Tears For Fears The Hurting (1983: Mercury)

1. "The Hurting" - 4:20
2. "Mad World" - 3:35
3. "Pale Shelter" - 4:34
4. "Ideas as Opiates" - 3:46
5. "Memories Fade" - 5:08
6. "Suffer the Children" - 3:53
7. "Watch Me Bleed" - 4:18
8. "Change" - 4:15
9. "The Prisoner" - 2:55
10. "Start of the Breakdown" - 5:00

While reviewing a recent album by a band called White Lies, Amy encountered a scathing criticism posted on Pitchfork. White Lies was accused of committing the sin of placing serious and difficult lyrics in a fun pop song. And yet this particular sin is the reason anyone has ever heard of 80s pop rock sensation Tears for Fears. I could cite songs like "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," "Sowing the Seeds of Love," and "Woman in Chains," as fantastic successes that do exactly this, or I could just cite the entirety of the 1983 album The Hurting.

The Hurting features young musicians Curt Smith and Roland Orzabel wailing sincerely about the difficulties of youth as filtered by the writings of psychologist Arthur Janov. Some musicians will write a song here and there addressing some difficult topic much like Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun" addresses child molestation and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" addresses a culture of war and political control. Some will even devote an entire album to one idea. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon is the first example that comes to mind, as it addresses the descent into insanity of former member Syd Barrett. But The Hurting is the first such album I encountered that offered a way toward better health and well-being. I think the 1985 song "Shout" simplifies and sums up the primal scream theories of The Hurting with the simple chorus, "Shout! Shout! Let it all out! These are the things I can do without."

Albums like The Hurting and Songs From the Big Chair define and summarize a great deal of the musical trends of the '80s. The Hurting is probably my favorite album of the decade.