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.
Sun King
Curt Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not much to show for so much rage
It makes me smile
You lost it somehow
Solitude was your only choice
Bitterness your only voice
I saw your face
Boy you looked so bad!
You make the earth revolve
You make the camera sing
No conscience can absolve
The Sun King
A small imbalanced vain recluse
You use the planets to excuse
Your costumed smile
Your childish abuse
The gloves are off there are no rules
I'm a regicidal fool
Who'd change your face
But change would just improve
Boy you looked so sad!
You make the earth revolve
You make the camera sing
No conscience can absolve
The Sun King
Here comes the rain
To test our will
Here comes the rain
To cleanse again
You make the earth revolve
You make the camera sing
No conscience can absolve
The Sun King
(repeat)
The lyrics to Curt Smith's song Sun King are full of vivid imagery and metaphors. Though the lyrics may seem ambiguous, the meaning behind the song becomes more apparent with each listen. The first two lines of the song, "The evidence is on the page/Not much to show for so much rage," refers to someone who is filled with anger but has no way of expressing it. The singer is observing this person and is aware of their solitude and bitterness.
As the song progresses, the singer describes this person as a "small imbalanced vain recluse" who uses the planets as an excuse for their behavior. The singer acknowledges that the person has a "costumed smile" and engages in "childish abuse." However, the singer also confesses that they are a "regicidal fool" and would change this person's face if they could.
The chorus repeats the phrase "You make the earth revolve/ You make the camera sing/ No conscience can absolve/ The Sun King." Here, the "Sun King" is metaphorically referring to this person who has so much control that they can make the world revolve and the camera sing. The singer is pointing out this person's power and influence but is also highlighting the fact that their behavior isn't excusable, no matter how powerful they are.
In the final lines of the song, the singer notes that the rain is coming to test and cleanse us. The rain symbolizes a new beginning, a fresh start. The lyrics suggest that even though this person has caused so much damage, there's still hope for redemption and a fresh start.
Line by Line Meaning
The evidence is on the page
The information about the subject is clearly visible or stated
Not much to show for so much rage
Despite expressing a lot of anger, there is not much to showcase as a result
It makes me smile
The situation is amusing or ironic to the singer
You lost it somehow
The subject seems to have lost their way or lost their cool
Solitude was your only choice
The subject had no other option but to live alone or stay away from others
Bitterness your only voice
The subject only spoke in a negative, resentful manner
I saw your face
The singer encountered or experienced the subject personally
The time is talking now
The truth or consequences of the subject's actions are becoming clear with time
Boy you looked so bad!
The artist noticed that the subject looked terrible or was in a bad state
You make the earth revolve
The subject has a significant impact or influence on the world
You make the camera sing
The subject is captivating or photogenic
No conscience can absolve
The subject cannot escape or be forgiven for their wrongdoings
The Sun King
A nickname or label for the subject, representing their power or arrogance
A small imbalanced vain recluse
The subject is a minor, unstable, self-centered hermit
You use the planets to excuse
The subject blames external forces, such as astrology, for their actions or personality
Your costumed smile
The subject wears a fake or insincere smile
Your childish abuse
The subject behaves in an immature or hurtful way
The gloves are off there are no rules
The singer is ready to fight or confront the subject without restrictions
I'm a regicidal fool
The singer is willing to risk everything, even their own downfall, to dethrone or harm the subject
Who'd change your face
The artist wishes to alter the subject's appearance
But change would just improve
The artist believes that any change to the subject would be positive
Boy you looked so sad!
The artist noticed that the subject looked very unhappy or gloomy
Here comes the rain
A difficult or challenging situation is approaching or has arrived
To test our will
The situation will challenge or reveal our determination or resilience
To cleanse again
The situation will wash away or purify previous errors or negativity
Contributed by Nora J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Imallama Too
Wish the audio was better on this one. Glad Curt & Roland are back together, but Curt nails this. I know it was a response to FOOW, but this absolutely rocks.
Imallama Too
Charlton was awesome on this too. I would not have been surprised if Curt took his bass and smashed it against something at the end of the song. 😂
leine mantovani
The audio is not good but you and Charlton are super, Curt!
GimmeRoland
Curt's musical response to Roland's "Fish Out Of Water"
Hta Gama
Yep
TheEarlymtv
this is from 96 browines performance , i use to have this VHS. excellent preformance. but audio is distored..
8th House Angie
Wow Curt! What a diss to Roland. I mean, Sun King?! It's obvious...Roland's a Leo Sun. Even dragging Roland's fascination with astrology. Brutal! Now I love Roland...but this rocks!
Gerald Clark
Ah, the Warwick bass. I love that, but I guess the Hofner's easier to play.
CelesteK
Curt is right though. Roland was very bitter during this time. :( It's sad that they couldn't have resolved their issues at this point. But at the same time it wasn't entirely Roland's fault. Curt had to bare some of the responsibility for what happened between them.
CelesteK
Wow! I don't recognize him. :)