Tears for Fears discography
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The English new wave and pop rock band Tears for Fears have released seven studio albums, along with numerous singles, compilations and videos. Formed in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, the duo signed to Phonogram Records in the UK and released their first single the same year. It was not until Tears for Fears' third single, "Mad World" (1982), that they scored their first hit, and their platinum-selling debut studio album The Hurting (1983) was a UK number one.
Studio albums7
EPs1
Live albums3
Compilation albums3
| Tears for Fears discography | |
|---|---|
Roland Orzabal (left) and Curt Smith (right) performing in Hanover, 2008 | |
| Studio albums | 7 |
| EPs | 1 |
| Live albums | 3 |
| Compilation albums | 3 |
| Singles | 44 |
| Video albums | 10 |
| Music videos | 30 |
| Box sets | 4 |
| Other compilation albums | 22 |
Their second studio album, Songs from the Big Chair, was released in 1985 and became a worldwide hit, establishing the band in the US. After a third platinum-selling studio album, The Seeds of Love (1989), Smith and Orzabal parted company. The band's first greatest hits album was released in 1992 and went double platinum in the UK. Subsequent Tears for Fears studio albums Elemental (1993) and Raoul and the Kings of Spain (1995) were effectively solo albums by Orzabal. However, the duo reformed in 2000 for a new studio album, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, which was released in 2004/05. Although continuing to tour regularly across the world, the band's recording output slowed down for several years. A new compilation album, Rule the World: The Greatest Hits, was released in 2017, giving the band their sixth UK Top 20 album. After a lengthy development, the band's seventh studio album, The Tipping Point, was released in February 2022, peaking at number two in the UK - their highest charting album in thirty years. Songs for a Nervous Planet, a live double album featuring several brand new studio tracks, was released in 2024, giving the band their seventh UK Top Ten album.
Albums
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1] |
AUS [2] |
CAN [3] |
FRA [4] |
GER [5] |
ITA [6][7] |
NL [8] |
NZ [9] |
SWI [10] |
US [11] | |||
| The Hurting | 1 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 15 | — | 30 | 16 | — | 73 | ||
| Songs from the Big Chair |
|
2 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | |
| The Seeds of Love |
|
1 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | |
| Elemental |
|
5 | 56 | 18 | 5 | 26 | 10 | 31 | — | 24 | 45 | |
| Raoul and the Kings of Spain | 41 | — | 62 | 5 | 88 | 23 | 70 | — | 42 | 79 | ||
| Everybody Loves a Happy Ending | 45 | — | — | 28 | 35 | 68 | 86 | — | 48 | 46 | ||
| The Tipping Point |
|
2 | 7 | 20 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 5 | — | 4 | 8 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Live albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1] |
FRA [4] |
ITA [7] |
NL [8] |
US [11] | ||
| Secret World – Live in Paris | — | 106 | — | — | — | |
| Live at Massey Hall Toronto, Canada / 1985 |
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| Songs for a Nervous Planet[21] | 6 | 37 | 72 | 58 | 104 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1] |
AUS [23] |
CAN [3] |
FRA [4] |
GER [5] |
ITA [6] |
NL [8] |
NZ [9] |
SWI [10] |
US [11] | |||
| Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92) |
|
2 | 101 | 19 | 2[A] | 7 | 1 | 22 | 9 | 14 | 53 | |
| Saturnine Martial & Lunatic |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Rule the World: The Greatest Hits |
|
12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 87 | — |
|
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Other compilations
(The following compilations tended to be regional releases, issued without the band's involvement and often on "budget price" labels)
| Title | Details | Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| Everybody Wants to Mix the World |
|
|
| Tears Laid Low (A Tears for Fears Alter Collection) |
|
|
| 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Tears for Fears |
|
|
| Media Markt Präsentiert Tears for Fears |
|
|
| Classic Tears for Fears: The Universal Masters Collection |
|
|
| Shout |
|
|
| The Working Hour: An Introduction to Tears for Fears |
|
|
| Shout: The Very Best of Tears for Fears |
|
|
| Gold |
|
|
| The Best of Remixes |
|
|
| The Ultimate Collection |
|
|
| The Collection |
|
|
| Gold |
|
|
| The Collection |
|
|
| Sowing the Seeds of Love: The Best of Tears for Fears |
|
|
| Famous Last Words: The Collection |
|
|
| The Silver Collection |
|
|
