Tears For Fears Debuts New Track 'Astronaut' and Live Version of 'Head Over Heels'

Iconic British duo Tears For Fears debuts a brand new song “Astronaut” alongside a live version of their hit single “Head Over Heels.” The tracks will appear on the band’s first-ever official live album, Songs For A Nervous Planet, which is set for release on October 25.

The album includes 4 new studio tracks, including "Astronaut” as well as the previously released song “The Girl That I Call Home.”

“‘Astronaut’ started out during the sessions for The Tipping Point,” recalls Curt Smith. “Once we realized that we were going to end up doing more than just one new track for this album, Roland sent me the original recording of ‘Astronaut’ and I had forgotten how good of a song it was as it gives you a sense of release. It’s a horrible comparison but it's the sorbet in between courses where you just can have a little breath and just float away. Forgive the pun but that's the feeling the song has.” 

Smith firthers, “Emotionally it’s about this guy who doesn't feel he belongs here and wants to be an astronaut floating out into space…a lot of people identify with the emotion of that song, that sense of alienation.” 

Along with the album, the duo will present their global fanbase with a stunning concert film shot and recorded at the scenic FirstBank Amphitheater at Graystone Quarry in Franklin, TN, during their sold-out global Tipping Point Tour Part 2. Tears For Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film) will premiere in over 1,100 cinemas worldwide on October 24 and October 26 via Trafalgar Releasing. Tickets for Tears For Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film) are on sale now at tearsforfearsfilm.com. Fans can also watch the first official trailer for the concert film HERE. 

On creating the album and film, Smith shares, “We decided to film the live show last year. I think a lot of people don't know that we are a good live band, actually! They see a duo, and they think it's going to be two people with a couple of keyboards and a bunch of backing tapes, and that'll be it. Over the years, we've vastly improved since our heyday back in the Eighties.” Roland Orzabal adds, “We’ve never released an official live album, so you could say this is an album forty years in the making.”

Across the albums 22 tracks, Songs For A Nervous Planet highlights the bands transcendent live performances as they journey through The Tipping Point Tour setlist and beyond. Along with the live recordings, the album features four new studio tracks: “Say Goodbye To Mum And Dad,” “Emily Said,” “Astronaut” and “The Girl That I Call Home.” These new songs expand on the career-spanning setlist, covering love, isolation, mental health, and escapism. 

Recorded at the same time as the live album, Tears For Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film) features many of the band’s iconic hits including “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” “Shout” and “Sowing The Seeds Of Love”, “Mad World”, “Head Over Heels”, etc. — along with new fan favorites from The Tipping Point — their first album in 17 years. The film artfully spotlights the enduring power of the duo and their excellent touring backing band performing at the continuing creative heights of their 21st century glory. Visit tearsforfearsfilm.com for more information and to sign up for event announcements. 

To celebrate the new album and concert film, Tears For Fears are heading to Fontainebleau Las Vegas for an exclusive three-night live event at BleauLive Theater. The shows will take place on Wednesday, October 30, Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at 8 p.m. Complete with classics from throughout their discography and cuts from their latest album, The Tipping Point, these shows will bring Songs For A Nervous Planet to life onstage. Tickets are available now at tearsforfears.com. 

Songs For A Nervous Planet Tracklist

1. Say Goodbye To Mum And Dad
2. The Girl That I Call Home
3. Emily Said
4. Astronaut
5. No Small Thing (Live)
6. The Tipping Point (Live)
7. Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Live)
8. Secret World (Live)
9. Sowing The Seeds Of Love (Live)
10. Long, Long, Long Time (Live)
11. Break The Man (Live)
12. My Demons (Live)
13. Rivers of Mercy (Live)
14. Mad World (Live)
15. Suffer The Children (Live)
16. Woman In Chains (Live)
17. Bad Man’s Song (Live)
18. Pale Shelter (Live)
19. Break It Down Again (Live)
20. Head Over Heels (Live)
21. Change (Live)
22. Shout (Live)

About Tears For Fears

Tears For Fears - Roland Orzabal (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Curt Smith (vocals, bass, keyboards) formed in Bath, England 1981. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, performing to countless sold-out audiences and winning various awards, the band represent an inimitable intersection of pop palatability, clever and cognisant lyricism, guitar bombast and new wave innovation. 

Their 1983 debut The Hurting yielded anthems such as “Mad World,” “Change,” and “Pale Shelter,” reaching RIAA Gold status in the United States. 1985’s Songs from the Big Chair became a watershed moment for the group and music at large. Boasting the signature BRIT Award-winning “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Shout,” “Head over Heels,” “Mothers Talk” and “I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording),” it went quintuple-platinum and captured #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Slant dubbed it one of, “The Best Albums of the 1980s,” it was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and Consequence awarded it a rare A+ rating in a 20-year retrospective.1989’s Seeds of Love proved to be Orzabal and Smith’s last collaboration together until Everybody Loves A Happy Ending in 2004, which rekindled the creative fire between them. The band engaged in a three-year touring whirlwind across North America, Japan, South Korea, Manila and South America beginning in 2010. In 2013, they debuted a cover of Arcade Fire’s “Ready to Start” and in 2017 they released a best of album collection, Rule The World, which once more catapulted the band back to the upper echelon of the UK album charts. In 2022, Tears For Fears returned with their first studio album in seventeen years, The Tipping Point. According to Pitchfork, Vulture, Stereogum and many more it was one of 2022’s most anticipated albums and went on to receive widespread critical praise. The release was followed by a global sold out headlining tour.

The duo’s DNA remains embedded within three generations of artists on both subtle and overt levels. Quietly casting a shadow over rock, hip-hop, electronic dance music, indie and beyond, Kanye West interpolated “Memories Fade” on “The Coldest Winter” from the seminal 808s & Heartbreak, The Weeknd infused “Pale Shelter” into Starboy’s “Secrets,” David Guetta sampled “Change” for “Always” and Drake utilized “Ideas as Opiates” as the foundation for “Lust For Life,” while Ally Brooke Hernandez, Adam Lambert and Gary Jules recorded popular covers of “Mad World” and Disturbed took on “Shout” and that’s only to name a few. Lorde cut a haunting cover of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” for the Soundtrack of the blockbuster The Hunger Games – Catching Fire, which Tears For Fears gleefully would use as intro music live and thus bring everything full circle. In 2021 the band was honored with the Outstanding Song Collection Award at the Ivor Novello Awards. 

Meanwhile, classic songs figure prominently everywhere from The Wire and Donnie Darko to Straight Outta Compton and Mr. Robot. Orzabal and Smith remain as loud as ever, while yet another generation gets ready to “Shout” with them all over again.

Photo credit: Chapman Baehler

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