Welcome to Your Life

In every generation, a little Tears for Fears must fall.
During MTV’s initial crest in the ’80s, a drop landed in the form of
the moody, ebullient video for “Shout.” A few years later, the magical
mystery tour “Sowing the Seeds of Love” expanded consciousnesses, and
much later, a new clutch of fans heard the stately grand piano of “Head
Over Heels” in 2001’s Donnie Darko (not to mention Gary Jules’
limpid cover of “Mad World”). This year, American Idol runner-up
Adam Lambert brought “Mad World” to yet another crop of
teenyboppers.

It’s a deep legacy for a band never known for prolificacy. In the
early ’90s, the duo of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith split after a mere
three albums, and while Orzabal kept producing material under the Tears
for Fears moniker, the two didn’t reconcile until 2004’s Everybody
Loves a Happy Ending.

“When I left the band, it was a time when we were just tired of each
other,” explains Smith. “We were still in our late 20s at that point in
time, and we’d been living in each other’s pockets since we were 13. I
guess we didn’t really talk for nine or 10 years, and then out of the
blue Roland’s manager called me and asked if I’d be interested in
working with Roland again. Initially I thought no, but then I sat down
and really thought about it, and the fact is that being married with a
family and everything else, things are very different for me. And I
thought to myself, maybe they’re different for him too. Our
relationship is probably the best it’s been because it’s relaxed and we
have more precious things at home than work.”

Tears for Fears toured extensively in support of Happy
Ending, but this year’s short summer jaunt is a loose, informal
affair, says Smith. “Over the last couple of years, the only touring
we’ve done is in Europe with a full orchestra, and it doesn’t really
leave you much room to experiment. We said, well, why don’t we go and
do some shows and actually play again and not have that very rigid
format? This tour really is specifically for our enjoyment.”