| The Essential Collection |
|
|
| Die Grössten Hits |
|
|
| Mad World: The Collection |
|
|
| Everybody Wants to Rule the World: The Collection |
|
|
| Icon |
|
Box sets
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Collusion |
|
| Songs from the Big Chair / The Hurting |
|
| The Hurting / Sowing the Seeds of Love |
|
| 3 Original CDs |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Ready Boy & Girls? |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1][25][26] |
AUS [2][23] |
BEL (FL) [27] |
CAN [28] |
FRA [29] |
GER [5] |
IRE [30] |
ITA [6][31] |
NL [8] |
NZ [9] |
US [32] | ||||
| "Suffer the Children" | 1981 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Hurting | |
| "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)"[B] | 1982 | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Mad World" | 3 | 12 | — | — | 73[C] | 21 | 6 | — | — | 25 | — |
| ||
| "Change" | 1983 | 4 | 29 | 30 | 23 | — | — | 8 | 14 | 32 | 36 | 73 |
| |
| "Pale Shelter" (1983 version)[B] | 5 | — | — | — | — | 25 | 5 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "The Way You Are" | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Mothers Talk" | 1984 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | 23 | — | — | 50 | — | Songs from the Big Chair | |
| "Shout" | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1[D] | |||
| "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | 1985 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 11 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1[D] | ||
| "Head over Heels" | 12 | 21 | 18 | 8 | — | 55 | 5 | — | 29 | 12 | 3 |
| ||
| "Suffer the Children" (reissue) | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Hurting | ||
| "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)" (reissue) | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)" | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | 28 | — | Songs from the Big Chair | ||
| "Mothers Talk" (US remix) | 1986 | — | — | — | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | ||
| "Everybody Wants to Run the World" | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Sowing the Seeds of Love" | 1989 | 5 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
|
The Seeds of Love |
| "Woman in Chains" (featuring Oleta Adams) |
26 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 20 | 45 | 21 | 14 | 16 | 34 | 36 |
| ||
| "Advice for the Young at Heart" | 1990 | 36 | 116 | 34 | 25 | 31 | 51 | 15 | 49 | 22 | — | 89 | ||
| "Famous Last Words" | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams"[E] | 1991 | 70 | 152 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)" | 1992 | 17 | 130 | 49 | 28 | 15 | 40 | — | 6 | 27 | — | —[F] | Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92) | |
| "Woman in Chains" (reissue) | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Break It Down Again" | 1993 | 20 | 82 | 49 | 4 | 19 | 66 | — | 10 | 27 | — | 25 | Elemental | |
| "Cold" | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Goodnight Song"[G] | — | — | — | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 125 | |||
| "Elemental"[H] | 1994 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Raoul and the Kings of Spain" | 1995 | 31 | — | 39 | — | — | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | Raoul and the Kings of Spain | |
| "God's Mistake" | 61 | — | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 102 | |||
| "Falling Down"[35] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Secrets"[I] | 1996 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Call Me Mellow"[J] | 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | —[K] | Everybody Loves a Happy Ending | |
| "Closest Thing to Heaven" | 2005 | 40 | — | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | — | — | ||
| "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending" / "Call Me Mellow" | 102[L] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Secret World"[M] | 2006 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Secret World – Live in Paris | |
| "I Love You but I'm Lost" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rule the World: The Greatest Hits | |
| "The Tipping Point" | 2021 | —[N] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[O] | The Tipping Point | |
| "No Small Thing" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Break the Man"[41] | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "My Demons"[42] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Long, Long, Long Time"[43] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Rivers of Mercy"[44] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "The Girl That I Call Home"[45] | 2024 | —[P] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Songs for a Nervous Planet | |
