Tears for Fears celebrates 40th birthday of Songs From The Big Chair with anniversary editi

2025 sees Tears For Fears' second album, the multi-platinum-selling Songs From The Big Chair, Originally released on 25 February 1985, Songs From The Big Chair became a global sensation, topping the US charts and spawning five hit singles: Mothers Talk, Shout, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Head Over Heels, and I Believe. The album captured a perfect intersection of pop accessibility, sharp lyricism, guitar power and new-wave innovation.

To mark its Ruby Anniversary, UMR will unveil a range of special editions, including a limited edition 2LP Transparent Red vinyl featuring the original unused artwork and tracks previously unavailable on vinyl, a 3CD deluxe set, a limited edition 1LP Coke Bottle Clear vinyl, and a limited 1 LP picture disc.

The album’s influence cannot be underestimated and continues to resonate with new audiences. Everybody Wants To Rule The World has been covered by Lorde for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and featured in Guardians of the Galaxy (as well as the Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind ride at Walt Disney World), Despicable Me 4, and The Lego Batman Movie, among many others.

Formed in Bath in 1981, Tears For Fears—Roland Orzabal (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Curt Smith (vocals, bass, keyboards)—have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. In 2021, they were honoured with the Outstanding Song Collection Award at the Ivor Novello Awards. Today, the band continues to perform to sold-out audiences around the globe, including their Las Vegas residency.

ABOUT TEARS FOR FEARS

Tears For Fears - Roland Orzabal (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Curt Smith (vocals, bass, keyboards) formed in Bath, England 1981. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, performing to countless sold-out audiences and winning various awards, the band represent an inimitable intersection of pop palatability, clever and cognisant lyricism, guitar bombast and new wave innovation. Their 1983 debut The Hurting yielded anthems such as “Mad World,” “Change,” and “Pale Shelter,” reaching RIAA Gold status in the United States. 1985’s Songs from the Big Chair became a watershed moment for the group and music at large. Boasting the signature BRIT Award-winning “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Shout,” “Head over Heels,” “Mothers Talk” and “I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording),” it went quintuple-platinum and captured #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Slant dubbed it one of, “The Best Albums of the 1980s,” it was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and Consequence awarded it a rare A rating in a 20-year retrospective.1989’s Seeds of Love proved to be Orzabal and Smith’s last collaboration together until Everybody Loves A Happy Ending in 2004, which rekindled the creative fire between them. The band engaged in a three-year touring whirlwind across North America, Japan, South Korea, Manila and South America beginning in 2010. In 2013, they debuted a cover of Arcade Fire’s “Ready to Start” and in 2017 they released a best of album collection, Rule The World, which once more catapulted the band back to the upper echelon of the UK album charts.

In 2022, Tears For Fears returned with their first studio album in seventeen years, The Tipping Point. According to Pitchfork, Vulture, Stereogum and many more it was one of 2022’s most anticipated albums and went on to receive widespread critical praise. The release was followed by a global sold out headlining tour. The duo’s DNA remains embedded within three generations of artists on both subtle and overt levels. Quietly casting a shadow over rock, hip-hop, electronic dance music, indie and beyond, The Weeknd infused “Pale Shelter” into Starboy’s “Secrets,” David Guetta sampled “Change” for “Always” and Drake utilized “Ideas as Opiates” as the foundation for “Lust For Life,” while Ally Brooke Hernandez, Adam Lambert and Gary Jules recorded popular covers of “Mad World” and Disturbed took on “Shout” and that’s only to name a few. Lorde cut a haunting cover of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” for the Soundtrack of the blockbuster The Hunger Games – Catching Fire, which Tears For Fears gleefully would use as intro music live and thus bring everything full circle. In 2021, the band was honoured with the Outstanding Song Collection Award at the Ivor Novello Awards. Meanwhile, classic songs figure prominently everywhere from The Lego Batman Movie, The Wire, Despicable Me 4 and Donnie Darko to Straight Outta Compton and Mr. Robot. Orzabal and Smith remain as loud as ever, while yet another generation gets ready to “Shout” with them all over again.

