English teacher Terence Fitzgerald is currently listening to “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears.
“For my gifted certification I had to write about a film that displays gifted children, and ‘Real Genius,’ a film from 1985, [played] that song and it got me to listen to it again,” Fitzgerald said. “I wrote about that movie and I listened to that song, so now it’s kicking around in my head.”
The song carries the quintessential ‘80s tone, mixing a classic synth aura with orchestral echoes. Through the lyrics, the song demonstrates a criticism of ambitions and human desire for power.
“It’s almost eerily cheerful, and that makes what he’s saying even more poignant,” Fitzgerald said.
Tears for Fears debuted in 1983 with their album “The Hurting.” Other popular Tears for Fears songs include “Pale Shelter” and “Head Over Heels.”
“They’re one of the best bands… I’m waiting for Tears for Fears to be discovered by your generation,” Fitzgerald said. “I think there’s an untapped well in the ‘80s and that is ‘80s pop, like Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, and Boy George, that I think speaks to your generation.”