band Tears for Fears. Released in October 2024, the album features live recording of the band's concert at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee on 11 July 2023, one of the dates on their Tipping Point World Tour. In addition to the 18 live tracks, the album includes four new studio tracks (five on the deluxe edition).[5]
1:51:06 (extra studio track edition)
| Songs for a Nervous Planet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 25 October 2024[1] | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 1:46:01 (standard edition) 1:51:06 (extra studio track edition) | |||
| Label | Concord | |||
| Tears for Fears chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Songs for a Nervous Planet | ||||
Songs for a Nervous Planet peaked at number 6 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's seventh UK top 10 album.
Artwork
The album's artwork partially used AI, created by Vitalie Burcovschi, for which the band received criticism.[6] The band defended the use of AI, explaining:
The Songs for a Nervous Planet album artwork is a mixed media digital collage, with AI being just one of the many tools used in the creative process. We wanted vibrant artwork that evoked a sense of sci-fi, futuristic themes, and an escape from what is known. The sunflowers are a joyful nod to classic Tears For Fears imagery, while the juxtaposition of the astronaut is a link to our upcoming song, Astronaut, and a sense of alienation and not belonging. We have been fans of Surrealistly's work for a long time and knew he would be the perfect artist to bring our vision to life.
Formats
The album was released in a variety of formats including CD, digital, black vinyl, several coloured vinyl variations, and (in collaboration with SuperDeluxeEdition), a high-fidelity Blu-ray Audio disc.[8] A deluxe edition of the album includes a bonus studio track ("Landlocked") in addition to the four new studio tracks on the regular edition of the album.
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 76/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| Clash | 8/10[6] |
| Classic Pop | [11] |
| Classic Rock | 7/10[12] |
In a review of Songs for a Nervous Planet, music critic Michael Gallucci states that "It's the history of Tears for Fears, up to now, in 22 songs."[13] on Metacritic, the album has a aggregated review score of 76, which, according to Metacritic, means "Generally favorable" according to 4 critic reviews.[9] In a review for Goldmine Magazine, music critic Lee Zimmerman called it a "consolidation of sorts." and that "For those fans and followers who may have been uncertain as to their current status, Songs for a Nervous Planet ought to assuage any doubt."[14] In an AllMusic review, Timothy Monger writes that it "is essentially an EP of four new songs followed by 18 live tracks"[10]
Concert film
The album was released alongside a concert film titled Tears for Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film). The film was released in over 1100 cinemas worldwide on 24 and 26 October 2024.[15]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Say Goodbye to Mum and Dad" (studio track) | Roland Orzabal | 3:45 |
| 2. | "The Girl That I Call Home" (studio track) | Roland Orzabal, John Shanks | 3:44 |
| 3. | "Emily Said" (studio track) | Roland Orzabal | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Astronaut" (studio track) | Roland Orzabal, Charlton Pettus | 3:44 |
| 5. | "No Small Thing" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Curt Smith | 4:44 |
| 6. | "The Tipping Point" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Charlton Pettus | 4:14 |
| 7. | "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, Chris Hughes | 4:24 |
| 8. | "Secret World" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal | 4:48 |
| 9. | "Sowing the Seeds of Love" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Curt Smith | 6:25 |
| 10. | "Long, Long, Long Time" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Charlton Pettus, Curt Smith | 4:17 |
| 11. | "Break the Man" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Charlton Pettus, Curt Smith | 3:57 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Demons" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Florian Reutter, Sacha Skarbek | 3:11 |
| 2. | "Rivers of Mercy" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Charlton Pettus, Doug Petty | 5:51 |
| 3. | "Mad World" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Suffer the Children" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal | 3:26 |
| 5. | "Woman in Chains" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal | 6:27 |
| 6. | "Badman's Song" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Nicky Holland | 10:10 |
| 7. | "Pale Shelter" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Curt Smith | 4:37 |
| 8. | "Break It Down Again" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Alan Griffiths | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Head over Heels" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Curt Smith | 5:08 |
| 10. | "Change" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal | 4:32 |
| 11. | "Shout" (live in Franklin, Tennessee) | Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley | 6:32 |
| Total length: | 1:46:01 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Landlocked" (studio track) | Roland Orzabal, Curt Smith, Charlton Pettus | 4:52 |
| Total length: | 1:51:06 | ||
Personnel
Live tracks
- Roland Orzabal – vocals, guitar
- Curt Smith – vocals, bass guitar
- Doug Petty – keyboards
- Charlton Pettus – guitar, backing vocals
- Jamie Woolam – drums
- Lauren Evans – backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Woman in Chains" and "Badman's Song"
- Janae Sims – backing vocals
- Jasmine Mullen – backing vocals
Charts
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] | 23 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] | 145 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] | 14 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19] | 20 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] | 58 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[21] | 37 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] | 8 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[23] | 72 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[24] | 6 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[25] | 66 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] | 12 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[27] | 6 |
| UK Album Downloads (Official Charts)[28] | 8 |
| UK Albums Sales (OCC)[29] | 4 |
| UK Physical Albums (OCC)[30] | 4 |
| UK Record Store (OCC)[31] | 6 |
| UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[32] | 7 |
| US Billboard 200[33] | 104 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[34] | 12 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[35] | 17 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[36] | 14 |
| US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[37] | 20 |
| US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[38] | 6 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[39] | 13 |
Notes
- Although Songs for a Nervous Planet is classified as a live album, it includes four (five on some special versions) new studio tracks, those being "Astronaut", "Emily Said", "Say Goodbye to Mum and Dad", "The Girl That I Call Home", and the bonus track, "Landlocked" on certain editions. (See earlier text in parentheses.)