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.
Jasmine's Taste
Curt Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For what it's worth
Jasmine's taste grows deeper than the ocean or her dreams
For what it's worth
Volatile she wants your fear
She's old, old before her years
For what that's worth
Jasmine's taste backfires if you refuse to play those games
For all they're worth
Insecure she feeds her thoughts and needs
With images and dreams
Take me up
Take me up to your heaven
And shower me with your light
Take me down
Take me down to your torment
Uncover me with your fire
Jasmine's taste can stretch beyond the depths of your desire
To your dismay
Jasmine's taste delights in all the intricate designs
of disarray
Take me up
Take me up to your heaven
And shower me with your light
Take me down
Take me down to your torment
Uncover me with your fire
Time will only push her strengths
To extraordinary lengths
She'll trade secure for misery
And innocence for ecstasy
She sees herself and cries
Take me up
Take me up to your heaven
And shower me with your light
Take me down
Take me down to your torment
Uncover me with your fire
(repeat)
The lyrics to Curt Smith's song "Jasmine's Taste" convey a complex mixture of desire and danger. The repeated phrase "Jasmine's taste grows deeper than the ocean or her dreams" suggests that the singer's attraction to Jasmine is an all-consuming experience that rivals the depths of human emotion and imagination. However, the lyric "volatile she wants your fear" hints at Jasmine's darker, destructive tendencies. This is bolstered by the later refrain "Jasmine's taste conspires to dignify her harmful ways", suggesting that the singer is drawn in by Jasmine's sinister allure despite the potential for harm.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of Jasmine's power over the singer. The phrase "Jasmine's taste backfires if you refuse to play those games" suggests that her influence is volatile and that refusing to engage with her could have negative consequences. The repetition of the lines "take me up" and "take me down", accompanied by references to heaven and torment, further underscores the idea that Jasmine is capable of guiding the singer through both pleasure and pain.
Overall, "Jasmine's Taste" is a haunting portrayal of the intoxicating yet dangerous nature of certain kinds of relationships. It suggests that sometimes we are drawn to people who are ultimately bad for us, and that the allure of someone like Jasmine can lead us down a path of self-destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Jasmine's taste grows deeper than the ocean or her dreams
For what it's worth
Jasmine's preferences are profound, beyond what the world owes her, and even more than she can ever imagine.
Volatile she wants your fear
She's old, old before her years
Jasmine is unstable and is purposefully looking for ways to scare you while also appearing older than she is.
Jasmine's taste conspires to dignify her harmful ways
For what that's worth
Jasmine's taste backfires if you refuse to play those games
For all they're worth
Jasmine's choices allow her to behave badly, but only as an attempt to make herself look good. If you won't play along, then her whole plan falls apart.
Insecure she feeds her thoughts and needs
With images and dreams
Jasmine is unconfident and has to rely on pictures and fantasies in order to feed her emotional needs.
Take me up
Take me up to your heaven
And shower me with your light
Take me down
Take me down to your torment
Uncover me with your fire
Jasmine wants to feel every experience, whether it be a wonderful sensation or a terrible one, completely and passionately.
Jasmine's taste can stretch beyond the depths of your desire
To your dismay
Jasmine's taste delights in all the intricate designs
of disarray
Jasmine's preferences can go even farther than what you can imagine, and it might surprise and trouble you. She finds beauty in chaos and disorder.
Time will only push her strengths
To extraordinary lengths
She'll trade secure for misery
And innocence for ecstasy
She sees herself and cries
As time passes, Jasmine's unique abilities will grow to become something extraordinary, but she will do so at the expense of her own security and morals. She knows it's happening and it hurts her.
Contributed by Jason W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jehanleroy
Very good, and so under-rated ........
@TheEarlymtv
curt is the greatest singer
@muhammudghulaamyaseen865
This album I wore the CD out.
@watcherfromtheskies
Why are you showing photos of Orzabal for this solo project of Curt?
@muhammudghulaamyaseen865
Why not it still has curt in the pics