← Behind The Song: Classic Rock Chronicles
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97.1Fm the drive presents the behind the Song podcast, taking you deeper into classic rock's most timeless tunes. Here's your host, Janda It's a song.
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That sounds like summer, but with lyrics that address serious issues in a way that made it a timeless classic. Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears is what I call a magic trick song, upbeat and shimmery, but with real weight behind every word. When it was released and became a worldwide Smash hit in 1985, it was during the height of the Cold War between the US and Russia. But over time it has proven itself to be evergreen on a range of concerns from the environment to dictatorship. And incredibly, it was written at the last minute, the very last song to make it to the band's second album. Let's get into why this song has had such a lasting impact in this episode of the behind the Song podcast and if you like it, give it a thumbs up and hit. Subscribe and let us know in the comments. But let's back up to 1985 first, Tears for Fears had some pressure on them to deliver hits for their second album, Songs from the Big Chair. Their debut, 1983's The Hurting, was a hit in the UK, but it didn't make a splash in America, peaking at number 73 on the Billboard 200. So Roland Orzabal and Kurt Smith, the nucleus of Tears for Fears and friends since their teens in Bath growing up about 100 miles west of London, were now on a mission. They were almost finished with the sessions for Songs from the Big Chair when Orzabal came up with a two chord guitar riff in the studio and played it for producer Chris Hughes. That riff evolved when Hughes and keyboardist Ian Stanley joined in to finish the co write. Ian Stanley, it must be noted, played a huge part in the band's tremendous success. He was invited to join Tears for Fears after offering up his production studio for use and ended up co writing several hits with Orzabal before he left the band. And here's a fun side note about Chris Hughes. He was the former drummer and producer for Adam and the Ants, known by his stage name, Merrick. Now if you're an Adam and the Ants fan, you'll remember that name being called out in the song Ant Rap Everybody Wants to Rule the World was written and recorded quickly in about two weeks along with Shout, it became a signature song for Tears for Fears. Singer Kurt Smith has said that the song is a driving song inspired by Don Henley's the Boys of Summer, which was released the year before and flew up the charts in the U.S. both songs sound like a fit on your summer road trip soundtrack musically, but if you pay attention to the lyrics of Everybody Wants to Rule the World, they give you the same sense of foreboding that you might feel turning the Pages in George Orwell's 1984 in a hat tip to tears for Fears. Don Henley started covering it in his performances in the early 2000s. Both songs have an uneasy or wistful undercurrent lyrically, with a brightness that catches your ear like a sea siren to a sailor. Everybody wants to rule the world Starts like this welcome to your life there's no turning back Even while we sleep we will find you Acting on your best behavior Turn your back on Mother Nature Everybody wants to rule the world There's a Big Brother feeling going on in that first verse, being watched as you sleep and having no control over it. It's in this verse that the powerful versus the powerless is introduced, and for context, when it was written in the mid-80s, paranoia was everywhere as a byproduct of the Cold War. It's also in this verse that concerns about the environment are raised with turning your back on Mother Nature. So a pop song that was very timely for the 80s included future concerns about the environment, one of the chief issues we struggle with. Four decades later and the song goes on, it's my own design it's my own remorse Help me to decide Help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure Nothing ever lasts forever Everybody wants to rule the world now in this second verse, the idea of having difficult choices comes into play, whether that's an election choice or a personal fork in the road. You get the sense that one line nothing ever lasts forever is a kind of higher truth that surpasses all. Simple, but a little bit nihilistic. And I'll note here that the title lyric was changed from Everybody wants to go to war, which is what they originally came up with, but decided to soften a little bit. Then it's on to the bridge, an undeniable lift powered by Kurt Smith's vocal. There's a room where the light won't find you holding hands While the walls come tumbling down when they do I'll be right behind you so glad we've almost made it so sad they had to fade it Everybody wants to rule the world Bunkers in the dark where the light doesn't reach and walls crumbling by the end of the decade, the Berlin Wall would indeed come tumbling down, and by 1991, the Soviet Union would be broken up, putting an end to the Cold war. But in 1985, the threat of nuclear war was real, a power struggle that the whole world sadly watched. Then it's on to the next verse, a critique of those in power. I can't stand this indecision Married with a lack of vision Everybody wants to rule the world say that you'll never, never, never never need it One headline, why believe it? Everybody wants to rule the world One of the things that has emerged since the rise of social media is the misinformation that so quickly spreads and funnels into whatever algorithm you're part of online. This didn't exist in 1985, but the line about questioning belief in a headline sure finds itself at home in our current place on the world timeline too. It's one of the magic tricks that I mentioned earlier. And the song ends all for freedom and for pleasure. Nothing ever lasts forever Everybody wants to rule the world now when you think of bands that have political songs, you would be right to think of the Clash. Funny enough, Joe Strummer of the Clash is a part of the story here too. In the Clash song Charlie Don't Surf, released in 1980 on their Sandinista album, the lyrics in the middle eight go like everybody wants to rule the world. It must be something we get from birth. One truth is, we never learn. Story goes that Strummer was in a restaurant and saw Orzabal and told him that he owed him a fiver for the use of the lyric that became the title to their smash hit. In response, Orzabal just fished a five pound note out of his pocket and handed it over to Strummer. When Everybody Wants to Rule the World was released, Mission Accomplished. It went to number one in the US and it became a bona fide worldwide smash for Tears for Fears. And it just keeps on being interesting as the decades roll by. It was used in the closing credits of the film Real Genius, released in the same year. It was used every week as the title theme for Dennis Miller Live on HBO for the first several seasons. Lorde covered it for the Hunger Games Catching fire soundtrack in 2013, and it's been covered by everybody from disco queen Gloria Gaynor to Weezer and many, many more. For his part, Orzabal remains amazed. He said in American Songwriter, I mean, that track has just got a life of its own. There are 140 cover versions. It's crazy. It's just one of those songs, isn't it? For a song that sounds so very 80s on one level, with the synthesizers and drum machines. It escapes being too dated because it's also very much a guitar song, with Orzabal's riffs ringing and unfolding throughout the song to balance the shuffle with the electronics and those dystopian lyrics, lyrics that wearily scrutinize the thirst for power and the consequences of power. Written under the shadow of a time when anxiety about the future was in the collective consciousness on a worldwide scale. A song that you can, as Curt Smith has said, listen to the lyrics or or not bother. You're going to get something from it either way. Yes, Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a magic trick song, the darkness of the lyrics juxtaposing with the beat. An instant classic and one of the most timeless songs produced in the 80s. So what other songs tackle such nervous themes, delivered in a danceable package? Something to think about. Until next time, I'm Janda and this has been behind the song. If you like this episode, give it a like and subscribe to the channel. And check it out on TikTok too. Special thanks as always to Christian Lane for the music you hear on these podcast episodes. You can find me on the air at 9701 FM the Drive in Chicago and at wdrv.com on the way. Much more classic rock and roll.