Tears for Fears were one of the defining pop duos of the 1980s. Their first three albums dominated the radio on both sides of the Atlantic, and unlike so many of their peers, they remain an active and thriving musical outfit today. That doesn't mean, of course, there were not speed bumps along the way.
Curt Smith, one half of Tears for Fears, and the vocalist on some of their most indelible songs, quit at the tail end of the 80s. He'd grown tired of the ways in which partner Roland Orzabal had dominated the musical direction of Tears for Fears, especially when it came to their album The Seeds of Love.
Curt Smith officially quit the band in 1990
Smith had previously served as a co-writer in addition to his vocal duties, but found that his role had been radically diminished due to Orzabal's musical experimentalism and desire to sing himself. Smith sang co-lead on the album's lead single and handled solo vocal duties on one other track, but he was relegated to bass and backing vocals for the rest of the album.
It didn't help that Smith's personal life was also in a downward spiral at the same time he was falling out with Orzabal. He split from his first wife during the making of The Seeds of Love, which indirectly led to him ceding even more ground to Orzabal in the studio. To make matters even worse, the two men butted heads over their manager, Paul King.
Smith was hesitant to fire King, but Orzabal wanted him gone due to the fact that King's company at the time, Outlaw Agency, was losing tons of money. Orzabal's gut proved to be correct, as Paul King declared bankruptcy in 1990 and was later convicted of fraud. The same year, Smith announced he was walking away from Tears for Fears.
Smith reunited with Roland Orzabal in 2004
Orzabal retained the rights to the name Tears for Fears, and released two additional albums in the 1990s. Neither album moved the needle, however. Fortunately, against all odds, Smith and Orzabal reunited in the 21st century, and released a comeback album, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending in 2004. Smith told Vulture that he came to realize how special his musical bond with Orzabal was, and he missed it.
"We’re better together than apart, and there’s some magic that happens when we’re together," the musician noted. "But it took us both a really long time to come to terms with that, hence the breakup and hence me walking away from it."
The duo remained active for the next decade, but hit another roadblock in 2017 following the death of Orzabal's wife. Their friendship endured, however, and Orzabal credited Smith with helping him get out, remain active, and continue to release new music. "I went round to Curt’s place with an acoustic guitar and we went straight back to being 18-year-old kids," he told the Guardian about the sessions for their most recent album, 2022's The Tipping Point.
Every musical outfit has its dysfunctions and issues, but Tears for Fears has managed to overcome theirs, and continue to delight fans around the world. A surprisingly optimistic legacy for a duo with such a downbeat moniker.