About This Time 40 Years Ago…

It’s The Hits of May-ish 1985!

The Hottest Hit On The Planet:

Does everybody want to rule the world?

Surely most people want to be left alone and let the world destroy itself in peace? Isn’t that why so many people don’t vote? Also, ruling the world… that’s a high pressure job!

“Everybody Wants To Rule the World” probably wasn’t intended to be the soundtrack of every second documentary about the final chapters of the Cold War.

For one thing, there was no way that the lads from Tears For Fears could have possibly known what was about to occur – but still… even more than usual, the political leaders of the 80s seemed more omnipresent than usual, seemed to have world domination on their minds.

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” may not have been written as a critique of Reagan.

It may not have been written as a protest against the continued hegemony of Margaret Thatcher, but it it feels as though it’s protesting against Thatcher… (having said that, criticizing Maggie for “indecision” and “lack of vision” feels a little unfair.

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” feels very much like an end-of-the-Cold-War nuclear-threat song, along the lines of Frankie’s “Two Tribes” and Nena’s “99 Luftballoons” , but more cynical of human nature, and – given their well-known interest in this kind of thing – more psychologically analytical.

(Here’s a fun fact: Gorbachev had just been promoted to ruler of the Soviet Union a week or so before “Everybody…” dropped), it’s time to have a lay down on the therapist couch.

The lads from Tears For Fears – that would be Roland and Curt – may have felt themselves well qualified to get world leaders on the therapist couch.

Neither of them had any psychological training of course, but they had read a book:

In which the mad professor espoused a whole philosophy about primal scream therapy, and how it helped you deal with your childhood trauma. A very specific childhood trauma; the pain of childbirth (that’s the pain to the child, not the mother). He encouraged his patients to relive the pain of their own birth. Incredibly, this book sold a million copies.

Tears For Fears’ debut album – cheerfully titled The Hurting – had been based on the Janov book.

Roland and Curt really went all in on this stuff. Finally – after “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” and “Shout” became world-wide megahits – they met their hero. He took them to lunch. He asked them to write Primal Scream: The Musical. They started to feel a little bit disillusioned with the guy.

The Hurting wasn’t the first album to be inspired by Janov; after he sent a free copy to John Lennon – also, apparently, Mick Jagger, John and Yoko used it for the inspiration of 1970’s The Plastic Ono Band)

For an album about psychotherapy, The Hurting spawned a surprising number of hits.

“Mad World” is a 10, of course (the songs in which Tears For Fears are dying are the best they’ve ever had), but the more typical of The Hurting singles was “Pale Shelter,” a message to their parents that although they give them a roof over their heads, that’s not actually want they need: “you don’t give me love!” (“Pale Shelter” is an 8.)

Songs From The Big Chair – the album that featured “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, and “Shout”, and “Head Over Heels” as well – was also based on psychology.

Specifically a film where Sally Field plays a character with 16 different personalities. But in the aftermath of Wham!’s Make It Big album, such a title came across more like a statement of intent; Tears For Fears were going to get a Big Seat at the Big Table of the Big American Market:

I’ve seen it suggested that, in addition to soundtracking the closing years of the Cold War, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” reflected that MTV moment when British pop stars decided that being famous in the UK wasn’t famous enough anymore, and that they had to break the American market.

Would they embrace a more American sound to do it? Would they compromise?

Seeing the words “sounds American” was not something that most British bands wanted to see in a review.

It was a bit of a slight. It suggested that you had sold out the Marxist principles that all good-British bands were assumed to hold. But in the case of Tears For Fears they didn’t really have much choice, they were getting so little respect – or even attention – from the British press they basically had no choice but to conquer America.

If “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” didn’t exactly sound American – what’s American exactly about chiming guitars and over-processed drums? – the video certainly looked it:

Apparently this was because Tears For Fears previous video – for “Shout” – had been so dismal-looking that the American record company refused to release it unless it got a new more-American video.

So, when the time came to film the “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” video, the director tried to find the most American location possible:

Given all the Edge-like guitar chimes all the way through “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, this feels relevant.

I honestly can’t think of anything more American either.

It’s probably a mistake to read too much into “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”. I mean, Roland certainly didn’t.

