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.
Mother England
Curt Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Living in a carnival of compromise
All we know
Is decorating flags and choosing sides
Round and round
Accusations fly
Holding ground
In the name of father knows not why
We're still counting pride in lives
All that I know is I
Don't believe in mother England divine
I don't believe imaginary lines
I don't believe in brothers bound by the soil
In the end it's a solitary world
Falling in
Everyone agrees it's suicide
They're off again
It's condemnation time
Still no one seems surprised
All that I know is I
Don't believe in mother England divine
I don't believe imaginary lines
I don't believe in brothers bound by the soil
In the end it's a solitary world
Condemnation time
(I don't believe in mother)
(I don't believe in mother)
I don't believe in mother......
You say that God is on your side
All that I know is I
Don't believe in mother England divine
I don't believe imaginary lines
I don't believe in brothers bound by the soil
In the end it's a solitary world
Don't believe in mother England divine
I don't believe imaginary lines
I don't believe in brothers bound by the soil
In the end it's a solitary world
The lyrics of Curt Smith's song "Mother England" seem to question blind patriotism and nationalism, which often come at the cost of individualism and critical thinking. The carnival-like atmosphere of compromise and accusations mentioned in the first verse creates a sense of aimlessness and detachment from reality, where people are more concerned with symbols like flags and sides than with deeper issues or ideas. The line "In the name of father knows not why" reinforces this idea of blind tradition and inherited beliefs. The chorus then expands on this sentiment by rejecting the notion of divine authority or arbitrary borders, as they only serve to divide people and create false identities.
The second verse adds another layer of critique, suggesting that people are aware of the dangers of conformity and violence, yet they still fall into those patterns due to the pressure of social norms (condemnation time). The repetition of "All that I know is I" throughout the song further emphasizes the personal nature of the lyrics, as if the singer is trying to distance himself from the group mentality and assert his own beliefs. However, the last line "You say that God is on your side" adds an ominous tone, implying that even those who reject nationalism may still be susceptible to dogmatic reasoning or fundamentalism. Overall, "Mother England" is a reflection on the complexities of identity and belonging, and how they can both unite and divide people depending on the context.
Line by Line Meaning
Round we go
We continue to move through life aimlessly.
Living in a carnival of compromise
We constantly compromise our beliefs and values to fit societal norms.
All we know
Is decorating flags and choosing sides
Our focus is on nationalism and picking sides rather than exploring more important issues.
Round and round
Accusations fly
We continue to argue in circles, throwing blame and accusations rather than seeking solutions.
Holding ground
In the name of father knows not why
We stubbornly cling to our beliefs without questioning why we hold them.
We're still counting pride in lives
All that I know is I
Our pride and ego are the most important things to us.
Don't believe in mother England divine
I don't believe that England is superior or divine in any way.
I don't believe imaginary lines
I don't believe in the borders and lines that humans have created.
I don't believe in brothers bound by the soil
I don't believe that people are automatically bonded by their place of birth and nationality.
In the end it's a solitary world
Ultimately, we are all alone in the world.
Falling in
Everyone agrees it's suicide
We continue to make choices that harm us, even though we all know it's not a good idea.
They're off again
It's condemnation time
We are quick to point fingers and condemn others for their choices.
Still no one seems surprised
All that I know is I
Despite our self-destructive behaviors and condemnation of others, we remain complacent.
You say that God is on your side
Some people justify their beliefs and actions by claiming divine support.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind