Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod -influenced Graduate , Tears for Fears were associated with the synth-pop bands of the s, and attained international chart success as part of the Second British Invasion.
Orzabal retained the Tears for Fears name as a solo project, releasing the albums Elemental β which produced the international hit " Break It Down Again " β and Raoul and the Kings of Spain Orzabal and Smith reconciled in and released an album of new material, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending , in The duo have toured on a semi-regular basis since then.
After being in development for almost a decade, the band's seventh album, The Tipping Point , was released in , [ 12 ] giving the band their sixth UK Top 5 album and their highest chart peak in 30 years, and reaching the Top 10 in numerous other countries, including the US. In , Orzabal and Smith were honoured with the Ivor Novello Award for 'Outstanding Song Collection' recognising their "era-defining Tears for Fears albums" and "critically acclaimed, innovative hit singles".
Orzabal and Smith met as teenagers in Bath, Somerset, England. The single just missed the top in the UK, but performed well in Spain and in Switzerland. The band split in Shortly afterwards, Orzabal and Smith became session musicians for the band Neon , [ 15 ] where they first met future Tears for Fears drummer Manny Elias.
The likes of OMD and Soft Cell had popularised the "duo" presentation within synth-pop, inspiring Orzabal and Smith to package themselves as a two-man unit, initially under the name History of Headaches. As Tears for Fears, Orzabal and Smith intended to form the nucleus of the group and bring in surrounding musicians to help them complete the picture.
