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Songs from the Big Chair

Songs from the Big Chair
Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair.jpg
Studio album by Tears for Fears
Released 25 February 1985
Recorded 1984 ("Broken" (live) recorded December 1983 at Hammersmith Odeon)
Studio The Wool Hall, Beckington, Somerset, UK
Genre New wave
Length 41:19
Label Fontana/Mercury/Phonogram
Producer Chris Hughes
Tears for Fears chronology
The Hurting
(1983)
Songs from the Big Chair
(1985)
The Seeds of Love
(1989)
Singles from Songs from the Big Chair
  1. "Mothers Talk"
    Released: 6 August 1984
  2. "Shout"
    Released: 23 November 1984
  3. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
    Released: 22 March 1985
  4. "Head over Heels"
    Released: 10 June 1985
  5. "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)"
    Released: 30 September 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4.5/5 stars
Consequence of Sound A+
Encyclopedia of Popular Music 4/5 stars
The Guardian 3/5 stars
Mojo 4/5 stars
Q 4/5 stars
Record Collector 5/5 stars
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 3/5 stars
Smash Hits 8/10
The Village Voice B

Songs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by British rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records. The album peaked at number two in the UK and number one in the US and Canada. It spawned the international hit singles "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", "Shout", "Head over Heels", "Mothers Talk", and "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)". It remains their best-selling album to date.

"The title was my idea. It's a bit perverse but then you've got to understand our sense of humour. The 'Big Chair' idea is from this brilliant film called Sybil about a girl with 16 different personalities. She'd been tortured incredibly by her mother as a child and the only place she felt safe, the only time she could really be herself was when she was sitting in her analyst's chair. She felt safe, comfortable and wasn't using her different faces as a defence. It's kind of an 'up yours' to the English music press who really fucked us up for a while. This is us now – and they can't get at us anymore."

The album title was derived from the 1976 television film Sybil about a woman with multiple personality disorder who only feels safe when she is sitting in her analyst's "big chair". A mostly-instrumental track called "The Big Chair" (which includes dialogue samples from the film) was released as the B-side of "Shout" in 1984, but was not included on the album.

The album peaked at no.2 in the UK Albums Chart and remained in the Top 10 for over six months. In the US, it reached number one for five weeks (non-consecutive), and in Canada it reached number one for nine weeks (non-consecutive) and spent six months in the Top 3. In all three countries, the album went multi-platinum. It also reached number one in Germany and The Netherlands and Top 10 positions in various other countries including Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Italy.

Once the band had finished a lengthy touring and promotion schedule for the album, they took an extended hiatus from the music industry. In 1989, their third album, The Seeds of Love, marked their return. A companion video documentary entitled Scenes from the Big Chair was released in late 1985.


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