Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Song Exploder

Hrishikesh Hirway

Music

4.8 • 6.4K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Tears for Fears is a duo formed in 1981 in Bath, England by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. They’ve sold over 30 million albums, starting with their first, The Hurting, which went to number one in the UK. But it was their second album, Songs from the Big Chair, that made them international stars. It came out in 1985, and had huge singles like “Shout” and "Head Over Heels.” But their biggest hit is “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” It won Best Single at the BRIT Awards in 1986, and it’s been streamed over 2 billion times. So I talked to the two of them about how they, along with their producer Chris Hughes and keyboard player Ian Stanley, made a song that would help define the sound of the 80s.

For more, visit songexploder.net/tears-for-fears.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Song Exploder, where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece tell the story of how they were made.
0:07.0	I'm Rishi Keishish Heirwe.
0:10.0	I have three live events this month. On May 15th, I'm playing some of my songs at a show in LA at the Moroccan Lounge with my friend Uwadee for her album release show.
0:20.0	And on May 21st, I'm playing a show in
0:22.6	Brooklyn with my friend Ken Pomeroy celebrating her album release at Babies All Right. In between those
0:28.7	two concerts, I'm introducing a screening of the David Lynch film The Straight Story, which features
0:33.7	one of my all-time favorite film scores by Angelo Badalamenti. That screening is at Fidiotz in L.A. on May 17th.
0:40.7	Tickets for all of these are at rishikesh.co.
0:43.5	That's my first name, rishikash.com.
0:46.5	Hope to see you in either L.A. or Brooklyn.
0:53.0	This episode contains explicit language.
0:58.3	Tears for Fears is a duo formed in 1981 in Bath, England, by Roland Orsebal and Kurt Smith.
1:06.4	They've sold over 30 million albums, starting with their first, The Herding, which went to number
1:11.0	one in the UK. But it was their second album, Songs from the Big Chair, that made them international
1:15.8	stars. It came out in 1985 and had huge singles like Shout and Head Over Heels, but their
1:22.1	biggest hit is everybody wants to rule the world. It won Best Single at the Brit Awards in
1:27.0	1986. And it's been at the Brit Awards in 1986.
1:28.5	And it's been streamed over two billion times.
1:31.4	So I talked to the two of them about how they, along with their producer Chris Hughes and keyboard
1:35.3	player Ian Stanley, made a song that would help define the sound of the 80s.
1:39.3	Acting on your best behavior, turn your back on mother nature.
1:48.5	Everybody wants to rule the world.
	...

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