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.
No One Knows Your Name
Curt Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And then in time, in time it seems like I got to
the heart of you
And inside my mind I could entertain
Almost anything you could throw at me
But does it feel like now one knows your name?
Somewhere, sometime you believe there's a price we pay
back your way
And nothing ever changes, no
It feels like no one knows your name
It feels like no one knows your name
Out of the doorway, into the darkness
I walk slowly out of danger
Nothing ever changes
Down in the basemen, I store the memories
Of a childhood spent alone
Nothing ever changes, no
It feels like no one knows your name
It feels like no one knows your name
Sometimes, it feels that I can't get enough of you
It takes a long time to make this work
I know for sure my mind stays bright with you
It takes a long time to make this work
And nothing ever changes, no
It feels like no one knows your name
It feels like nothing ever changed
The lyrics to Curt Smith’s song “No One Knows Your Name” are introspective and melancholic, dealing with themes of loneliness and isolation. The first verse, “Somewhere, sometime I became a part of you, And then in time, in time it seems like I got to the heart of you, And inside my mind I could entertain, Almost anything you could throw at me, But does it feel like no one knows your name?”, suggests a deep connection between the singer and another person, but at the same time, the latter feels neglected and unseen. The singer, although able to entertain and understand the other person, feels like they cannot fully connect with them. The second verse continues this theme with “Somewhere, sometime you believe there's a price we pay, For anger in mind, in time it will always come back your way, And nothing ever changes, no”, pointing to a sense of learned helplessness or hopelessness.
The chorus, “It feels like no one knows your name, It feels like nothing ever changed”, repeats this feeling of being unnoticed and unimportant. The final verse, “Out of the doorway, into the darkness, I walk slowly out of danger, Nothing ever changes, Down in the basement, I store the memories, Of a childhood spent alone, Nothing ever changes, no”, reveals a possible reason for the singer’s deep-seated feelings of loneliness. The memories of a childhood spent alone still haunt them, despite the connection they have with another person mentioned earlier in the song. Overall, the lyrics express a sense of longing and dissatisfaction with the status quo, and a desire for things to change.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere, sometime I became a part of you
At some point in our relationship, I became an integral part of your life
And then in time, in time it seems like I got to the heart of you
As time passed, it appeared that I was able to truly understand your character
And inside my mind I could entertain Almost anything you could throw at me
I was open-minded and receptive to any ideas or thoughts you shared with me
But does it feel like now one knows your name?
Despite my close relationship with you, do you still feel unrecognized and overlooked by others?
Somewhere, sometime you believe there's a price we pay For anger in mind, in time it will always come back your way
At some point, you came to an understanding that harboring anger will lead to negative consequences
It feels like no one knows your name
You feel as though you are not recognized or acknowledged by others
Out of the doorway, into the darkness I walk slowly out of danger
I am carefully making my way out of a dangerous situation
Nothing ever changes
No matter what happens, nothing seems to improve or move forward
Down in the basement, I store the memories Of a childhood spent alone
I have memories of a lonely childhood that I keep buried in the depths of my mind
Sometimes, it feels that I can't get enough of you
Occasionally, I find myself unable to get enough of your company or presence
It takes a long time to make this work
Building and maintaining our relationship requires a lot of time and effort
And nothing ever changes, no
Sadly, no matter how hard we try, it seems like nothing ever truly progresses or improves
It feels like no one knows your name
You continue to feel as though your identity and presence go unnoticed
It feels like nothing ever changed
Despite our best efforts, it seems like everything remains stagnant and unimproved
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: COLIN WOORE, CURT SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tatiane Nepomuceno
Lyric:
Somewhere, sometime I became a part of you
And then in time, in time it seems like I got to
the heart of you
And inside my mind I could entertain
Almost anything you could throw at me
But does it feel like now one knows your name?
