So ‘could you please explain the hurting?’
As MTV explains: The name “Tears for Fears” refers to psychologist Arthur Janov’s 1980 book, “Prisoners of Pain,” which describes “tears as a replacement for fears.” And The Hurting, which kicked off the band’s career, was Tears for Fears’ most personal album. The background to the album, described by Roland Orzabal, in the Quietus, as ‘pure Janov’, is explained best in the band’s own words:[1] RO: I was one of those people in school who used to work hard and then, when I was about 17, 18, I had a mental Copernican inversion, so instead of just following what I was being told and doing really well and getting ‘A’s, I just started questioning everything. We were reading a lot of existentialism, both in French and in English, so that kind of set me off. CS: Those teenage years when you’re looking for all the answers… RO: I had a guitar teacher, and she introduced me to a book called The Primal Scream (by Arthur Janov). And I read it, and it became my bible. The theory is called The Tabula Rasa theory, or the ‘Blank Slate’ theory. A child is born a blank slate, and then all the terrible things that happen to it – the childhood trauma and the rejection, not enough love – become suppressed and then turn up as neuroses in later life. The therapist would try to lead you to recall something that happened to you, and your way of mourning – and it’s a deep way of mourning – is that you actually cry. Not as an adult, but actually in a sense you’re going really, really deep. CS: It’s not a novel idea. I just think Janov explained it in better terms than most people. [1] as cited in The Quietus.
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It is notable that Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, who grew up together on a Bath council estate, were both from challenging backgrounds, and grew up with just their mothers.
As Wyndham Wallace explains, in The Quietus[1], The Hurting was a conceptual album,[2] ‘honing in on a particularly unusual topic: the psychological traumas of childhood and their long term effects, something with which both musicians were more than familiar.’ Could you understand a child When he cries in pain? Could you give him all he needs Or do you feel the same?[3] And yet the album clearly struck a chord with a far wider demographic for, as Curt Smith says: ‘In England it was a big number one record. It went straight to number one as soon as it came out. It was sort of a big cult hit in America. We’ve had people like MGMT coming to shows in Detroit, Foster The People when we were in Korea, younger bands that really cite The Hurting as a big influence. And you meet other people, like Billy Corgan or Gwen Stefani, who are beside themselves because they were such big fans when they were younger. You might say it’s juvenile, or depression, or angst, but it seems that a lot of people go through that phase. And it stretches across the age spectrum, which is interesting. And genres as well. I mean, Swiss Beatz is a big fan. Hardcore rap groups like Gangstarr.’ When asked by Marcus Moore of MTV[4] whether Roland and he felt displaced, Curt Smith replied: ‘I think anyone at that age goes through a lot of those feelings. It’s the age when you are separating from your parents. In our case, we didn’t really get on with our parents, so The Hurting had a lot to do with that. You’re becoming your own person and it’s getting some of that history out of your system.’ ‘I think the longevity of The Hurting is that each generation, as it comes up, can relate to it. It’s an album for 18- to 22-year-olds. If you’re 18 to 22 in any era, you can relate.’ Curt Smith reflects: By far, the most common comments I get from people are [on ‘The Hurting’], “This saved my life in college.” Or “This got me through college.” And this was my story too. [1] In Their Own Words. This Is Going To Hurt: The Mad World Of Tears For Fears’ Debut LP, Wyndham Wallace, September 20th, 2013 09:28, The Quietus, http://thequietus.com/articles/13379-tears-for-fears-the-hurting-interview, accessed 6/2/17. [2] Tears for Fears, Album: The Hurting, 1983, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, Mercury Records. [3] from The Hurting, the song. [4] Does Tears for Fears’ ‘The Hurting’ hold up 30 years later?, interview with Curt Smith, Marcus J Moore, 11/13/2013, MTV News, http://www.mtv.com/news/2699451/does-tear-for-fears-the-hurting-hold-up-30-years-later/, accessed 6/2/17. |
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December 2020
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