Tears for Fears made exploring vulnerability and pain their specialty during the '80s, establishing themselves as a pop band with both a head and a (broken) heart. Preceding emo by a good decade, the band was one of several within the New Wave genre, including Talk Talk and The Cure, that made catchy rock songs you could mope to. Their typically rainy day brand of pop scored numerous hit singles on the Billboard charts, "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" among them.

The band, consisting of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, formed in 1981 in Bath, Somerset, England. Both men had grown up in dysfunctional families, and in each other found a kindred spirit recovering from a traumatic childhood. Their music allowed them to explore that trauma and vent--the band's name is actually a phrase borrowed from primal scream therapy, which is characterized by literally screaming to exorcise emotional pain.

Not surprisingly, listening to their music is like riding an emotional roller coaster. Their debut, The Hurting, featured a crying boy on its cover, a hint of the music that lay inside. Despite all the heavy, melancholy imagery, listeners were put at ease as soon as they heard their catchy synth-pop, which shot up the British charts with songs like "Pale Shelter" and "Mad World." The latter would prove highly influential, gaining new legs years later when performed by singer/songwriter Gary Jules for the cult film Donnie Darko.

Tears for Fears' sophomore album, 1985's Songs from the Big Chair, would score another two massive hits with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Shout." Their third album, 1989's Sowing the Seeds of Love, was also a critical and financial success. Afterward, however, internal tensions caused Smith to quit the band, and future albums were gradually less successful. They stayed separated until reuniting for 2004's Everybody Loves a Happy Ending.