TEARS FOR FEARS

SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR

40th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS

LIMITED EDITION 2LP RED VINYL WITH ORIGINAL UNUSED ARTWORK

SIDE ONE

1 Shout 6:32

2 The Working Hour 6:31

3 Everybody Wants To Rule The World 4:11

4 Mothers Talk 5:06

SIDE TWO

5 I Believe 4:55

6 Broken 2:38

7 Head Over Heels 5:02

8 Listen 6:53

SIDE THREE

1 Shout (Alternative Mix) 5:08 (First time on vinyl)

2 The Working Hour (Piano Version) 2:08 (First time on vinyl)

3 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Alternative Single Version) 4:21 (First time on vinyl)

4 Mothers Talk (Early Mix) 4:39 (First time on vinyl)

SIDE FOUR

5 I Believe (A Soulful Re- Recording) 4:42

6 Broken (Demo) 5:39 (First time On vinyl)

7 Head Over Heels (Hughes 7" Edit) 4:16

8 Listen (Clean Intro) (First time on vinyl)

TEARS FOR FEARS

SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR

3CD

DISC ONE: Original Album & B-Sides

1 Shout 6:32 Audio Original album

2 The Working Hour 6:31 Audio Original album

3 Everybody Wants To Rule The World 4:11 Audio Original album

4 Mothers Talk 5:06 Audio Original album

5 I Believe 4:55 Audio Original album

6 Broken 2:38 Audio Original album

7 Head Over Heels 5:02 Audio Original album

8 Listen 6:53 Audio Original album

9 The Big Chair 3:21 Audio B-side to Shout.

10 Empire Building 2:52 Audio B-side to Mothers Talk.

11 The Marauders 4:15 Audio B-side to The Way You Are.

12 Broken Revisited 5:16 Audio Bonus track on the ltd ed of Songs From The Big Chair.

13 The Conflict 4:04 Audio B-side to Change

14 The Working Hour (Piano Version) 2:08

15 Pharaohs 3:41 Audio B-side to Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

16 When In Love With A Blind Man 2:23 Audio B-side to Head Over Heels.

17 Sea Song 3:53 Audio B-side to I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording) in the UK and to the re-recorded version of Mothers Talk in the US.

DISC TWO: Edited Songs From The Big Chair

1 The Way You Are 4:55

2 Mothers Talk (Short Version) 3:54

3 Shout (Alternative Version) 6:00

4 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Single Version) 4:12

5 Head Over Heels (Dave Bascombe 7" N.Mix)

6 I Believe (A Soulful Re- Recording) 4:42

7 Everybody Wants To Run The World 4:34

8 The Way You Are (Edit) 4:21

9 Mothers Talk (U.S. Remix) 4:14

10 Shout (U.S. Single Edit) 4:06

11 Everybody Wants To Run The World (Running Version) 4:33

12 Head Over Heels (Hughes 7" Edit)

13 Mothers Talk (Video Version) 4:47

14 Shout (7" Edit) 4:47

15 Listen (Clean Intro) 6:52

16 Interview With Curt & Roland 7:36

DISC THREE: Remixed Songs From The Big Chair

1 The Way You Are (Extended) 7:41

2 Mothers Talk (Long Version) 6:17

3 Shout (UK Version / Extended Version) 7:42

4 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Extended Version) 5:40

5 Broken / Head Over Heels / Broken (Preacher Mix) 8:01

6 Mothers Talk (Beat Of The Drum Mix) 8:56

7 Shout (Extended) 8:00

8 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Urban Mix) 6:01

9 Mothers Talk (Alternate U.S. Remix) 4:12

10 Shout (US Dub Version) 6:48

11 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Instrumental) 4:23

12 Shout (Acapella)

TEARS FOR FEARS

SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR

LIMITED EDITION COKE BOTTLE VINYL

SIDE ONE

1 Shout 6:32

2 The Working Hour 6:31

3 Everybody Wants To Rule The World 4:11

4 Mothers Talk 5:06

SIDE TWO

5 I Believe 4:55

6 Broken 2:38

7 Head Over Heels 5:02

8 Listen 6:53

TEARS FOR FEARS

SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR

LIMITED EDITION PICTURE DISC

SIDE ONE

1 Shout 6:32

2 The Working Hour 6:31

3 Everybody Wants To Rule The World 4:11

4 Mothers Talk 5:06

SIDE TWO

5 I Believe 4:55

6 Broken 2:38

7 Head Over Heels 5:02

8 Listen 6:53