Outstanding Song Collection

Roland Orzabal & Curt Smith

Some things are just meant to be. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith may have taken the scenic route to international pop stardom, via a failed mod revival band and fortuitous access to synthesisers. But when everything clicked on Tears For Fears’ 1983 debut album, The Hurting, it created one of the most successful pop partnerships the UK has ever seen.

That album spawned three huge hit singles – Pale Shelter, Change and Mad World, the latter of which would later provide an incongruously bleak Christmas No.1 for Michael Andrews feat. Gary Jules.

The combination of Orzabal’s psychology-influenced lyrics with their dual vocals and charisma made them UK pop sensations. But it was the follow-up, 1985’s Songs From The Big Chair, that really cemented the Tears For Fears legend.

Boasting a more expansive sound, it also brought even bigger hits than the debut, and saw them conquer the world. Both Shout and Everybody Wants To Rule The World topped the US Hot 100 while Head Over Heels – co-written by Smith and Orzabal – also hit the Top 3, a rare level of achievement for a British act at the time.

It was 1989 when the next album, The Seeds Of Love, again represented a great leap forward for this most innovative of bands. A psychedelic influence fuelled another monster co-written global hit, Sowing The Seeds Of Love, while the soulful Woman In Chains, featuring Oleta Adams, added another dimension to another UK Number One album.

A break-up followed, although Orzabal kept the Tears For Fears name alive as a solo project, and Smith also enjoyed a vibrant solo career. But they came back together for the appropriately titled 2005 album, Everybody Loves A Happy Ending, largely co-written by Orzabal, Smith and co-writer Charlton Pettus.

They’ve stayed together ever since, playing live regularly and earning this richly deserved Ivor for making this Mad World a much better place. Just as they were always destined to do.