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Sowing the Seeds of Love

April 15, 2023

"Sowing the Seeds of Love" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears. It was released in August 1989 as the first single from their third studio album, The Seeds of Love (1989).

"Sowing the Seeds of Love"
Single by Tears for Fears
from the album The Seeds of Love
B-side"Tears Roll Down"
Released21 August 1989 (1989-08-21)[1]
GenrePsychedelic pop[2]
Length
  • 6:19 (album version)
  • 5:48 (single edit)
  • 4:04 (US radio edit)
LabelFontana
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Tears for Fears
  • Dave Bascombe
Tears for Fears singles chronology
"Mothers Talk (US Remix)"
(1986) 		"Sowing the Seeds of Love"
(1989) 		"Woman in Chains"
(1989)

The song was a worldwide hit, topping the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and reaching the top ten in Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and on the European Hot 100. In the United States, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their fourth and last top 10 hit. It also reached No. 1 on both the Modern Rock Tracks chart and the Cash Box Top 100.

Background

The song incorporates a number of musical styles and recording techniques, with a number of reviewers considering it a pastiche of the Beatles, produced in a tempo and style reminiscent of their late 1960s output, even for the use of a brief trumpet line very similar to the one that can be heard in "Penny Lane".[3] It was written in June 1987, during the week of the UK General Election in which Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party won a third consecutive term in office. The election prompted Roland Orzabal to take an interest in politics, with a special interest in socialism. At the time of its release, he considered this to be the most overtly political song that Tears for Fears had ever recorded. The lyrics refer to Thatcher's election win with "Politician granny with your high ideals, have you no idea how the majority feels?"

Elsewhere, the song takes a dig at fellow musician Paul Weller with the line "Kick out the style, bring back The Jam" (Weller was performing with The Style Council at the time).

The song's title was inspired by a radio programme that Orzabal had heard at the time about folk song collector Cecil Sharp. One of the songs was called "The Seeds of Love", which Sharp learned from a gardener called Mr. England (reflected in the lyric "Mr. England sowing the seeds of love").[4] in 1903. Sharp overheard John England singing the song, and was inspired to look more deeply into English traditional songs. The Seeds of Love was therefore the first song that Sharp collected, and the one that sparked the English folk song revival. [5]

Critical reception

David Giles from Music Week wrote, "They've pulled out all the stops here. There seems to be three or four different songs all competing for prominence, but it's the full-blown rousing chorus that wins through, and don't be surprised to see it hurtling number one-wards."[6]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Sowing the Seeds of Love" was directed by Jim Blashfield, who had already made acclaimed videos for Joni Mitchell ("Good Friends"), Paul Simon ("The Boy in the Bubble") and Michael Jackson ("Leave Me Alone"). Joanna Priestley directed the "Joan Miró" section of the video for Jim Blashfield and Associates. It was animated with pencil on paper, transferred to punched acetate sheets and painted with Cel Vinyl acrylic paints.[7] The video won two awards at the MTV Music Video Awards: Best Breakthrough Video and Best Special Effects. It was also nominated in the "Best Group Video" and "Best Postmodern Video" categories.[8]

Release

The single was released on multiple formats, including a 7-inch single, a 12-inch single, a 12-inch picture disc, a cassette single, and a CD single.

Track listings

  1. "Sowing the Seeds of Love" (7-inch version)
  2. "Tears Roll Down"
  • UK 12-inch and European CD single[11][12]
  1. "Sowing the Seeds of Love (full version)
  2. "Tears Roll Down"
  3. "Shout" (U.S. remix)

Note: The B-side track "Tears Roll Down" is an early, mostly instrumental version of "Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)", which was released as a single in 1992 and included on the band's greatest hits album of the same name.

