Friday Flashback :: Tears For Fears' "Shout"

Tears For Fears would  become one of the pop bright spots of the 1980's with a series of hits that exemplified the British lock on pop in its heyday. Named for a theory from Arthur Janov's primal scream therapy, Tears For Fears were two misfits from Bath, England.

Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith met as children in Bath. Both boys came from broken homes, and Smith was leaning toward juvenile delinquency. Once they discovered each other and Janov's therapy strategies, they started making music and soon landed a recording contract with Polygram in 1982.

Their first release, The Hurting was a great hit in the UK with five top-ten hits. Two years later, the group released Songs From The Big Chair which featured a soul-influenced sound. This release became an international hit, based on the strength of two tracks, one of which is today's Flashback. "Shout" was one of the most recognizable songs of the '80s, and became their second No. 1 U.S. single. The fact that a group named for primal scream therapy would write a song to protest the madness of the world around them by...shouting...makes perfect sense.

It's a seriously simple song, with clarity, but not "stripped." It's driven by a simple percussion track, and moves along, never losing its drive. The melodies remain simple even in the solos, and the production never gets out of control. In short, it's simplicity itself.

Kinda makes sense: a simple song, with a simple solution to a complex world.

Tears For Fears :: "Shout"
Album: Songs From The Big Chair
Released: 1985
Billboard: #1, The Billboard Top 100; #1, Hot Dance; #6, Mainstream Rock; #56 Hip Hop/R&B Singles.

Play the Track: Shout (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').