Hear Tears for Fears Play Every Song from The Hurting on This Day in 1983

Music Features Tears for Fears
Hear Tears for Fears Play Every Song from The Hurting on This Day in 1983

While Tears for Fears made their biggest hits with 1985’s Songs From The Big Chair, the British synth duo actually began their rise to pop glory with their debut album, 1983’s The Hurting. They weren’t yet stars in the U.S., but with considerable coverage from the British media and enough MTV airtime to constitute a small American following, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith landed a segment on The King Biscuit Flower Hour in 1983, just over a month after The Hurting’s arrival.

These King Biscuit recordings, taped on this day (April 18) in 1983, are essentially a showcase of The Hurting in its entirety, though the tracklist is slightly jumbled. Screaming crowds at the Hammersmith Palais in London welcomed the pair as they opened with swirling synth number “Memories Fade.” They opted to close the set with the title track, also the album opener.

For a taste of Tears for Fears before “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Shout,” listen to these recordings from 1983 below.

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