Charts

See also

References

  1. ^ "News" (PDF). Record Mirror. 19 August 1989. p. 4. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  2. ^ Deggans, Eric (1998). "Tears for Fears". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 1128.
  3. ^ Stephen Holden (21 February 1990). "Disciples of the Beatles". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
  4. ^ Thrills, Adrian (1990). Tears for Fears – The Seeds of Love. London, UK: Virgin Books. ISBN 0-86369-329-6.
  5. ^ bibleofbritishtaste. "How Cecil Sharp sowed the seeds of love". Bible of British Taste. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  6. ^ Giles, David (2 September 1989). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 23. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Hiroshima 2014 International Jury". hiroanim.org. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  8. ^ MTV - Video Awards (1990)
  9. ^ Sowing the Seeds of Love (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Tears for Fears. Fontana Records. 1989. IDEAG 12, 874 996-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Sowing the Seeds of Love (UK cassette single sleeve). Tears for Fears. Fontana Records. 1989. IDMC 12, 874 710-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Sowing the Seeds of Love (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Tears for Fears. Fontana Records. 1989. IDEAT 12, 874 711-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Sowing the Seeds of Love (UK CD single liner notes). Tears for Fears. Fontana Records. 1989. IDCD 12, 874 711-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  14. ^ "Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  15. ^ "Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  16. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6592." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  17. ^ "RPM 30 Retail Singles". RPM. Vol. 51, no. 2. 11 November 1989. p. 22. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  18. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 40. 7 October 1989. p. IV. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  19. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  20. ^ "Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love" (in French). Les classement single.
  21. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sowing the Seeds of Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 46. 18 November 1989. p. VII. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  23. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Tears for Fears" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  24. ^ "Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love". Top 40 Singles.
  26. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  27. ^ "Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love". Singles Top 100.
  28. ^ "Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love". Swiss Singles Chart.
  29. ^ "Tears for Fears: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  31. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  32. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  35. ^ "Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LIII, no. 17. 4 November 1989. p. 15. ISSN 0008-7289 – via World Radio History.
  36. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tears for Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love". GfK Entertainment charts.
  37. ^ "Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – 1989". ARIA. Retrieved 7 January 2020 – via Imgur.
  38. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1989 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  39. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '89". RPM. Vol. 51, no. 8. 23 December 1989. p. 8. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  40. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 – 1989" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 51. 23 December 1989. p. 6. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  41. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  42. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  43. ^ "Year End Singles" (PDF). Record Mirror. 27 January 1990. p. 44. ISSN 0144-5804 – via World Radio History.
  44. ^ . Billboard. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  45. ^ a b "1989 The Year in Music – Top Album Rock Tracks / Top Modern Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 51. 23 December 1989. p. Y-58. ISSN 0006-2510 – via World Radio History.
  46. ^ "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1989 – Top 50 Pop Singles". Cash Box. 30 December 1989. Retrieved 20 July 2022.

