"Head over Heels" by Tears for Fears, Wednesday, August 25, 2021

No '80s New Wave playlist is complete without a song from Tears for Fears. The band was a huge hit producer on a few of their albums; however, like Third Eye Blind in the late '90s, Tears for Fears peaked early in their career in the mid-‘80s. Their second #1 hit, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," is their "grocery store classic," meaning it's so popular they play it in the grocery store. "Head Over Heels" is a song about falling in love getting older and not meeting the expectations others set out for you. Sinit ger Roland Orzabel said of the song "It is a romance song that goes a bit perverse at the end." One does wonder why there's a gun and who the second verse is about. Is it him or her? Two memories are strongly connected to this song. First was the cover by Christian band Kids in the Way. Second was the opening montage of 2001's Donnie Darko.

ONE LITTLE BOY, ONE LITTLE MAN, FUNNY HOW TIME FLIES. Roland Orzabel and Curt Smith were part of a ska-influenced, mod-rock band called Graduate. The group toured across Europe, but Roland and Curt felt more at home in the studio. They began playing with new toys, the latest studio technology to come into recording--new synthesizers and drum loops. With these new effects, the new duo only needed to add their voices, a guitar, and a bass. Under the moniker Tears for Fears, the duo's single "Mad World" started growing in popularity in the U.K. and abroad, and the studio band took to touring again. The band's second album, 1985's Songs from the Big Chair released 5 of the 7 tracks as singles. The album had two #1 Hot 100 hits "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." The duo has talked about their writing process, writing songs that were very personal to them. They never shy away from introspection or writing emotional lyrics. It's no wonder why the Emo acts of the early '00s oven site Tears for Fears as their post-punk ancestors. Tears for Fears' music videos haven't aged well. The image of '80s music videos like Tears for Fears and A Flock of Seagulls put me off of '80s music for years. The video for "Head Over Heels" is set in a library in which the "hot librarian" is hushing the band as the are performing in the library. By the end of the video, we see that Roland has married the librarian, and they are an old married couple. Roland is in his personal residence which has a sizable library. Recently, Tears for Fears announced a new record coming out in February 2022. The interview cycle now sees the duo, video chatting from their very English homes, complete with extensive libraries.

I MADE A FIRE, I'M WATCHING IT BURN. "Head over Heels" is the opening montage which introduces us to most of the main characters in Donnie Darko. We're introduced to the students and teachers at a Catholic school on the first day of school. You may have never heard of this movie staring Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore. The film had a limited theatrical release in October 2001 after the advertisement was pulled from TV due to its depiction of a plane crash. I've talked about how 9/11 had affected music, like how Jimmy Eat World changed the title of their album Bleed American and about Squad 5-0's Bombs over Broadway hindered the band's breakout success. Unfortunately, Donnie Darko suffered from 9/11 trauma censorship as well. While the film didn't make much in the theaters, it did become a cult classic. And why wouldn't it? The movie tells a science fiction story about time travel or schizophrenia, set in a not-so-strict Catholic family who sends their kids to a conservative Catholic school. There's the cool literature teacher, Drew Barrymore, the backdrop of the 1988 Bush-Dukakis election, and an awesome '80s soundtrack. The movie explored the themes of predestination, faith/doubt, conservatism, mental health, and fundamentalism. Besides being a perfect Halloween psychological thriller, the themes are pertinent today as they were back in 2001.

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