Tears for Fears

Released: September 25, 1989

Songwriter: Nicky Holland Roland Orzabal

Producer: Dave Bascombe Tears for Fears

[Verse 1]
Hallelujah, the king is dead
He said, "Love was the knife"
And now he'll dream
Some magic queen might try and save his life
They say his famous final words
Came from the heart of the man
He made his bed on love denied
He played Jeckyll and Hyde till the day he died

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Too late for the young gun
To lead a simple life
Too late for the young gun

[Chorus]
This is...
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife

[Post-Chorus]
See the mountains crumble
Feel the fire go cold
Summer will turn to winter
Love will turn to stone

[Interlude]

[Verse 2]
They say his famous final words
Came from the heart of man
I made his bed on love denied
Now I ain't gonna sleep tonight

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Too late for the young gun
To lead a simple life
Too late for the young gun

[Pre-Chorus 2]
The sun and the moon
The sun and the moon
The wind... and the rain

[Interlude]

[Chorus]
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife
This is the year of the knife

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Too late, much too late
Too late for the young gun

[Outro]
This is the year of the knife

Tears for Fears are an English pop band formed in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.

The group rose to fame in 1982 with single “Mad World”, which made it to number 3 in the UK charts and paved the way for the huge success of debut album The Hurting, released in 1983. However, it wasn’t until Songs from the Big Chair in 1985, a change in musical direction towards pop, that the band made it internationally. The record proved to be hit, reaching #2 in the UK and #1 in the US charts, and contains their most well-known singles, “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”. Third album The Seeds of Love, released in 1989, performed similarly, entering the UK Albums charts at #1.

In 1991, the band broke up. Curt Smith went on as a solo artist while Roland Orzabal continued as Tears for Fears, releasing Elemental in 1993 to much success in the UK (though significantly less in the US) and Raoul and the Kings of Spain in 1995, which did poorly in the charts, only reaching #41 in the UK but with some acclaim in continental Europe. In 2000, Curt and Roland reunited and recorded what became Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, released in 2004 to positive reviews and moderate success. The band currently continues to tour.

more tracks from the album

The Seeds of Love

From the albums

The Seeds of Love (1989)
Everybody Wants to Rule the World: The Collection (2013)

Tears for Fears popular songs

Year of the KnifeTears for Fears

Tears for Fears

The Seeds of Love