The duo's first taste of success was in late 1982 when their third single, "Mad World" reached #3 in the UK. Further hits followed, and the band's debut album The Hurting reached number one in the UK. The band's second album, 1985's Songs From The Big Chair, was even more successful, spawning five UK Top 30 singles including the #4 hit "Shout" and #2 hit "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". Both singles reached number one in the US, as did the album which went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. After a four year hiatus from the spotlight, the duo returned in 1989 with their third album, The Seeds of Love which also reached number one in the UK, propelled by the hit single "Sowing the Seeds of Love" which was a Top 5 hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
Despite their global success, Orzabal and Smith parted company in the early 1990s. Orzabal built his own recording studio, Neptune's Kitchen, and kept the band name, releasing two further Tears For Fears albums (1993's Elemental and 1995's Raoul and the Kings of Spain). He released one album under his own name, 2001's Tomcats Screaming Outside, as he and Smith had reconciled by that point and were working on a new Tears For Fears album together (2004's Everybody Loves a Happy Ending).
Orzabal has also worked as a songwriter and producer for other artists. He co-produced the successful 1990 album Circle Of One for the American singer/pianist Oleta Adams, also co-writing a track for the album. Adams had performed on Tears For Fears' 1989 album The Seeds of Love and had toured with the band in 1990. In 1999, Orzabal co-produced the album Love In The Time Of Science for the Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini, also co-writing two tracks.
Orzabal is a two-time Ivor Novello Award winner for his songwriting talents. His first award (for "Songwriter of the Year") was in 1986, a year after the release of Tears For Fears' massive selling album Songs From The Big Chair for which he wrote or co-wrote each track. He garnered a second award in 2004 for writer of the "Best Selling UK Song of 2003", after a cover of "Mad World" by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules became a UK number one (the song was Tears For Fears' first hit single in 1982 when it peaked at #3 in the UK).
Tears For Fears has been touring internationally on a semi-regular basis. In April 2010, they joined the reformed 80s pop group Spandau Ballet on their 7-date tour of Australia and New Zealand, before a 4-date headlining tour of their own in South East Asia (Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and a 17-date tour of the USA. The band, then, continued to perform small scale tours on an annual basis. In 2011 and 2012, they played dates in the US, Japan, South Korea, Manila and South America.
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. 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. In 2014, the track was included on a limited edition 3-track 10" vinyl EP from the band called Ready Boy & Girls?, released exclusively for Record Store Day, which also featured covers of Hot Chip's "Boy From School" and Animal Collective's "My Girls". All three songs were recorded while the band worked on their seventh studio album.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band'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. Deluxe Editions of the band's second album, Songs From The Big Chair, were released on 10 November 2014 including a 6-disc set that features various rarities and two DVDs. On 12 November 2014, Tears for Fears performed "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! TV programme.
Low Life
Roland Orzabal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's Friday night and you've got no steel
You can cry all you like
But the truth still hurts and the hurt still bites
And it all comes down to a very low high
No give, no take
You can't rely on a state of grace
But the pressure's on when the vein gets tight
And it's all because of the cynical times
Low life, low life
No aim, no goal
No guiding light that can take control
You can cry all you like
But you still don't speak to a world outside
And it's all because of the sun in your eyes
Low life, low life
You can have it all but not at all fill that hole
You can make this deal go underground
All the saints are praying hard for your soul
You can buy some wheels and run them down
No aim, no goal
No guiding light that can take control
And it all comes down to a very low life
Low life, low life
The lyrics of "Low Life" by Roland Orzabal depict a person in a state of despair and desperation. The term "low life" refers to a life of poverty, hardship, and difficulty. The first verse of the song talks about the reality of the situation where the person has nothing, not even a weapon to defend themselves. The truth hurts and the pain only bites harder in such a situation. The line "it all comes down to a very low high" signifies that even the highs of this person's life are very low and fleeting.
In the second verse, the song talks about the lack of support and guidance in life with no aim or goal that could provide direction. The person is crying, but nobody listens to them, and they're stuck in a world with no way out. It's because they're blinded by the sun in their eyes and can't see a way forward.
Overall, the song is a bleak reflection of a life that has gone astray, with no hope in sight. The repetition of the words "low life" emphasizes the point that this person is stuck in a life that is taking them nowhere.
Line by Line Meaning
Low life, it's real
The reality is that some individuals live a life deprived of opportunities and privileges.
It's Friday night and you've got no steel
On Friday night, those leading a low life usually have no valuable possession or resource to rely on.
You can cry all you like
But the truth still hurts and the hurt still bites
No matter how much one complains, the reality of living a low life is still painful and scarring.
And it all comes down to a very low high
Despite their struggles, even the most minor successes are celebrated by those living a low life.
No give, no take
You can't rely on a state of grace
Those leading a low life generally can't expect any favors or benevolence from others and don't live in a world of give-and-take.
But the pressure's on when the vein gets tight
And it's all because of the cynical times
Due to the harsh conditions they face, people living a low life are often under immense stress and may become cynical over time.
No aim, no goal
No guiding light that can take control
Individuals living a low life have a neglected sense of purpose and direction.
You can cry all you like
But you still don't speak to a world outside
And it's all because of the sun in your eyes
Despite how hard one may try, living a low life can create a sense of isolation and disconnection from other parts of society.
You can have it all but not at all fill that hole
You can make this deal go underground
All the saints are praying hard for your soul
You can buy some wheels and run them down
There is a persistent void that can't be filled by material possessions or attempts to escape from one's circumstances or influence external factors.
And it all comes down to a very low life
In the end, everything is reduced to a dismal existence for those living a low life.
Low life, low life
The repetition of this phrase reinforces the overall message of the song that living a low life is a cyclical, self-destructive predicament.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Roland Orzabal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
M Mmm
Low life it's real
It's Friday night and you've got no steel
You can cry all you like
But the truth still hurts and the hurt still bites
And it all comes down to a very low high
No give - no take
You can't rely on a state of grace
You can cry all you like
But the pressure's on when the vein gets tight
And it's all because of these cynical times
Low life, low life
No aim -no goal
No guiding light that can take control
You can cry all you like
But you still don't speak to a world outside
And it's all because of the sun in your eyes
Low life, low life
You can have it all but not at all fill that hole
You can make this deal go underground
All the saints are praying hard for your soul
You can buy some wheels and run them down
Felipe Wozniak
Such an underrated album... It´s a masterpiece with a unique atmosphere.
Diego Rositto
i agree. I got this album in cd since released in 2001. Amazing .
Patricia Couture
Agree too. One of the Best album which does exist on this planet ❤
Александр Дедков
This is one of the best tracks in my entire life, Thanks to Roland for his work and for his sincere transmission of feelings through music, this is the best, God bless Roland, I wish him health, happiness, prosperity and all the best, again sincerely Thank you thank you .. .......!
Sandra tansley
oh yes
mark coles
Definitely
Ellaine Marie Paris
the album should be put in streaming services
ESPONET
Absolutely!
Ghost In The Craig
Why isn’t it?!
Ellaine Marie Paris
@Ghost In The Craig idrk about the music industry but i think it's the process and the conditions that you have to agree in order to put it in streaming services ?? and the copyright thing... I think it's kind of a hassle