Everybody Wants to POLL The World - ILM Sandbox Tears For Fears Singles Poll

I am trying to rank these in my head and it's almost impossible

probably gonna end up voting "Head Over Heels" but these are some great, great, GREAT songs ("Advice For The Young At Heart" specifically is constantly underrated)

Curt and Roland make the train noises on XTC's "Train Running Low On Soul Coal".

Hate "Break It Down Again" - that's the sound of Roland TRYING to write a hit.

yeah "Break It Down Again" is definitely the weak link IMO

I am trying to think of a hypothetical ranking of these songs, which is an exercise in torture because there like 9 songs I want to put in the top 5

Give it a try. Rank them!

I wouldn't vote for "Shout" if it were on the poll (and I imagine I would vote for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" if I were going to bother to listen to them all), but it's a pretty key song for them, I would think, with the whole primal scream therapy angle.

Some of this stuff really takes me back, both because they hit right when I was coming into pop consciousness, and because the lulling nature of the synths (cut by perhaps a bit too much "rock" for "sophisti-pop"?) matches the reversion to childhood.

Were they more American (successful in America) than some of their contemporaries because they had more "soul" or simply less of an English accent?

Shout
Head Over Heels
Change
Mad World
Pale Shelter
Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Advice For The Young At Heart
Mothers Talk
Woman In Chains
Sowing The Seeds Of Love
Suffer The Children
Tears Roll Down (Laid So Low)
The Way You Are
Break It Down Again

Does anybody remember Graduate?

Their last single "Did you ever have a day when it seem like no-one wants to know you" is very proto-TFF.

Whereas their 'famous' single "Elvis should play Ska", um, is not.

Oh, and "Shut up, you naughty boy" approaches the TFF subject matter but not the musical style which is more Bad Blur.

HOH. Although I also like EWTRTW

"Head Over Heels" although i also hate EWTRTW

Sowing the Seeds of Love is underrated imo, but no way I'm not voting for Head Over Heels

Shout
Head over Heels
Mad World
Pale Shelter
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Change
Sowing the Seeds of Love

are the only ones i'd kiw. the top four are unfuckwithable, ewtrtw is a little lightweight (iow lacking in emo bombast) but still indispensable.

Pale Shelter
Head Over Heels
Mad World
Change

Don't like shout or sowing the seeds at all

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OGenpHvxSQk/TXdk8GKfT_I/AAAAAAAAAng/k6rA-pUxvss/s1600/Mad%2BOne%2Blbl%2BA.jpg

Actual Size!

(oops)

Sowing the seeds is utterly revolting

^ doesn't love a sunflower or believe in love power

those things disgust me, it's true

^^ time to eat all your words, swallow your pride, open your eyes

That bridge is fantastic

I really love "The Way You Are", it's a forgotten gem. It's definitely a transitional song between "The Hurting" and "Big Chair" but having qualities of both is good for my ear.

As difficult as this poll is, a poll of The Hurting would be pure torture (and I think we did it before anyway during the period of time when I got super obsessed with that album).

Were they more American (successful in America) than some of their contemporaries because they had more "soul" or simply less of an English accent?

English acts weren't hitting #1 in America by '85, so I have to imagine their arena-ready transformation helped. The summer of '85 was about Bruce's stadium tour, No Jacket Required, Reckless and Dire Straits.

English acts weren't hitting #1 in America by '85

uh what? that's not true (on the singles chart, '83 had The Police, Dexys, David Bowie, The Police, Eurythmics, Macca; '84 had Yes, Culture Club, Phil Collins, Duran Duran, John Waite, Wham!; '85 had Wham!, Phil Collins, Simple Minds, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, Paul Young, John Parr)

I should have qualified it: Paul Young and Wham! excepted, English acts hit #1 in '85 by sounding like American arena rock, not by flaunting New Pop characteristics.

and whoa had no idea Parr was a limey -- he could've fooled me with this mullet and obstreperous shouting.

*his

Head Over Heels.

Where's Everybody Wants To Run The World?

English acts weren't hitting #1 in America by '85, so I have to imagine their arena-ready transformation helped. The summer of '85 was about Bruce's stadium tour, No Jacket Required, Reckless and Dire Straits.

2 of those were English?

I was mentally comparing them to Erasure, say.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

this is my four leaf clover

OTM

Suffer the Children and Change got robbed, should have received at least one vote each

voted for "Pale Shelter"

"Head Over Heels"? Really?

Really!

Obviously!

fundamentally

guys this isn't the "Suggested Pet Shop Boys Album Title" thread

maybe...?

srsly

ya rly