Formation to 1992 split:

            Tears For Fears was formed in 1981 in England. The core was Roland Orzabel and Curt Smith who then found studio musicians to fill out the band as needed. It was the band’s third single, “Mad World”, released in 1983, that put Tears For Fears on the map. It reached #3 in the U.K. and helped Tears For Fears’ first album, The Hurting, reach #1 in the U.K. and Top 20 in many other countries. “The Way You Are” was released at the end of 1983. The single did reach the Top 30 in the U.K. but had a much more experimental sound than previous material. This experimenting and moving away from the heavy synthpop sound of The Hurting would be continued on their next album Songs from the Big Chair. Debuting at #2 in the U.K. and reaching #1 in the U.S., this album would make Tears For Fears international stars. It featured two #1 singles (in the U.S.): “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” as well as “Head Over Heels”, which reached #3. The album was one of the biggest sellers worldwide in 1985. Despite the success of Songs from the Big Chair and the recent charity work keeping the band’s name in the news (Tears For Fears was involved with both Live Aid and Sport Aid), it would not be until 1989 that they would release their third album. Showing that Tears For Fears was more than your average synthpop band, the album mixed elements of jazz and blues as well as heavy influence from The Beatles. The Seeds of Love debuted at #1 in the U.K. and reached the Top 10 in the U.S. and several other countries. However, Orzabel and Smith had a falling out and Smith left the band after the tour in 1992.

 
1992 to present:

            Orzabel would continue to use the name Tears For Fears with the release of two more studio albums as well as other compilations. Elemental did reach #5 in the U.K. and the Top 30 in several other countries, but only made it to #45 in the U.S. Raoul and the Kings of Spain failed to crack the Top 40 in the U.K. and the U.S., although it did reach #5 in France. Meanwhile, Smith released his own material, with limited success. Paperwork forced Smith and Orzabel to speak with each other in 2000. This reunion led to some songwriting and Everybody Loves a Happy Ending was released in 2004. The album was not particularly successful, reaching only the Top 50 in the U.K. and U.S., but did feature Tears For Fears’ first Top 40 (in the U.K.) single in over a decade. Tears For Fears has continued touring since then.