30 Fabulous Photos of Tears for Fears in the 1980s

Tears for Fears are a British pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wave synthesizer bands of the 1980s, and attained international chart success as part of the Second British Invasion.

The band’s debut album, The Hurting (1983), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, and their first three hit singles – “Mad World”, “Change”, and “Pale Shelter” – all reached the top five in the UK Singles Chart. Their second album, Songs from the Big Chair (1985), reached number one on the US Billboard 200, achieving multi-platinum status in both the US and the UK. The album contained two US Billboard Hot 100 number one hits: “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, both of which also reached the top five in the UK with the latter winning the Brit Award for Best British Single in 1986. Their belated follow-up, The Seeds of Love (1989), entered the UK chart at number one and yielded the transatlantic top 5 hit “Sowing the Seeds of Love”.

In 2021, Orzabal and Smith were honored with the Ivor Novello Award for ‘Outstanding Song Collection’ recognizing their “era-defining Tears for Fears albums” and “critically acclaimed, innovative hit singles”.

Take a look at these fabulous photos to see styles of Tears for Fears in the 1980s.