 Tears for Fears is best-known for its unique blend of synth-pop that transcended the typical ear candy generally released in the genre, and offered deeper, more mature productions, rife with psychoanalytical questions. Tears For Fears quickly signed with Mercury and after a bit of experimentation, hit it big with their synth-pop single, "Mad World," which charted at No. 3 in the United Kingdom in 1983. Their No. 1 album, The Hurting, followed soon after. The pair drew a heavy fan base with their snappy tunes and their teen-idol looks, and the gold discs began to pour in. At the same time, however, Tears for Fears was also becoming known for lyrics and interviews that bordered on psychobabble. Even their videos showcased some of that rumored pretension, with featured existential images of windows, boats, and swarms of paper airplanes and killer bees. In 1985, the band reappeared with a single called "Shout," which reached the U.K. Top 5. Their second album, Songs From the Big Chair, hit the music scene later that year, and quickly sold eight million copies. The album is known today as one of the biggest blockbusters on the then-new CD format. After a successful international support tour, the band disappeared for awhile and began work on a third album. During this process, several producers joined -- and left -- the band, and rumors of an impending split began to circulate. But three years later, The Seeds Of Love appeared in a storm of publicity and high expectations. The effort quickly shot to the top of the British charts, but it fell just as rapidly, and lost money. To add to the band's misery, Smith decided to call it quits, and left the band, although a retrospective album called Tears Roll Down was released with his voice in 1992.
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