When asked by Smash Hits if he wanted to rule the world, Roland simply replied:

So disappointing. So very disappointing.

Song writers, please, don’t tell us what songs are about – or in this case not about – it’s always so very disappointing! Let us decide what your songs are about!

“Though there are vast changes I’d like to make” Roland continued.

Every-bo-dy wants to change people’s attitudes of child-rearing… doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?

Of course, when I say “let us decide”, I don’t suggest for a moment that The National Review were right when they wrote an article titled The Conservatism of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World:”

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” really was written with America in mind!

The National Review further argues that the line “nothing ever lasts forever” is a wink to “Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.”

Now, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” was sung by Curt, even though it was Roland who wrote it. Roland, at this point, was sick and tired of the song and didn’t want anything more to do with it.

Maybe that is why Curt sounds as though he is doing a Roland impersonation… then again, Curt quite frequently sounded as though he were going a Roland impersonation.

This appears to be a running theme with Tears For Fears: ““Mad World” had begun with Roland on vocals as well, before they decided his toad-like bellow was a bit much. Although, appropriately, those very same mannerisms were perfect for “Shout” (“Shout” is a 9.)

Has anybody ever been able to tell the difference between Roland and Curt’s voices? Is anybody able to tell which of them is singing without referring to the video, where one of them sings and the other just stands around looking gloomy in the background?

Roland and Curt seem to be sharing the same vocal cords, the same vocal mannerisms, as though they have a permanently stuffy nose.

It’s not for nothing that the early Tears For Fears songs are mostly pretty-boy Curt, before Roland gradually took over – “Shout”, “Head Over Heels”, “Sowing The Seeds Of Love”, “Woman In Chains” – until eventually… there was no need for Curt anymore. Still, Curt did sing their biggest hit; you can’t take that away from him.

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” was something of a turning point in 80s pop.

Also, arguably, a symptom of a change in society as a whole, as reflected through its political institutions. The song was, after all, originally titled “Everybody Wants To Go To War.”

Maybe the National Review was right. Maybe Tears For Fears were the beneficiaries of a rightward swing in pop; an encroaching conservatism that would soon sweep Paul Young, and Howard Jones, and Simply Red into the charts.

An answer to the question of what comes next:

The answer: British bands trying to sound more “American.” British bands no longer dressing up in bright, colourful, zany outfits. Compared to Culture Club, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Duran Duran, Kajagoogoo et al – Tears For Fears looked willfully normal.

I don’t think that anyone was surprised when they shot the video for “Head Over Heels” in a library (“Head Over Heels” is a 9.)

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” is an 8.

Oh, another fun fact: Roland began writing “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by programming the beat from Simple Minds’ “Waterfront” into a Linn drum machine… and…. hey, look who’s here!

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Meanwhile, In John Hughes Land:

(*officially “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” but that has got to be the most nonsensical use of parenthesis in a song title ever and I refuse to use it. Now if it was “Don’t You… Forget About Me”, I might be more amenable)

John Hughes was arguably the most influential non-musician on the development of 80s pop music.

Other possible nominees? Tom Cruise, for turning any random song into a global smash simply by virtue of it being in one of his movies:

• “Take My Breath Away” I can understand…
• “Danger Zone”, sure… but…
• “Don’t Worry Be Happy”?
• “Kokomo”?
• The Belle Stars version of “Iko Iko”?

There’s simply no other way to explain it!

John Hughes had better taste.

Pretty much every movie John Hughes made introduced a new nominee into the cannon of songs for teenage American outcasts:

(OMD’s transition from cult intellectual synth-pop band to Billboard chart champions, followed a very similar narrative to both Simple Minds and Tears For Fears)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off made The Beatles “Twist & Shout” a hit again…

Basically, John Hughes movies were an “alternative music” gateway drug for a generation of American teenagers who secretly wished they were British.

And it all began with “Don’t You Forget About Me” (John Hughes had already made 16 Candles before The Breakfast Club , but that was the rare case of a John Hughes teen-movie with no hits)

John Hughes set his movies on Chicago’s north shore, specifically in the suburb of Shermer, Illinois, 60062.

