Tears for Fears “Break It Down Again” released

Break It Down Again Tears for Fears

Writer(s): Roland Orzabal, Alan Griffiths (see lyrics here) Released: May 17, 1993 First Charted: May 29, 1993 Peak: 25 US, 26 CB, 9 RR, 25 AC, 13 MR, 20 UK, 4 CN, 82 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 23.68 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Tears for Fears formed as a group in 1981 with members Roland Orzabal (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Curt Smith (vocals, bass, keyboards), Ian Stanley (keyboards, backing vocals), and Manny Elias (drums, percussion). That lineup lasted through the group’s first two albums, 1983’s The Hurting and 1985’s Songs from the Big Chair. However, Stanley and Elias were gone by 1989’s The Seeds of Love, leaving the group as a duo. Even then, Roland Orzabal had largely taken the reins, which contributed to the duo splitting. Four years later, Curt Smith released his first solo album. Orzbal released Elemental under the Tears for Fears banner, despite it effectively being a solo project at this point. However, one listen to the lead single, “Break It Down Again,” made it clear that he had retained the Tears for Fears sound. The song proved to be the last chart entry for Tears for Fears on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #25. In the UK, two more songs would reach the top 40 (1995’s “Raoul and the Kings of Spain” and 2005’s “Closest Thing to Heaven”). The song was a top-10 hit in Canada, Iceland, and Italy. Talking about the songs on Elemental, Orzabal said, “A lot of the songs were written while I was in a sense going through the ‘divorce.’ Things like ‘Break It Down Again’ refer to that to some degree…I did psychotherarpy for about six years. I stopped going regularly when I’d finished Elemental, which I think probably says something. I think I’m moving on.” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Tears for Fears SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 8/6/2022.