Tears for fears break it down again lyrics

Songfacts®:

• The song seems to be about getting off one's duff and making big things happen. It was released after Curt Smith walked out on the group, and the group's hard core fans were concerned that the album wouldn't match up to their previous work. This song was a significant success, but it was the last song by Tears for Fears to be a major hit. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Mike - Santa Barbara, CA

• Many of the songs on the album were influenced by Smith's departure. "A lot of the songs were written while I was in a sense going through the 'divorce,'" Orzabal told The Washington Post in 1993. "Things like 'Break It Down Again' refer to that to some degree, and 'Fish Out of Water,' obviously. I did psychotherapy for about six years. I stopped going regularly when I'd finished Elemental, which I think probably says something. I think I'm moving on."

  Smith returned to the band in 2004.

• This was used in the 2013 romantic comedy The To Do List, starring Aubrey Plaza and Bill Hader.

"Break It Down Again"
Single by Tears for Fears
from the album Elemental
B-side	"Bloodletting Go" "Schrödinger's Cat"
Released	17 May 1993[1]
Length	4:32
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Roland Orzabal Alan Griffiths
Producer(s)	Roland Orzabal Tim Palmer Alan Griffiths
Tears for Fears singles chronology
"Woman in Chains (re-release)" (1992) "Break It Down Again" (1993) "Cold" (1993)
Music video
"Break It Down Again" on YouTube

"Break It Down Again" is a song by British band Tears for Fears, released as the first single from their fourth studio album, Elemental (1993). It is one of the band's later songs with the typical late 1980s sound, using synthesizers. The song was the second single released after the departure of Curt Smith from the band (after "Laid So Low" in 1992).

The song was an international hit, reaching number 20 in the United Kingdom, number 25 in the United States, and the top 40 in several other countries. It topped the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and was particularly successful in Canada and Iceland, reaching numbers four and two respectively; the single also entered the top 10 in Italy.

Background[edit]

As with the Elemental album, the song featured Roland Orzabal with peripheral Tears For Fears band members Alan Griffiths and Tim Palmer, plus backing vocals by ex-Graduate bandmate John Baker. "Break It Down Again" is the only song that has regularly remained in live setlists following Smith's return.

B-sides[edit]

The CD single included two non-album B-sides, of which "Schrodinger's Cat", the first in a number of songs by Orzabal dealing with modern physics, has acquired a cult status.

Schrodinger's Cat is a famous thought experiment attempting to clarify some of the vagaries of quantum physics. This track didn't make it onto the 'Elemental' album because Alan (Griffiths) and I had such a rambling arrangement which we couldn't rationalize until the time restrictions and relaxed mentality of the b-side enabled it to happen by itself. Musically, it's another attempt to rewrite 'I Am The Walrus' interspersed with a piano break reminiscent of 'Something In The Air'.[2]

— Roland Orzabal

In addition to the mentioned references, the song also quotes the guitar riff from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". The chorus line was already hinted at in the Tears for Fears cover of "Ashes to Ashes".[3] The sample of a train announcer saying "Last train to Norwich" that runs through "Schrodinger's Cat" appeared again on the song "Master Plan".[4]

The song "Bloodletting Go" is one of the first songs written by Orzabal and Griffiths.[5] Both songs were later included on the B-sides compilation Saturnine Martial & Lunatic.

Music video[edit]

The music video shows Orzabal, Griffiths, and Gail Ann Dorsey (who joined Tears for Fears as a touring member) performing the song on the desert El Mirage Lake, California, where the "Break It Down Again" single and the Elemental album covers were taken. The video was directed by Dani Jacobs.

Track listings[edit]

7-inch single[6]

1. "Break It Down Again"
2. "Bloodletting Go" (Roland Orzabal, Alan Griffiths)

UK CD single[7]

1. "Break It Down Again"
2. "Bloodletting Go" (Orzabal, Griffiths)
3. "Schrodinger's Cat" (Orzabal, Griffiths)
4. "Break It Down Again" (karaoke version)

Charts[edit]

See also[edit]

• List of Billboard number-one alternative singles of the 1990s

References[edit]

1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 15 May 1993. p. 23.
2. ^ "memories fade dot com - Schrodinger's Cat Lyrics". 4 August 2009. Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
3. ^ "memories fade dot com - Tears For Fears FAQ: 7. Mystery Lyrics". memoriesfade.com. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
4. ^ Twitter https://twitter.com/curtsmith/status/1499154456390160386. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
5. ^ "memories fade dot com - Bloodletting Go Lyrics". 4 August 2009. Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
6. ^ Break It Down Again (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Tears for Fears. Mercury Records. 1993. IDEA 18, 862 110-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. ^ Break It Down Again (UK CD single liner notes). Tears for Fears. Mercury Records. 1993. IDECD 18, 862 331-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
9. ^ "Tears for Fears – Break It Down Again" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2207." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
11. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2271." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
12. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 26. 26 June 1993. p. 27. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
13. ^ "Tears for Fears – Break It Down Again" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
14. ^ "Tears for Fears – Break It Down Again" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
15. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (22.–28. Júlí)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 22 July 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
16. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 33. 14 August 1993. p. 16. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 26, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
18. ^ "Tears for Fears – Break It Down Again" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
20. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
21. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
22. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
23. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
24. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
25. ^ "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 January 1994. p. 16. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
26. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1993". Archived from the original on 10 November 2006. Retrieved 27 August 2010.