Pale Shelter
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| “Pale Shelter” | |||||||||||||||||
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1983 re-release
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| Single by Tears for Fears from the album The Hurting |
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| B-side | "The Prisoner" (1982) "We Are Broken" (1983) |
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| Released | March 1982 April 18, 1983 September 2, 1985 |
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| Format | 7", 12" | ||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1982 | ||||||||||||||||
| Genre | New Wave | ||||||||||||||||
| Length | various | ||||||||||||||||
| Label | Mercury | ||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Roland Orzabal | ||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Mike Howlett (1982) Chris Hughes, Ross Cullum (1983) |
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| Tears for Fears singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||
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"Pale Shelter" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was originally the band's second single release in early 1982 - called at that time "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)" - but would not find chart success until a reissue (with a different mix) the following year. It eventually became the third hit taken from their debut LP The Hurting (1983) and third UK Top 5 chart hit, peaking at number 5. Similar to the previous two singles, the song also reached the Top 40 in several other countries.
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[edit] Background
One of Tears for Fears' oldest songs, "Pale Shelter" (along with "Suffer the Children") was originally recorded for the duo's first demo tape in 1981. The title of the song is a reference to "Pale Shelter Scene", a 1941 drawing by British sculptor Henry Moore.
Sometimes I can't finish a song but I've learned to leave it alone for a couple of weeks in such cases. For instance, for our second single 'Pale Shelter' I kept playing two chords for weeks and weeks, then one morning I woke up and sang the tune and the words, just like that. Then another day I was flicking through an art book and came across 'Pale Shelter' by Henry Moore, so that wrapped up everything nicely.
—Roland Orzabal
[edit] Meaning
It's a kind of a love song, though more referring to one's parents than to a girl.
—Roland Orzabal
[edit] Releases
Shortly after signing a contract with Mercury Records, a Mike Howlett produced version of the song became the band's second single release. While it gained some club play, the single was ultimately a failure in the UK charts. In 1983, after the left-field success of singles "Mad World" and "Change", "Pale Shelter" was given another shot as a single to promote the recently released LP The Hurting. To provide a chart push the second time around, Mercury took full advantage of the picture disc and coloured vinyl gimmicks that were popular throughout the 1970's and early 1980's. In all, eleven different variations of the reissued single were available for purchase. Aided by this and the duo's coinciding British concerts (at many of which the song was played twice), the single finally became a chart success.
In 1985, following up on the massive success of the band's second LP Songs from the Big Chair, Mercury reissued the original mix as a single, complete with a new picture sleeve. The release was a modest success, denting the UK Top 75.
[edit] Song versions
There are two distinct recordings of "Pale Shelter": the original single version produced by Mike Howlett (subtitled "You Don't Give Me Love"), and the album re-recording produced by Chris Hughes and Ross Cullum, which itself was later released as a single. Both versions open with a sample played in reverse; on the original, it is an extra lyric spoken by Orzabal, while on the album cut, it is a brief piano lick. Likewise, there are two distinct 12" extended mixes of the song.
The oddity known as the 'Canadian Single Version' was released in 1983 to promote The Hurting in Canada. Instead of using the Hughes/Cullum recording found on the album itself, the record company instead released a unique edit of the original Mike Howlett- produced extended version.
[edit] B-sides
"The Prisoner", which backs the first "Pale Shelter" release, is an early version of the song that would later appear on the duo's debut LP The Hurting.
"We Are Broken", which backs the reissue, is an earlier version of the song "Broken", which would later appear on Tears for Fears' second album Songs from the Big Chair.
[edit] Music video
The promotional clip for "Pale Shelter" was filmed in early 1983 in Los Angeles, California, USA. The video is notable for a scene in which Orzabal and Smith walk headfirst into a sea of flying paper airplanes, with one of them hitting Orzabal directly in the eye. This was the second Tears for Fears clip directed by music video pioneer Steve Barron, following "Mad World".
[edit] Track listings
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[edit] Picture sleeves
 Original 1982 Release |
 1983 Reissue |
 1983 Reissue |
 1985 Reissue |
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
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| 1982 | UK Singles Chart | #193 |
| 1983 | UK Singles Chart | #5 |
| 1983 | Canadian Singles Chart | #15 |
| 1983 | German Singles Chart | #25 |
| 1983 | Irish Singles Chart | #5 |
| 1985 | UK Singles Chart | #73 |
[edit] Other appearances
"Pale Shelter" has been covered by the following artists:
- German electropop act Codename Sugar, on his album Losing It (2003).
- British indie artist Flo, on her album Travelling Light (2006).
In addition, Tears for Fears bassist Curt Smith included a reworking of the song on his solo EP Aeroplane (2000).
The song is featured in the 2002 PlayStation 2 videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as part of the playlist of new wave radio station Wave 103.
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