Shout (Tears for Fears song)

"Shout"
Song
B-side	"The Big Chair"

"Shout" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal (with Curt Smith duetting on the chorus), it was the band's eighth single release (the second taken from their second LP Songs from the Big Chair) and sixth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at #4 in January 1985. In the USA, it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 3, 1985 and remained there for three weeks. "Shout" would become one of the most successful pop songs of 1985, eventually reaching the Top Ten in 25 countries.

Background

While Tears for Fears' previous single "Mothers Talk" had showcased a new, more extroverted songwriting style, "Shout" was a synth-rock anthem, complete with power chords, heavy percussion, and female backing vocals. The song even features a lengthy guitar solo, something previously unheard of in Tears for Fears' music.

The song was written in my front room on just a small synthesizer and a drum machine. Initially I only had the chorus, which was very repetitive, like a mantra. I played it to Ian Stanley, our keyboardist, and Chris Hughes, the producer. I saw it as a good album track, but they were convinced it would be a hit around the world.

— Roland Orzabal

We were halfway through recording 'Mothers Talk' when Roland first played us a rough version of a new song he'd been working on. It was then very slow and very simple. I remember saying "this is so simple it should take about five minutes to record." Weeks later... We were halfway through recording 'Shout' when Roland had a birthday party. That evening I asked the four of them separately if they had any thoughts about sleeve notes for the record. Roland said "White text on black paper and say something about arguably the best offering yet." Curt said "You're probably the best person to make up some off the wall irrelevant drivel." Ian said "I don't like them, I'm not interested." Manny said "Did you know I used to play drums for 'Rocky Ricketts and The Jet Pilots of Jive?"

— Chris Hughes, from the "Shout" single sleeve notes

Meanings

A lot of people think that 'Shout' is just another song about primal scream theory, continuing the themes of the first album. It is actually more concerned with political protest. It came out in 1984 when a lot of people were still worried about the aftermath of The Cold War and it was basically an encouragement to protest.

— Roland Orzabal

It concerns protest inasmuch as it encourages people not to do things without actually questioning them. People act without thinking because that's just the way things go in society. So it's a general song, about the way the public accepts any old grief which is thrown at them.

— Curt Smith

Song versions

"Shout" is by far the most abundantly remixed song in the Tears for Fears catalog, with at least fifteen different versions of it having been officially released under the band's name.

As was commonplace during the 1980's, the original 12" vinyl single release featured an extended remix of the song. Three remixes by collaborators Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero later appeared on American releases of the single, including dub and a cappella versions. More recently, remixes have been done by notable DJs such as Jakatta, Fergie, Skylark and Beatchuggers.

In addition to the twelve-inch mixes, "Shout" also appeared in three different 7" versions. The original single version released in the UK and much of the rest of the world clocks in at 5:53 and is the same mix of the song found on the Songs from the Big Chair LP, albeit in an edited form. The version released in Germany and Japan is 4:51 in length and fades out during the guitar solo. Meanwhile, the final version released in America is specifically tailored for radio play at a concise 3:59 in length, featuring edits to the chorus and instrumental sections.

Release variations

In addition to the standard 7" and 12" releases, the "Shout" single was issued in two collectible formats in the UK: a limited edition 10" single and a 7" boxed pack featuring a 1985 Tears for Fears calendar. A similar limited edition 7" pack was released in Canada, this one featuring a 12-page booklet of band photos. In 1988, "Shout" was reissued on the short-lived CD Video format. The disc included two mixes of the title track, a remix of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", and the "Shout" music video.

B-side

"The Big Chair" is an instrumental that served as the b-side to the "Shout" single. The only lyrics are dialogue samples from the movie Sybil, from which the song (and the album Songs from the Big Chair) takes its name. This is one of the few songs in the Tears for Fears catalogue on which founding member Curt Smith shares a writing credit. The song has since been included in the b-sides and rarities collection Saturnine Martial & Lunatic as well as the remastered and deluxe edition reissues of Songs from the Big Chair.