| "Astronaut"[47] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Say Goodbye to Mum and Dad"[48] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Collaborations and other appearances
| Year | Album/single | Collaborator | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Knebworth: The Album | Various Artists | The live album contains the songs "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "Badmans Song"[49] |
| 1992 | Ruby Trax: The NME's Roaring Forty | Various Artists | The album contains the cover of "Ashes to Ashes" which was later included on the Saturnine Martial & Lunatic |
Videos
Video albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Videosingles |
|
| In My Mind's Eye |
|
| Scenes from the Big Chair |
|
| Sowing the Seeds |
|
| Going to California |
|
| Knebworth '90 |
|
| Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92) |
|
| 20th Century Masters: The DVD Collection – The Best of Tears for Fears |
|
| Classic – The Universal Masters DVD Collection |
|
| Gold: The Videos |
|
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Mad World" | 1982 | Clive Richardson |
| "Change" | 1983 | |
| "Pale Shelter" | Steve Barron | |
| "The Way You Are" | Unknown | |
| "Mothers Talk" (version 1) | 1984 | Laurie Lewis |
| "Mothers Talk" (version 2) | Nigel Dick | |
| "Shout" | ||
| "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | 1985 | |
| "Head over Heels" | ||
| "I Believe" | ||
| "Mothers Talk" (US remix) | 1986 | |
| "Sowing the Seeds of Love" | 1989 | Jim Blashfield |
| "Woman in Chains" | Andy Morahan | |
| "Advice for the Young at Heart" | 1990 | |
| "Famous Last Words" | Nigel Dick | |
| "Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)" | 1992 | Paul Donnellon |
| "Break It Down Again" | 1993 | Dani Jacobs |
| "Cold" | Unknown | |
| "Goodnight Song" | Dani Jacobs | |
| "Elemental" | 1994 | Samuel Bayer |
| "Raoul and the Kings of Spain" | 1995 | Cameron Casey |
| "God's Mistake" | ||
| "Secrets" (version 1) | 1996 | |
| "Secrets" (version 2) | Roland Orzabal | |
| "Falling Down" | ||
| "Closest Thing to Heaven" | 2005 | Michael Palmieri |
| "I Love You but I'm Lost" | 2017 | Morgan Freed[50] |
| "The Tipping Point" | 2021 | Matt Mahurin |
| "No Small Thing" | Vern Moen | |
| "Break the Man" | 2022 | WeWereMonkeys |
| "My Demons" | Heather Gildroy | |
| "Long, Long, Long Time" | Heather Gildroy and Justin Daashuur Hopkins | |
| "The Girl That I Call Home" | 2024 | Maschima |
| "Astronaut" |
Notes
- Peak position on the Compilations Chart
- The 1982 Mike Howlett-produced version of "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)" was eventually issued as a single in Canada in 1983, and peaked at #12.[33] In other territories, the hit single was the 1983 version of "Pale Shelter". This version was a wholly new recording produced by Chris Hughes and Ross Cullum, and it did not include the parenthetical subtitle.
- Chart position is from 2013.
- In the US, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was the first single release from Songs from the Big Chair followed by "Shout".
- Though not formally credited to Tears for Fears, "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams" was originally the B-side to "Advice for the Young at Heart". It was then remixed by Fluke and released as a single by Tears for Fears' record company in the UK and simply credited to 'Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams'. The single also reached number 1 on the UK Dance Chart.
- "Laid So Low" reached number 10 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
- "Goodnight Song" was released as a single in North America and some European countries. It was also released as a promo-only single in the UK.
- "Elemental" was only released as a single in France and the US.
- Whilst "Secrets" was released as a single elsewhere, it was withdrawn from release in the UK.
- "Call Me Mellow" was released as a promo-only single in North America in 2004 and in the UK and Germany in 2005. However, it did get a commercial release in a Italy in early 2005.
- "Call Me Mellow" reached #28 on the US Billboard Adult Top 40 chart.
- "Everybody Loves A Happy Ending/Call Me Mellow" reached #79 on the UK Physical Singles Chart[36] and #13 on the UK Independent Singles Chart[37] in June 2005.
- "Secret World" was released as a promo-only single in France.
- "The Tipping Point" reached #36 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.[38] and #37 on the UK Singles Sales Chart[39] in October 2021.
- "The Girl That I Call Home" reached #93 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart in November 2024.[46].