NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

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 the 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 Orz

Van She (pronounced Van Ski ) is an electronic pop band from Sydney, Australia. After forming in 2002, they released several EPs and two studio albums in 2008 and 2012. According to the band’s Facebook page, they posted a new track in 2019, but there have been no updates since then. I heard Van She’s “ Strangers ” when iTunes gave away a sampler of artists to check out. The song made me think about the band’s post-punk influences, such as Echo & the Bunnymen and possibly Tears for Fears , giving me modern-day Donnie Darko vibes. While the lyrics of “Strangers” feel more sexual, I think that there is something creepy about the song. That’s why I’m choosing today’s song to kick off Spooky Season and it will be the basis for the 2023 version of the Spooky Season playlist. Stay tuned for updates!  

When completing the score for the 2001 cult psychological thriller Donnie Darko , score composer Michael Andrews produced a cover of the 1982 Tears for Fears minor hit “ Mad World .” The film, set in 1988 the month preceding the election of George H.W. Bush, features a soundtrack of post-punk bands and even includes Tears for Fears’ “ Head Over Heels ” in a scene toward the beginning of the film. “Mad World” serves as the film’s emotional climax; however, the original version was extremely ill-suited for that role in the film. ALL AROUND ME ARE FAMILIAR FACES. Before every grocery store in America played “ Everybody Wants to Rule the World ” and Tears for Fears became a household name in America because of their major hits on the record Songs from the Big Chair , the band released their 1983 debut, The Hurting . This album included several singles the band had released the year prior, including the band’s third single “Mad World.” The song was successful in the UK and a few other co

The Cure 's " Lovesong " peaked at number 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 in October of 1989. Hit Parade 's 2019 episode " Lost and Lonely Edition ,"  detailing the British Post-Punk movement, views this unlikely pop hit as a kind of peak of the movement that continued into the early '90s.  Of course, The Cure's commercial success came after years of songs that didn't chart and even the invention of a music chart for Alternative Rock bands, at the time called Billboard's Modern Rock Chart.  HOWEVER FAR AWAY, I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU. When Billboard launched the Modern Rock chart in 1988, "left of the dial" college radio stations began reporting the songs that they were playing. Some of the bands included on the predecessor to today's Alternative Airplay chart were established on other charts-- U2 , Elvis Costello , Tears for Fears had mainstream rock and pop hits prior to charting on the Modern Rock chart. However, other acts like

Fleurie is just shy of 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter's majority of listeners, though, come from outside the United States from India, Turkey, Brazil, and Germany to be precise. Last year I talked about about her cover of Sufjan Steven 's   " To Be Alone with You ," which appears in the Looking for Alaska mini-series. While Fleurie has released many covers including a haunting version Linkin Park 's " In the End " and Gary Jules ' arrangement of Tears for Fears ' " Mad World ," the singer also writes original songs and released her fourth LP earlier this year titled Supertropicali .  CALIFORNIA GIRLS DON'T LOOK LIKE ME. How to describe Fleurie's latest album, Supertropicali? Fleurie describes it on her Spotify page as "a world, an era, a story unfolding, all stitched together in '90s nostalgia, romance, youthful hope, and belonging." Taking inspiration from Mary Popp

I've talked about " Shout " and " Head over Heels ," but neither of those massive hits are the most remembered song from the post-punk band Tears for Fears . You're unlikely to hear a track from their follow up to Songs from the Big Chair  in the grocery store, not the album's title track that is subtly about ejaculation, " Sowing the Seeds of Love ." Nor would you hear the later Gary Jules - covered " Mad World " for the film Donnie Darko and featured on every nighttime drama from Tears for Fears' first album. " Everybody Wants to Rule the World " is Tears for Fears' biggest song, yet the lyrics seem to contradict the easy melody of the song, making it slightly misunderstood.    ONE HEADLINE, WHY BELIEVE IT?  The syncopated guitar riff, the airy keys, and the somewhat chill vocals of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" act as a siren song, distracting listeners from the truly sinister theme of the song.

For some musical acts, it takes a while for their audience to take them seriously. Take for example Relient K . After three records of lyrics about Marylin Manson eating girlfriends , manipulating emotional girls to wear mood rings , and fantasizing about showing up to an '80s-themed prom in a pink tux listening to Tears for Fears , the band scored two mainstream pop hits from their not-quite-as-cheeky Mmhmm album.  TOO OLD TO BE GROWING UP.    Relient K's latest effort Air for Free was released in 2016 and the band continues to tour with the record. While the band gets playful with songs like " Local Construction ," " Cat ," " Mrs.  Hippopotamuses '" and " Elephant Parade ," there are serious moments on the record. One of the most serious songs is " Man ," the fifth track. Relient K's early music was almost exclusively punk rock--electric guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. But little by little, Relient K began introdu

When Red 's producer Rob Graves posted on Twitter a picture of a note on Red's guitars tuned to "A#, A, and G," some fans thought that the band's third album would be even heavier. In February of 2011, Red released Until We Have Faces , taking its name from the 1956 C.S. Lewis novel . The band delivered a more cohesive, harder rock sound than previous efforts with songs like  " Faceless ," the album's opener " Feed the Machine ," and " Lie to Me " (Denial). Today's song is a song about disappointment in someone's honesty. I recommend this song, not because I had someone hurt my feels because of a lie, but rather I'm hearing so many lies these days, it's hard to distinguish the truth. WILL YOUR HOPE DIE ALONE?    Okay, that's a little dramatic. Let me explain. I'm in the process of shopping for a new apartment, and it's very difficult to find an honest salesman. The whole thing has me more disheartened