Curt Smith is a British-born musician, singer and songwriter, known mainly … Read Full Bio ↴Curt Smith is a British-born musician, singer and songwriter, known mainly as one half of the duo Tears for Fears, the group he co-founded in 1981. Still an active musician more than three decades later, Smith released his third solo album, "Halfway, pleased" via his own KOOK Media imprint in May 2008. In addition to his solo career, Smith has also written music for television and is collaborating on a theatrical musical.

Smith, now a naturalized U.S. citizen, originally hails from Bath, England, where he and Roland Orzabal met when both were teenagers. They first formed a band at school, for which Smith taught himself to play bass guitar, and later formed the band Graduate, which achieved minor fame in continental Europe, and released one album in 1980. After disbanding Graduate, Smith and Orzabal founded Tears for Fears. TFF’s debut album, 1983’s The Hurting, was a UK number one and produced three international hit singles –"Mad World", "Change", and "Pale Shelter" – each with lead vocals performed by Smith.

Their second album, 1985's Songs from the Big Chair was even more successful, yielding hits including "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (sung by Smith), "Shout," and "Head Over Heels" (which Smith co-wrote). The duo spent the next several years recording their 1989 album The Seeds of Love, which proved to be another international bestseller, but Smith left the band a year after its release and moved to New York.

Smith released his first solo album, Soul On Board, in 1993, but the album was a commercial failure. Smith later claimed he hated the album and made it purely to fulfill his contract with Phonogram Records (the label to which Tears For Fears had signed to in 1981). He acclimated to life in New York by hosting an MTV show, as well as a new music radio show that was syndicated to over 300 U.S. colleges, and by teaching a music industry course at New York University. In 1995, a mutual friend introduced Smith to songwriter-guitarist Charlton Pettus. They began writing together and formed a band called Mayfield, which released a self-titled album in 1997.

Smith moved to Los Angeles in 1998, and began work on what was to become "Halfway, pleased" a few years later, but the project was put on hold after he had begun speaking to Roland Orzabal again in 2000 after nearly a decade of silence. Their conversations culminated in the duo reforming Tears For Fears for a new album, 2004’s Everybody Loves A Happy Ending, which led to a worldwide tour. Smith resumed work on "Halfway, pleased" in 2006. The semi-autobiographical album explores Smith’s relationships with his children, parents and friends. Halfway, pleased was released in May 2008, via Smith’s own KOOK Media imprint. It is available in CD and download configurations from major online retailers and from select retail locations.

In May 2013, Smith confirmed that he was writing and recording new Tears for Fears material with Orzabal and Charlton Pettus. 3-4 songs were worked on in the UK at Orzabal’s home studio, Neptune’s Kitchen, in April of 2013. Further work on a new Tears For Fears album commenced in L.A. in July of 2013. According to Orzabal, they have been producing of more dark, dramatic pieces of music, which gave the pending album the tongue-in-cheek working title of Tears for Fears: The Musical. “There’s one track that’s a combination of Portishead and Queen. It’s just crazy,” Orzabal stated.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of TFF’s debut album The Hurting, Universal Music are re-releasing it in two Deluxe Editions (one a 2-disc set and the other a 4-disc set with a DVD of the 1983 In My Mind’s Eye concert) in October 2013.

In August 2013, Tears For Fears released their first newly recorded material in nearly decade, with a cover of Arcade Fire’s “Ready to Start” made available on SoundCloud.

Aeroplane
Curt Smith Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Shut down, tangled up in your machinery
No sound, just the faceless press of words and wheels
Surrounds me like molasses on my soles and eaves
Come out, could anyone come out and play?

All I want is an aeroplane
Rubber banded with paper wings
All I want is to steal again

All I want is a wet dream, ice-cream
All I want is vanishing
All I want is God

Pushed down by an undeserving dumb man
No ground, just an empty room of words and steel
Why be down, drowning in the afternoon
Come out, could anyone come out and play?

All I want is an aeroplane
Rubber banded with paper wings
All I want is to steal again
All I want is a wet dream, ice-cream
All I want is vanishing
All I want is God

Come out, could anyone come out and play?

All I want is an aeroplane
Rubber banded with paper wings
All I want is to steal again
All I want is a wet dream, ice-cream
All I want is vanishing

All I want is an afterglow
A forty-five on my gramophone
All I want is a thick skin to crawl into

Everything's vanishing
All I want is God

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Curt Smith's song "Aeroplane" describe a sense of being trapped and suffocated by the overwhelming pressures and responsibilities of modern society. The opening lines, "Shut down, tangled up in your machinery / No sound, just the faceless press of words and wheels," suggest a feeling of helplessness and isolation. The singer feels stuck in a world that is moving too fast and is struggling to find a way out.

The singer's desire for escape is symbolized by his longing for an aeroplane, "Rubber banded with paper wings," which represents the freedom of being able to soar above the mundane problems of everyday life. The repeated refrain of "All I want is..." emphasizes the simplicity of the singer's desires and the stark contrast between his current situation and the ideal world he is yearning for.

The song's final lines, "All I want is an afterglow / A forty-five on my gramophone / All I want is a thick skin to crawl into / Everything's vanishing / All I want is God," suggest that the singer's longing for escape is also a longing for deeper meaning and spiritual connection. The singer is searching for something that goes beyond the material world and the superficial pleasures it offers.

Line by Line Meaning

Shut down, tangled up in your machinery
Feeling paralyzed and caught in a complex situation you don't know how to get out of.

No sound, just the faceless press of words and wheels
Feeling overwhelmed and suffocated by the constant noise and demands of life.

Surrounds me like molasses on my soles and eaves
Feeling trapped and unable to move forward, as if stuck in slow-moving sticky substance.

Come out, could anyone come out and play?
Craving for human interaction and connection, hoping someone will spend time with you.

All I want is an aeroplane
Longing for the freedom to escape and soar above your problems.

Rubber banded with paper wings
Wanting to use simple, makeshift materials to fuel your escape.

All I want is to steal again
Yearning for the thrill of doing something forbidden or exciting, to feel alive again.

All I want is a wet dream, ice-cream
Craving for pleasure and indulgence, both physical and emotional.

All I want is vanishing
Wishing for life's noise and demands to disappear, to have peace and quiet.

All I want is God
Seeking spiritual fulfillment and guidance in a time of uncertainty and confusion.

Pushed down by an undeserving dumb man
Feeling oppressed by someone who doesn't appreciate or understand you.

No ground, just an empty room of words and steel
Feeling lost and unsupported, in a cold and unforgiving environment.

Why be down, drowning in the afternoon
Questioning the point of feeling sad and defeated during daytime, when you should feel energized and productive.

Come out, could anyone come out and play?
Repeating the hope for human connection and companionship, to alleviate the feeling of loneliness.

All I want is an afterglow
Desiring the warm and comforting feeling that comes after a pleasant experience, to hold onto its memory.

A forty-five on my gramophone
Longing for the simplicity and nostalgia of old-fashioned music and entertainment.

All I want is a thick skin to crawl into
Wishing to hide and protect yourself from the world, to feel safe and secure.

Everything's vanishing
Feeling like everything important and meaningful is disappearing, leaving you with nothing.

All I want is God
Repeating the search for spiritual fulfillment and guidance, as a way to cope with the uncertainty and pain of life.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHARLTON CLAY PETTUS, CURT SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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