ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Tears For Fears (3 songs)

Roland Orzabal & Curt Smith formed this band in England in 1981, after their 1st band, Graduate, disbanded. They started out in the new wave synthesizer band category, but branched out into mainstream rock & pop.

#1
While not officially released in the United States, this song has become well known due to usage in TV series (such as “Brothers & Sisters”, “Cold Case”, “CSI” & “Smallville”). In addition, Adam Lambert covered the song during the 8th season of “American Idol”. Originally released 09/20/1982 as the 3rd single from the band’s debut album ‘The Hurting’, the song became their 1st Top 10 in England, reaching #3.

#2
This song, the 4th release from their debut album ‘The Hurting’, became their 1st song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, though it only managed #73. Released 01/24/1983, this single (written by Orzabal & Smith) reached #4 in England, #8 in Ireland, #9 in Poland & #5 in S Africa.

#3
Debuting 11/23/1984 (England) & 06/04/1985 (United States), this song quickly became their internationally most-successful & signature tune. While it only managed to notch at #4 in England, it claimed #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 3 weeks & also reached the top spot in Australia, Germany & Canada. It was followed by 1985’s “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, which reached #2 in England & #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their next (& last) widely successful single was 1989’s “Sowing The Seeds Of Love”.