But Northbrook, the suburb where John Hughes grew up, does feature a Shermer Road…

So obviously, on my one trip to the United States, I had to go and visit the mythical land of Shermer, Illinois.

To go on a pilgrimage to Shermer High School, where one Saturday, March 24, 1984, a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal, all reported for detention.

My pilgrimage was ultimately a disappointing experience. Not only because Shermer High School is a long, exhausting and feet-annihilating walk from Shermer Road, but because Shermer High School is now the Illinois State Police headquarters.

And part of the reason for this pilgrimage was Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me.”

You already know the story of “Don’t You Forget About Me”, right?

How it was written by Keith Forsey, who had already written Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff”, “Flashdance… What A Feeling” and “The NeverEnding Story”, the latter of which might just be responsible for even more intense 80s childhood nostalgia flashes than John Hughes entire cannon.

“Don’t You Forget About Me” was offered to Simple Minds, but they kept on saying no, because they were a proper serious band, who wrote their own songs.

To be fair, Simple Minds were on something of a roll at the time, with their own brand of chilled out, dream-rock anthems, all-the-while embracing an image that I’m going to describe as ‘medieval-futurist.’

Their 1982 album, confusingly titled New Gold Dream 81-82-83-84, is such a synth-pop classic, that they probably could have kept releasing singles from it all the way to 1984.

Simple Minds were even given a special screening of The Breakfast Club, but still they said no. Because, as Jim explained, they “couldn’t give a toss about teenage American schoolkids.”

Finally, Jim’s wife, rock-legend Chrissie Hynde, told him to stop being a rock snob.

Now, before Chrissie became a rock icon with the Pretenders, she had been a music journalist. When an ex-music journalist accuses you of rock snobbery, then you know that you really must be up your own ass.

A band like Simple Minds couldn’t possibly say no to a guy from a Krautrock band.

So they hung out with Keith a bit, found out that they liked him, and so, sure, maybe they’d record his silly little teenage American schoolkids song.

As was the case with “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” the American-ness was the point.

Those great big power chords that open the track were specifically designed to be almost a pastiche of Springsteen-ian American rock tropes.

Here’s the NME: 

Which, indeed, was exactly what happened. Who could possibly resist Jim Kerr belting out “HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY!!!!”? Or leading the stadium in a chant of “LA! LA-LA-LA LA!”? It is for these reasons that “Don’t You Forget About Me” gets TEN MICROPHONES!

Those “LA! LA-LA-LA LA!” bits, like virtually ever “LA! LA-LA-LA LA!” bit in every song ever written, were put there as a place holder until Jim could think of better lyrics. Those “LA! LA-LA-LA LA!” bits came after the part where Jim goes deep into The Breakfast Club plot.

Presumedly we ended up with “LA! LA-LA-LA LA!” because Jim couldn’t find a way to fit in:

“I say do you want the truth, yeah, I want the truth, I don’t think so, that’s a real nice attitude Claire!
Oh, be honest, Andy… if Brian came walking up to you in the hall on Monday, what would you do?
I mean picture this, you’re there with all the sports.
I know exactly what you’d do, you’d say hi to him and when he left you’d cut him all up so your friends wouldn’t think you really liked him!”

Which, to be fair, would be difficult to fit into a song. The “LA! LA-LA-LA LA!” bits are better.

Would The Breakfast Club kids forget about each other? Or would they walk on by?

Let’s be honest: now that Anthony Michael Hall has done all the work, so busy writing the essay for the rest of the group that he’s the only one who doesn’t hook up, there’s no reason to be friends with him anymore.

And even if Ally was able to swallow her pride long enough to go around to Molly’s for a make-over every time she had a date, Molly’s soon going to get so bored with that (and thank God: Ally Sheedy looks much better in basketcase mood).

And Molly and Judd Nelson… I give that relationship a week.

Still, I’m sure they all look back on that Saturday, and feel that they had learnt something. I’m sure they won’t forget it.

Now, for all its fist-pumpin’ “LA! LA-LA-LA LA!”s, I’m not sure that “Don’t You Forget About Me” is quite as good as its iconic status suggests.

All those arena-rock-spectacular flourishes feel a little forced when played by an arty synth-pop band.

