Shout (Tears for Fears song)
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| “Shout” | |||||
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| Single by Tears for Fears from the album Songs from the Big Chair |
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| B-side | "The Big Chair" | ||||
| Released | November 26, 1984 (UK) June 4, 1985 (USA) |
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| Format | 7", 12" | ||||
| Recorded | 1984 | ||||
| Genre | New Wave | ||||
| Length | 6:33 (album version) 5:53 (UK single version) 3:59 (US single version) |
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| Label | Mercury | ||||
| Writer(s) | Roland Orzabal Ian Stanley |
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| Producer | Chris Hughes | ||||
| Tears for Fears singles chronology | |||||
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"Shout" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal (with Curt Smith duetting on the chorus), it was the band's eighth single release (the second taken from their second LP Songs from the Big Chair (1985) and sixth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at #4 in January 1985. In the USA, it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 3, 1985 and remained there for three weeks. A smash hit, "Shout" would become one of the most successful pop songs of 1985, eventually reaching the Top Ten in 25 countries.
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[edit] Background
While Tears for Fears' previous single "Mothers Talk" had showcased a new, more extroverted songwriting style, "Shout" was an unexpected synth-rock anthem, complete with power chords, heavy percussion, and female backing vocals. The song even features a lengthy guitar solo, something previously unheard of in Tears for Fears' music.
The song was written in my front room on just a small synthesizer and a drum machine. Initially I only had the chorus, which was very repetitive, like a mantra. I played it to Ian Stanley, our keyboardist, and Chris Hughes, the producer. I saw it as a good album track, but they were convinced it would be a hit around the world.
—Roland Orzabal
We were halfway through recording 'Mothers Talk' when Roland first played us a rough version of a new song he'd been working on. It was then very slow and very simple. I remember saying "this is so simple it should take about five minutes to record." Weeks later... We were halfway through recording 'Shout' when Roland had a birthday party. That evening I asked the four of them separately if they had any thoughts about sleeve notes for the record. Roland said "White text on black paper and say something about arguably the best offering yet." Curt said "You're probably the best person to make up some off the wall irrelevant drivel." Ian said "I don't like them, I'm not interested." Manny said "Did you know I used to play drums for 'Rocky Ricketts and The Jet Pilots of Jive?"
—Chris Hughes, from the "Shout" single sleeve notes
[edit] Meanings
A lot of people think that 'Shout' is just another song about primal scream theory, continuing the themes of the first album. It is actually more concerned with political protest. It came out in 1984 when a lot of people were still worried about the aftermath of The Cold War and it was basically an encouragement to protest.
—Roland Orzabal
It concerns protest inasmuch as it encourages people not to do things without actually questioning them. People act without thinking because that's just the way things go in society. So it's a general song, about the way the public accepts any old grief which is thrown at them.
—Curt Smith
[edit] Song versions
"Shout" is by far the most abundantly remixed song in the Tears for Fears catalog, with at least fifteen different versions of it having been officially released under the band's name.
As was commonplace during the 1980's, the original 12" vinyl single release featured an extended remix of the song. Three remixes by collaborators Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero later appeared on American releases of the single, including dub and a cappella versions. More recently, remixes have been done by notable DJs such as Jakatta, Fergie, Skylark and Beatchuggers.
In addition to the twelve-inch mixes, "Shout" also appeared in three different 7" versions. The original single version released in the UK and much of the rest of the world clocks in at 5:53 and is the same mix of the song found on the Songs from the Big Chair LP, albeit in an edited form. The version released in Germany and Japan is 4:51 in length and fades out during the guitar solo. Meanwhile, the final version released in America is specifically tailored for radio play at a concise 3:59 in length, featuring edits to the chorus and instrumental sections.
[edit] Release variations
In addition to the standard 7" and 12" releases, the "Shout" single was issued in two collectible formats in the UK: a limited edition 10" single and a 7" boxed pack featuring a 1985 Tears for Fears calendar. A similar limited edition 7" pack was released in Canada, this one featuring a 12-page booklet of band photos. In 1988, "Shout" was reissued on the short-lived CD Video format. The disc included two mixes of the title track, a remix of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", and the "Shout" music video.
[edit] B-side
"The Big Chair" is an instrumental that served as the b-side to the "Shout" single. The only lyrics are dialogue samples from the movie Sybil, from which the song (and the album Songs from the Big Chair) takes its name. This is one of the few songs in the Tears for Fears catalogue on which founding member Curt Smith shares a writing credit. The song has since been included in the b-sides and rarities collection Saturnine Martial & Lunatic as well as the remastered and deluxe edition reissues of Songs from the Big Chair.
This track was very much inspired by the film Sybil about a woman suffering from multiple personalities undergoing psychotherapy. The big chair in her therapist's office is the place Sybil feels safest to recount the horrors of her childhood.
—Roland Orzabal
[edit] Music video
The promotional clip for "Shout", filmed in late 1984, was the second Tears for Fears clip directed by famed music video producer Nigel Dick. It features footage of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith at Durdle Door in Dorset, England, as well as a studio jam with the full band (including Ian Stanley and Manny Elias) performing the song amidst a crowd of family and friends. The video reportedly cost only £14,000 to produce. Along with the clip for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", the "Shout" video had a big hand in helping break Tears for Fears in America, due to its heavy airplay on music video pioneer MTV. Ironically, the band had at one time considered making a second video for the song's American single release, as the original was not considered MTV friendly.
[edit] Track listings
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[edit] Chart positions
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[edit] Cover versions
"Shout" has been covered by the following artists:
- American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde, on their single "Mexican Moon" (1994).
- German death metal band Atrocity, on their album Werk 80 (1997).
- American pop act Sweetbox, on their self-titled debut album (1998).
- Australian gothic rock band One, on their album Walk the Mercy Mile (1999).
- German power metal band At Vance, on their album No Escape (1999).
- American alternative rock band Fixture, on their album ((Audio)) (2000).
- British gothic rock band Rosetta Stone, on their album Unerotica: Reformatted Eighties Audio (2000).
- American hard rock band Disturbed, on their debut album The Sickness (2000), under the title "Shout 2000".
- Danish synthpop band Portland, on their single "Stalking and Free" (2005).
- American hard rock band Saliva(band) has been known to cover portions of the song at live shows.
Joan Baez and the Neville Brothers performed the song during the Conspiracy of Hope tour to support Amnesty International in June 1986.
In addition, "Shout" was sampled by American gospel/hip hop artist Kirk Franklin in his song "Let It Go", from the album Hero (2005). The song was also sampled for Girl Talk's remix of the Grizzly Bear song "Knife", along with the Clipse song "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)". [2]
[edit] Popular culture
In 2002, "Shout" was referenced in the title of a two-part episode of Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, a series known for naming many episodes after 1980's hit songs.
In 2007, the song was featured in an episode of the USA Network television dramedy Psych (titled "American Duos"), in which the two main characters perform it on stage in a spoof of American Idol.
[edit] References
| Preceded by "Everytime You Go Away" by Paul Young |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single August 3, 1985–August 17, 1985 |
Succeeded by "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & The News |
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