Songs from the Big Chair was released on February 25th, 1985, it went to no.2 in the band’s own UK, and it went to no.1 in US and Canadian charts. It went 3x Platinum in the UK, 5x Platinum in the US, and 7x Platinum in Canada. “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” went no.1 on US Billboard Hot 100, while “Head Over Heels” topped at no.3.
Track listing: Songs from the big chair
1- “Shout”
This probably the most well-known song on this album, and it’s fair to say it’s Tears for Fears signature song. The chorus is a great example of a perfect vocal hook, a melody that is easy to sing and is repeated just enough to stick in your head. If it wasn’t for the great arrangement in the background, it would be too repetitive, but they found the right formula.
The song starts with a percussion sample that is present in the whole song, but you forget it’s there as the song gets more and more layers of instruments. I love the build-up, starting with synths only, and gradually integrating more organic instruments, guitars, real drums. By the way, the guitar solo is amazing, simple but melodic.
2- “The Working Hour”
This is an amazing song, the best of the non-singles on this album. The saxophone stands out here, played by two musicians, William Gregory and Mel Collins. Like Shout, this is a long song at over 6 minutes, but the vocals only enter after a long introduction that sets the mood for the rest of the song. The harmony is quite inventive for a pop song, with modulations and suspended chords, a real gem on this album.
3- “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”
Another timeless hit coming from this album. The two synth chords on the pedal bass, it’s pure genius, the mood on this song is incredible. Adding a shuffle steady beat, and a vocal line that is unusually right on the beat, that would not work most of the time, but in this case, it’s perfect.
The arrangement is minimalistic, the drum plays over a programmed rhythm, adding just enough fills to make it interesting. At the same time, you get two different guitar solos, the first one by Roland himself, and the second one by Chris Hughes. It’s one of those classic songs you recognize from the first seconds.
4- “Mothers Talk”
This song is not really well known, even though it was the first single, released months before the full album. It features an edgier sound compared to the other songs on the album, it has heavy drum sampling, it even sounds a bit industrial at times. It’s not as easy listening as other songs on the album, but it definitely grows on you. There are some amazing bass parts at the end.
5- “I Believe”
When I was young, I felt this song was out of place on this album, I still feel that way but I appreciate it more today. It wasn’t written to be a Tears for Fears song, it was offered to Robert Wyatt, but eventually, they recorded it. It’s a jazzy lounge piano song with great singing by Roland.
6- “Broken”
Broken is a pure rocker, great bass, great drums, amazing guitar. It showcases the band as talented musicians, and the guitar solo by Neil Taylor is mind-blowing. It’s the shortest song on the album, it serves as a great prelude to Head over Heels.
7- “Head over Heels/Broken (Live)”
This is pure pop perfection, one of the greatest songs of the 80’s. This is a great example of using a melody wisely throughout a song, the intro with the piano is later used with slight variations by the guitar in the chorus and the bass at the end. The chord harmony in the verses is really original with a subtle modulation, and the falsetto vocals are nice too.
It ends with a live excerpt of Broken, a strange idea that I don’t recall seeing on another album. But since both songs share similar melodies, it works well.
8- “Listen”
To end the album is the longest song at near 7 minutes. It’s really hard to describe, it’s quite original but mostly atmospheric, it’s not a song that you really listen to, you just feel it.
Final thoughts
This is an amazing album, really strong on almost every song, most of them don’t sound dated at all. The production is amazing, this is a great example of taking advantage of the synths and sampling of the era, and combining some great instrumentalists, from the band itself, and from some talented collaborators. I consider Songs From the Big Chair one of the top 10 albums of the 80’s, and it should be on any top 100 list out there of best albums of all time, it’s that good.
