Songs from the Big Chair

Songs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by the English band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records/Mercury Records. The follow-up to the band's successful debut album, The Hurting (1983), Songs from the Big Chair was a significant departure from that album's dark, introspective synth-pop, featuring a more mainstream, guitar-based pop rock sound, sophisticated production values and diverse stylistic influences, while Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley's lyrics displayed socially and politically conscious themes. The album peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in the U.S., becoming a multi-platinum seller in several countries and the band's most successful studio album to date. The singles "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" both topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart, while "Head over Heels", "Mothers Talk" and a re-recorded version of "I Believe" were also successful internationally. Receiving positive critical reviews upon release, Songs from the Big Chair has accrued lasting praise and has been named one of the best albums of the 1980s and was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.