But if “Don’t You Forget About Me” doesn’t quite work as a great Simple Minds record, “Alive & Kicking” – which came out a few months later – does.

Consider “Don’t You Forget About Me” as a practice run for their true anthemic masterpiece; everything that doesn’t quite gel on “Don’t You Forget About Me”, is absolutely nailed on “Alive & Kicking.”

The video has them away from John Hughes-land and back in the mountains where they belong; not the Scottish Highlands sadly, but the Catskills in upstate New York.

“Alive & Kicking” is a 10!

“Don’t You Forget About Me” is an 8.

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Meanwhile, in Goth Rock Land:

So much were British bands turning American, that Goths were dressing up as Cowboys and Indians.

Now, I guess it’s not immediately obvious that Ian Astbury is aiming for Cowboy in the video for “She Sells Sanctuary”, the definitive Goth-rock banger of the decade. One might argue that it’s more of a Zorro vibe. At least in those bits where he’s wearing the big hat.

• Scarf over the forehead? Check.
• A second scarf draped over the microphone stand? Check.

And that might just be the most American thing of all! But here they are on Top Of The Pops. Ian definitely thinks he’s a Cowboy here.

Thinking that he was a Cowboy was a new look for Ian Astbury, since he usually thought that he was an Indian. By which of course I mean, an indigenous First Nations American. So much did Ian base his image, and his entire personal philosophy and narrative on his passion for native American culture that Google tells me “was the lead singer of The Cult native American?” is one of the most commonly asked questions about the band.

Ian’s interest in indigenous cultures began when he was just a little lad, and his family moved to Canada, from the UK.

More specifically, they moved to Hamilton, Ontario.

Now Hamilton, Ontario, is about halfway between Toronto and Niagara Falls, right next to the Six Nations of the Grand River reservation, the biggest First Nations reservation in Canada:

Now, being so close to the Six Nations Of The Grand River reservation, there were a bunch of Mohawk kids at Ian’s school, and one day, one of them just walked out of the class… because he disagreed with what the teacher was saying? Because he was bored? Because it was a sunny day outside, too nice to waste? Who knows? Whatever the reason, little Ian thought it was so cool, and he set out to become friends with him.

At about the same time, Ian’s school visited the Six Nations of the Grand River Reservation itself, on an excursion. But little Ian was bored, and – possibly thinking about that kid walking out of the class – he walked off and hung out with this old man smoking a great big pipe, watching a kid ride a horse bareback, and – here’s a weird little detail – play lacrosse.

This appears to have been the defining moment of Ian Astbury’s life. Years had past, The Cult had formed, and pretty much everything they did appeared to be informed by indigenous cultures, usually – but not exclusively – American.

The Cult had a logo that I’m pretty sure is supposed to be the wings of a totem pole.

At one stage he was sporting a mohawk, and whilst sure, it was the early 80s, and every second punk had a mohawk, for Ian it seemed to go deeper.

When Ian got on the cover of Melody Maker they went with the headline “On The Trail Of Tears.” If you know your 19th Century American History, you know what that’s a reference to.  

And The Cult released singles with names like “Spiritwalker.”

By the time “She Sells Sanctuary” was released, The Cult had been around for ages.

So long that they had gone through multiple band-name changes. Initially they were Southern Death Cult. After a while they shortened it to Death Cult. And then finally, just The Cult. Everyone associated with The Cult had also previously been in bands with incredible names:

The drummer, from Sex Gang Children. Having streamlined their band name, it was now time for The Cult to streamline their sound.

“She Sells Sanctuary” was produced by a guy called Steve Brown, whose most notable previous production credits included a bunch of early Wham! singles (“Club Tropicana”, “Young Guns (Go For It)”,) none of which sound anything like The Cult.

None of these records were obvious qualifications for working with The Cult, but here we are.

And what a production! The biggest punching-the-air four-on-the-floor beat, so machine-like I’m not 100% convinced it’s not a Linn!

Meanwhile, Ian is howling about how the fire in your eyes keeps him alive; a sanctuary against the world dragging him down.

The result is a rock-club banger so epic, that it might make you want to join a cult yourself!

“She Sells Sanctuary” is a 10!

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