This track was very much inspired by the film Sybil about a woman suffering from multiple personalities undergoing psychotherapy. The big chair in her therapist's office is the place Sybil feels safest to recount the horrors of her childhood.

— Roland Orzabal

Music video

File:TFF Shout video.jpg

Tears for Fears at Durdle Door

The promotional clip for "Shout", filmed in late 1984, was the second Tears for Fears clip directed by famed music video producer Nigel Dick. It features footage of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith at Durdle Door in Dorset, England, as well as a studio jam with the full band (including Ian Stanley and Manny Elias) performing the song amidst a crowd of family and friends. The video reportedly cost only £14,000 to produce. Along with the clip for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", the "Shout" video had a big hand in helping break Tears for Fears in America, due to its heavy airplay on music video pioneer MTV. Ironically, the band had at one time considered making a second video for the song's American single release, as the original was not considered MTV friendly.

Track listings

7": Mercury / IDEA8 / 880 294-7 / SOV 2351

10": Mercury / IDEA810

1. "Shout" (5:53)
2. "The Big Chair" (3:20)

7": Mercury / 880 481-7Q / 7PP-167

1. "Shout [Short Version]" (4:51)
2. "The Big Chair" (3:20)

7": Mercury / 880 294-7

1. "Shout [US Single Version]" (3:59)
2. "The Big Chair" (3:20)

12": Mercury / IDEA812 / 880 294-1 / SOVX 2351 / MIX 3080

1. "Shout [Extended Version]" (7:35)
2. "Shout" (5:53)
3. "The Big Chair" (3:20)

12": Mercury / 880 929-1

1. "Shout [US Remix]" (8:00)
2. "Shout [Extended Version]" (7:35)
3. "The Big Chair" (3:20)

CDV": Mercury / 080 064-2

1. "Shout" (5:58)
2. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World [Urban Mix Edit]" (5:20)
3. "Shout [US Remix]" (8:00)
4. "Shout [Video]" (6:00)

Chart positions

Year	Chart	Position
1985	UK Singles Chart	#4
1985	Australian Singles Chart	#1
1985	French Singles Chart	#21
1985	German Singles Chart	#1
1985	Irish Singles Chart	#5
1985	Italian Singles Chart	#2
1985	Netherlands Singles Chart	#1
1985	New Zealand Singles Chart	#1
1985	South African Singles Chart	#2
1985	Belgian Singles Chart	#1
1985	Switzerland Singles Chart	#1

Year	Chart	Position
1985	USA Billboard Hot 100	#1
1985	Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#1
1985	Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#1
1985	Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	#6
1985	Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	#56

Cover versions

"Shout" has been covered by the following artists:

• American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde, on their single "Mexican Moon" (1994).
• German death metal band Atrocity, on their album Werk 80 (1997).
• American pop act Sweetbox, on their self-titled debut album (1998).
• Australian gothic rock band One, on their album Walk the Mercy Mile (1999).
• German power metal band At Vance, on their album No Escape (1999).
• American alternative rock band Fixture, on their album ((Audio)) (2000).
• British gothic rock band Rosetta Stone, on their album Unerotica: Reformatted Eighties Audio (2000).
• American Nu metal band Disturbed on their debut album The Sickness (2000), under the title "Shout 2000".
• Danish synthpop band Portland, on their single "Stalking and Free" (2005).
• American hard rock band Saliva has been known to cover portions of the song at live shows.
• Mexican electro band Reax, on their debut album "No Cover" (2008)

Joan Baez and the Neville Brothers performed the song during the Conspiracy of Hope tour to support Amnesty International in June 1986.

In addition, "Shout" was sampled by American gospel/hip hop artist Kirk Franklin in his song "Let It Go", from the album Hero (2005). The song was also sampled for Girl Talk's remix of the Grizzly Bear song "Knife", along with the Clipse song "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)".

Popular culture

In 2002, "Shout" was referenced in the title of a two-part episode of Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, a series known for naming many episodes after 1980s hit songs.

In 2007, the song was featured in an episode of the USA Network television dramedy Psych (titled "American Duos"), in which the two main characters perform it on stage in a spoof of American Idol.