Somewhere, sometime you believe there's a price we pay
For anger in mind, in time it will always come
back your way
And nothing ever changes, no
It feels like no one knows your name
It feels like no one knows your name
Out of the doorway, into the darkness
I walk slowly out of danger
Nothing ever changes
Down in the basemen, I store the memories
Of a childhood spent alone
Nothing ever changes, no
It feels like no one knows your name
It feels like no one knows your name
Sometimes, it feels that I can't get enough of you
It takes a long time to make this work
I know for sure my mind stays bright with you
It takes a long time to make this work
And nothing ever changes, no
It feels like no one knows your name
It feels like nothing ever changed
Letra:
Em algum lugar, em algum momento eu me tornei parte de você
E então com o tempo,
com o tempo parece que eu tenho que o coração de você E dentro da minha mente eu poderia entreter
Quase qualquer coisa que você poderia jogar em mim
Mas parece que agora alguém sabe seu nome?
Em algum lugar,
em algum momento você acredita que há um preço que pagamos
Para a raiva em mente,
com o tempo ela sempre virá de volta ao seu caminho
E nada nunca muda, não
Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Fora da porta, na escuridão Eu ando devagar fora do perigo
Nada nunca muda
No porão, guardo as memórias
De uma infância passada sozinha
Nada nunca muda, não
Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Às vezes, parece que não consigo ter o suficiente de você
Leva muito tempo para fazer isso funcionar
Eu sei com certeza minha mente fica brilhante com você Leva muito tempo para fazer isso funcionar
E nada nunca muda, não Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Parece que nada mudou
Volt7 Cool Tangs
Just love this track and the whole Soul on Board album. Beautiful songs and voice. Just massively overlooked and underrated.
Deserves more recognition.
Pat Gibbs
I couldn’t agree more! I ‘ve always loved this song.
Cynthia Frascari
I agree!!!!!!
Fernando Brito de Moura
Voz que vai na alma
AJ Vindiesel
Great singer, great songwriter. Shame not enough people heard this album, it was great.
Tatiane Nepomuceno
Lyric:
Somewhere, sometime I became a part of you
And then in time, in time it seems like I got to
the heart of you
And inside my mind I could entertain
Almost anything you could throw at me
But does it feel like now one knows your name?
Somewhere, sometime you believe there's a price we pay
For anger in mind, in time it will always come
back your way
And nothing ever changes, no
It feels like no one knows your name
It feels like no one knows your name
Out of the doorway, into the darkness
I walk slowly out of danger
Nothing ever changes
Down in the basemen, I store the memories
Of a childhood spent alone
Nothing ever changes, no
It feels like no one knows your name
It feels like no one knows your name
Sometimes, it feels that I can't get enough of you
It takes a long time to make this work
I know for sure my mind stays bright with you
It takes a long time to make this work
And nothing ever changes, no
It feels like no one knows your name
It feels like nothing ever changed
Letra:
Em algum lugar, em algum momento eu me tornei parte de você
E então com o tempo,
com o tempo parece que eu tenho que o coração de você E dentro da minha mente eu poderia entreter
Quase qualquer coisa que você poderia jogar em mim
Mas parece que agora alguém sabe seu nome?
Em algum lugar,
em algum momento você acredita que há um preço que pagamos
Para a raiva em mente,
com o tempo ela sempre virá de volta ao seu caminho
E nada nunca muda, não
Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Fora da porta, na escuridão Eu ando devagar fora do perigo
Nada nunca muda
No porão, guardo as memórias
De uma infância passada sozinha
Nada nunca muda, não
Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Às vezes, parece que não consigo ter o suficiente de você
Leva muito tempo para fazer isso funcionar
Eu sei com certeza minha mente fica brilhante com você Leva muito tempo para fazer isso funcionar
E nada nunca muda, não Parece que ninguém sabe seu nome
Parece que nada mudou
Carlos Alen duran
Curt is a beautiful soul and fantastic musician
Gil Silva
Top!!!!!!!!!! Curt the best!!!!!!
edmondo bruschi
Bellissima voce
TJ Sanson
Love this!!!