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.
Words
Curt Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My inner world of reason looks
To try to feel or touch the things you see
With a face and voice so serious
Words so detached in spite of us
You over justify how you feel
You've long rehearsed this circumstance
Words don't say enough
Silence is your best defense
Words don't say enough
So many years the time has flown
The ups and downs the world we've grown
Accustomed to
Has given us our share
But I never thought we'd come to this
When face to face we can't exist
There's no use trying to find what's not there
You think you've had the final say
But that was over yesterday
Words don't say enough
Words come cheap so don't explain
Words don't say enough
Speak the language of love
Tell it straight from your heart
Take a chance and open up
Let the message ring clear
You've got nothing to fear
Tell it like it is
Open up your heart and mind
Thoughts and feelings realign
You've got yours and I've got mine
Enough's enough, enough's enough
Enough's enough
So take a chance and open up
Speak the language of love
Tell it straight from your heart
Take a chance and open up
Let the message ring clear
You've got nothing to fear
Tell it like it is
Open up your heart and mind
Thoughts and feelings realign
You've got yours and I've got mine
Word's don't say enough
What is wrong with your life
Take a look down deep inside
Love is going back in time
Words don't say enough
To TV screens and complex books
My inner world of reason looks
With a face and voice o serious
You over justify how you feel
The song "Words" by Curt Smith highlights the inefficiency of words in conveying emotions and thoughts. The song starts with the singer looking to his inner self for understanding the things people see on TV screens and talk about in complex books. He acknowledges that words fall short in expressing the feelings and experiences of people. The song then takes a turn towards a relationship where the singer feels that the other person justifies his/her feelings without truly expressing them through words. The singer feels that the other person uses words in a detached manner and silence is their best defense, indicating that avoidance or not talking about the things that matter to them has become a habit.
The chorus emphasizes the idea that words don't say enough and that it is necessary to speak the language of love, to convey feelings and thoughts honestly and fearlessly. The final verse urges the listener to take a look down deep inside and go back in time with love, signifying that honesty and true understanding of each other are the keys to maintaining healthy relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
To TV screens and complex books
I turn to media and literature to find solace
My inner world of reason looks
I rely on intellectual analysis to make sense of my emotions
To try to feel or touch the things you see
I struggle to connect with the world in the same way as others do
With a face and voice so serious
Your stern words give me a sense of your true feelings
Words so detached in spite of us
You use language to distance yourself from our shared emotions
You over justify how you feel
You over explain your feelings to avoid vulnerability
And every line makes perfect sense
Your words are logical, but lack emotion
You've long rehearsed this circumstance
You have prepared for this moment, but are holding back
Words don't say enough
Language fails to fully express our emotions
Silence is your best defense
Your silence is a more powerful tool for self-protection
So many years the time has flown
We have spent many years together, and time has passed quickly
The ups and downs the world we've grown
Our experiences together have shaped us over time
Accustomed to
We have grown used to the hardships we have faced
Has given us our share
We have experienced our fair share of difficulty
But I never thought we'd come to this
Despite our struggles, I did not expect us to fall apart
When face to face we can't exist
We cannot be in each other's presence without conflict
There's no use trying to find what's not there
We should stop searching for a connection that is no longer present
You think you've had the final say
You believe that your viewpoint is the last word on the matter
But that was over yesterday
Your opinion is irrelevant now, as the moment has passed
Words come cheap so don't explain
Verbal explanations are not valuable without genuine emotion
Speak the language of love
Express your feelings through actions, not just words
Tell it straight from your heart
Be honest and authentic in your expressions of emotion
Take a chance and open up
Be vulnerable and take a risk to deepen our connection
Let the message ring clear
Make sure your intentions are unmistakable
You've got nothing to fear
Being honest and genuine will not harm you
Tell it like it is
Be direct and truthful in your communication
Open up your heart and mind
Allow yourself to be vulnerable and consider new ideas
Thoughts and feelings realign
By sharing our emotions, we can come to a better understanding of each other
You've got yours and I've got mine
We have different experiences and opinions, but can still connect
Enough's enough, enough's enough
We should stop repeating the same mistakes
So take a chance and open up
Make an effort to change our communication patterns
What is wrong with your life
What is causing you pain and limiting your happiness
Take a look down deep inside
Reflect on your emotions and motivations
Love is going back in time
Remember the love we once shared
Words don't say enough
Language cannot fully capture the depth of our emotions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: PATRICK RICHARD MASCALL, ALEX JAMES SMITH, CONNOR BALL, TRISTAN EVANS, JAMES MCVEY, BRADLEY SIMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind