Boom Daily 80's Throwback- Tears for Fears "Shout"

Way back in 1985 there was one song that sat atop Billboard's Hot 100 for nearly the whole month of August. Nope, it wasn't by Madonna, Prince, Huey Lewis & the News or any of the other acts that were completely dominating music at the time. Instead, Tears for Fears found themselves sitting in the top spot with "Shout", a song that went a little deeper than many thought. At the time of its release both Tears for Fears vocalists were quick to offer up an explanation of what "Shout" was really about.

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

80's music buffs will remember hat this was the first in a series of tracks that made Tears for Fears a musical force to be reckoned with.