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.
Greatest Divide
Curt Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In his carefree heart filled minefield
Keeps a careful tongue
In his care filled headstrong
I feel like I'm backing down
I'm riding shotgun into
The greatest divide
With nowhere to hide
She's cutting me down the middle
Try to make it stop
Try to break it into pieces
Try to shake it off
I'm broken in completely
I'm taken down
I'm riding shotgun into
The greatest divide
The hardest act to follow
With nowhere to hide
She's cutting me down the middle
The greatest divide
The hardest act to follow
With nowhere to hide
She's cutting me down the middle
The greatest divide
The hardest act to follow
With nowhere to hide
She's cutting me down the middle
In Curt Smith's song Greatest Divide, the lyrics describe a complicated and challenging relationship where the singer is struggling to keep up with their partner. The first stanza describes the partner as having a "careful house" in their "carefree heart filled minefield," implying that the partner is guarded and cautious in their emotions. Similarly, the partner has a "careful tongue" in their "care filled headstrong," indicating that they are deliberate and calculated in their words and actions. The singer feels like they are "backing down" and being taken for a ride, which leads them to ride shotgun into the "greatest divide," or the biggest obstacle in their relationship.
The chorus repeats the phrase "the greatest divide" and emphasizes how difficult it is to follow the partner's lead. The singer feels like they have "nowhere to hide" and that their partner is "cutting [them] down the middle." The second verse continues to describe the singer's struggle to cope with their partner's behavior. They try to "make it stop," "break it into pieces," and "shake it off," but nothing seems to work. The singer feels "broken in completely" and is "taken down" by their partner. The chorus repeats, underscoring the themes of challenge and difficulty in the relationship.
Overall, the lyrics of Greatest Divide depict a relationship that is challenging and emotionally fraught, with the singer struggling to keep up with their partner's guarded and careful behavior. The repeated references to the "greatest divide" suggest that the obstacle between the two parties is significant and difficult to overcome, with the partner consistently "cutting [the singer] down the middle."
Line by Line Meaning
Keeps a careful house
He maintains his external surroundings and environment with great care and attention to detail.
In his carefree heart filled minefield
Inside him, there is a heart that is filled with a lot of emotions, unpredictable and difficult to navigate.
Keeps a careful tongue
He is very aware of what he is saying, and he is careful not to reveal too much about himself.
In his care filled headstrong
His mind is also filled with a lot of thoughts and ideas, and he is determined and resolute.
I feel like I'm backing down
He feels like he is losing control of the situation and is becoming more submissive.
I'm riding shotgun into
He is in a situation where he is not in control, and he is just a silent observer or passenger.
The greatest divide
He is facing a significant and insurmountable challenge or obstacle.
The hardest act to follow
The challenge he faces is so immense that it would be very difficult for anyone else to overcome it.
With nowhere to hide
He is exposed and vulnerable with no way to protect himself or hide from the situation.
She's cutting me down the middle
Someone is hurting him deeply, dividing him emotionally and mentally into two parts.
Try to make it stop
He is trying to put an end to this painful experience.
Try to break it into pieces
He is attempting to dissect and analyze the situation to try to understand it better.
Try to shake it off
He is trying to let go of his feelings, emotions, and pain affecting him.
I'm broken in completely
The situation has caused him to break down entirely and shattered him emotionally.
I'm taken down
He has been brought down by the situation, and it has taken a toll on him.
The greatest divide
He repeats this chorus as a reminder of the immense challenge he is facing.
The hardest act to follow
He repeats this chorus as a reminder of how difficult it is to overcome the obstacle he is facing.
With nowhere to hide
He repeats this chorus as a reminder of how vulnerable he is in this situation.
She's cutting me down the middle
He repeats this chorus as a reminder of the emotional and mental pain he is experiencing from this situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN ALEXANDER SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juliana Soares
Belíssima!!! Grande composição do Curt!
The Phantom Singer
This is one such a gorgeous song. How about you guys play this live? I would love to hear Curt & Roland sing this together!! TFF rules!
Denise Sampaio
Very beautiful, your voice is so beautiful and sweet ❤❤❤❤
ohh
beautiful video
Lothorganik
nice