Mothers Talk

"Mothers Talk"
Single by Tears for Fears
from the album Songs from the Big Chair
B-side	"Empire Building" (UK) "Sea Song" (USA)
Released	6 August 1984 (UK) April 1, 1986 (USA)
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	Original: 1984 US Remix: 1986
Genre	New Wave
Length	Original: 3:53 US Remix: 4:14
Label	Phonogram Records Mercury
Writer(s)	Roland Orzabal Ian Stanley
Producer	Chris Hughes
Tears for Fears singles chronology
"The Way You Are" (1983) "Mothers Talk" (1984) "Shout" (1984)
USA Release (1986) US Remix picture sleeve.

"Mothers Talk" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears.

Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal, it was the band's seventh single release (the first taken from their second LP Songs from the Big Chair (1985)) and fifth UK Top 40 chart hit. The song was released well in advance of the LP and showcased the band's edgier sound, as compared to their debut LP The Hurting (1983). It was also a moderate success internationally.

Background

This was a taster for Songs From The Big Chair, the second album, on which we unashamedly tried to become more commercial. I was against it, but I was swayed by some of the people that I was working with. They wanted to come out all guns blazing, but I wasn't ready for that. It was from this point, though, that things really started to explode.

—Roland Orzabal

Along with its b-side "Empire Building", "Mothers Talk" was one of the first Tears for Fears songs to demonstrate a creative use of sampling. The strings at the beginning of the song were culled from a Barry Manilow record, while the drum sample around which "Empire Building" is built was lifted from the Simple Minds song "Today I Died Again". This was the second Tears for Fears single for which Mercury Records would use the picture disc and coloured vinyl gimmicks as a promotional tool, as well as the first one to feature multiple 12" releases offering different remixes of the track.

Meaning

The song stems from two ideas. One is something that mothers say to their children about pulling faces. They say the child will stay like that when the wind changes. The other idea is inspired by the anti-nuclear cartoon book When The Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs.

—Roland Orzabal

^[1]

USA release

While America saw "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" as the first single release from the Songs from the Big Chair LP, "Mothers Talk" was eventually released there as the fourth and final single from the album in April of 1986, peaking at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. This version of the song was completely re-recorded by the band after their Big Chair tour wrapped up and was mixed by award-winning producer Bob Clearmountain. In addition to a different picture sleeve, the single featured a cover of Robert Wyatt's "Sea Song" as the B-side.

Song versions

The 7" version of "Mothers Talk" is the same mix of the song found on the Songs from the Big Chair LP, albeit in an edited form. Prior to the release of the "US Remix", two other remixes of the song were done by the band: the "Extended Version" and the "Beat of the Drum Mix". Each of these was the featured track on its own 12" single, with "Empire Building" serving as the sole b-side in each case.

Music videos

Three separate promotional clips were filmed for the song in total. The original version, a performance clip set in a blue toned room and interspersed with shots of a young girl being studied by scientists, was disliked by the band and quickly disowned. A replacement video (directed by Nigel Dick) was then filmed on a shoestring budget in Curt Smith's backyard. Both clips were released to UK and European markets in mid-1984. The third and final video was made for the "US Remix" of the song in early 1986 and portrayed a family preparing a bomb shelter for nuclear fallout, in keeping with the theme of Raymond Briggs' graphic novel When the Wind Blows. An extended mix of the song, featuring an extra verse at the beginning, is exclusive to this version.

Track listings

7": Mercury / IDEA7 (United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa) / 818 838-7 (Australia, Europe) / 7PP-155 (Japan) "Mothers Talk" (3:53) "Empire Building" (2:49) 7": Mercury / 884 638-7 (United States, Australia, Europe]] / SOV 2366 (Canada) / 7PP-200 (Japan) "Mothers Talk [US Remix]" (4:14) "Sea Song" (3:52) 12": Mercury / IDEA712 (United Kingdom) / 818 838-1 (Europe) "Mothers Talk [Extended Version]" (6:15) "Empire Building" (2:49) 12": Mercury / IDEAR712 (United Kingdom) / 880 248-1 (Australia) / 880 258-1 (Europe) "Mothers Talk [Beat of the Drum Mix]" (8:54) "Empire Building" (2:49)

12": Vertigo / TFF1 (Canada) "Mothers Talk [Short Version]" (3:53) "The Way You Are [Extended Version]" (7:33) "Mothers Talk [Beat of the Drum Mix]" (8:54) "The Marauders" (4:14) "Mothers Talk [Extended Version] (6:15) CS": Vertigo / TFF 4 1 (Canada) "Mothers Talk [Beat Of The Drum Mix]" - 8:54 "The Marauders" - 4:14 "Mothers Talk [Extended Version]" - 6:15 "Mothers Talk" - 3:53 "The Way You Are [Extended Version]" - 7:33 12": Mercury / 884 638-1 (United States, Europe) "Mothers Talk [Beat of the Drum Mix]" (8:54) "Mothers Talk [Extended Version]" (6:15) "Mothers Talk [US Remix]" (4:14) 12": Vertigo / SOVX 2366 (Canada) "Mothers Talk [Beat of the Drum Mix]" (8:54) "Mothers Talk [US Remix]" (4:14) "Sea Song" (3:52)

Chart positions

Chart	Peak Position
UK Singles Chart	14
Irish Singles Chart	23
New Zealand Singles Chart	50
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	27
Canada Singles Chart	87

References

1. ^ Nigel, Dick. "Interview on Scenes from the Big Chair". Phonogram Records. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenes_from_the_Big_Chair.