April 15, 2023
sowing, seeds, love, song, english, rock, band, tears, fears, released, august, 1989, first, single, from, their, third, studio, album, seeds, love, 1989, single, tears, fearsfrom, album, seeds, loveb, side, tears, roll, down, released21, august, 1989, 1989, g. Sowing the Seeds of Love is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears It was released in August 1989 as the first single from their third studio album The Seeds of Love 1989 Sowing the Seeds of Love Single by Tears for Fearsfrom the album The Seeds of LoveB side Tears Roll Down Released21 August 1989 1989 08 21 1 GenrePsychedelic pop 2 Length6 19 album version 5 48 single edit 4 04 US radio edit LabelFontanaSongwriter s Roland Orzabal Curt SmithProducer s Tears for Fears Dave BascombeTears for Fears singles chronology Mothers Talk US Remix 1986 Sowing the Seeds of Love 1989 Woman in Chains 1989 The song was a worldwide hit topping the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and reaching the top ten in Ireland Italy the Netherlands New Zealand Spain Sweden United Kingdom and on the European Hot 100 In the United States it reached No 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming their fourth and last top 10 hit It also reached No 1 on both the Modern Rock Tracks chart and the Cash Box Top 100 Contents 1 Background 2 Critical reception 3 Music video 4 Release 4 1 Track listings 5 Charts 5 1 Weekly charts 5 2 Year end charts 6 See also 7 ReferencesBackground EditThe song incorporates a number of musical styles and recording techniques with a number of reviewers considering it a pastiche of the Beatles produced in a tempo and style reminiscent of their late 1960s output even for the use of a brief trumpet line very similar to the one that can be heard in Penny Lane 3 It was written in June 1987 during the week of the UK General Election in which Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party won a third consecutive term in office The election prompted Roland Orzabal to take an interest in politics with a special interest in socialism At the time of its release he considered this to be the most overtly political song that Tears for Fears had ever recorded The lyrics refer to Thatcher s election win with Politician granny with your high ideals have you no idea how the majority feels Elsewhere the song takes a dig at fellow musician Paul Weller with the line Kick out the style bring back The Jam Weller was performing with The Style Council at the time The song s title was inspired by a radio programme that Orzabal had heard at the time about folk song collector Cecil Sharp One of the songs was called The Seeds of Love which Sharp learned from a gardener called Mr England reflected in the lyric Mr England sowing the seeds of love 4 in 1903 Sharp overheard John England singing the song and was inspired to look more deeply into English traditional songs The Seeds of Love was therefore the first song that Sharp collected and the one that sparked the English folk song revival 5 Critical reception EditDavid Giles from Music Week wrote They ve pulled out all the stops here There seems to be three or four different songs all competing for prominence but it s the full blown rousing chorus that wins through and don t be surprised to see it hurtling number one wards 6 Music video EditThe accompanying music video for Sowing the Seeds of Love was directed by Jim Blashfield who had already made acclaimed videos for Joni Mitchell Good Friends Paul Simon The Boy in the Bubble and Michael Jackson Leave Me Alone Joanna Priestley directed the Joan Miro section of the video for Jim Blashfield and Associates It was animated with pencil on paper transferred to punched acetate sheets and painted with Cel Vinyl acrylic paints 7 The video won two awards at the MTV Music Video Awards Best Breakthrough Video and Best Special Effects It was also nominated in the Best Group Video and Best Postmodern Video categories 8 Release EditThe single was released on multiple formats including a 7 inch single a 12 inch single a 12 inch picture disc a cassette single and a CD single Track listings Edit 7 inch and cassette single 9 10 Sowing the Seeds of Love 7 inch version Tears Roll Down UK 12 inch and European CD single 11 12 Sowing the Seeds of Love full version Tears Roll Down Shout U S remix Note The B side track Tears Roll Down is an early mostly instrumental version of Laid So Low Tears Roll Down which was released as a single in 1992 and included on the band s greatest hits album of the same name Charts EditWeekly charts Edit Weekly chart performance for Sowing the Seeds of Love Chart 1989 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 13 13Austria O3 Austria Top 40 14 17Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 15 11Canada Top Singles RPM 16 1Canada Retail Singles RPM 17 5Europe Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 18 10Finland Suomen virallinen lista 19 19France SNEP 20 18Ireland IRMA 21 4Italy Musica e dischi 22 2Netherlands Dutch Top 40 23 3Netherlands Single Top 100 24 3New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 25 4Spain AFYVE 26 8Sweden Sverigetopplistan 27 8Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 28 11UK Singles OCC 29 5US Billboard Hot 100 30 2US Adult Contemporary Billboard 31 29US Alternative Airplay Billboard 32 1US Dance Singles Sales Billboard 33 41US Mainstream Rock Billboard 34 4US Cash Box Top 100 35 1West Germany Official German Charts 36 11 Year end charts Edit Year end chart performance for Sowing the Seeds of Love Chart 1989 PositionAustralia ARIA 37 91Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 38 63Canada Top Singles RPM 39 4Europe Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 40 39Netherlands Dutch Top 40 41 31Netherlands Single Top 100 42 39UK Singles Gallup 43 76US Billboard Hot 100 44 58US Alternative Airplay Billboard 45 30US Mainstream Rock Billboard 45 49US Cash Box Top 100 46 26See also EditList of RPM number one singles of 1989 List of Billboard number one alternative singles of the 1980sReferences Edit News PDF Record Mirror 19 August 1989 p 4 Retrieved 15 July 2022 Deggans Eric 1998 Tears for Fears In Graff Gary Durchholz Daniel eds MusicHound Rock The Essential Album Guide Detroit Visible Ink Press p 1128 Stephen Holden 21 February 1990 Disciples of the Beatles The New York Times Retrieved 31 July 2008 Thrills Adrian 1990 Tears for Fears The Seeds of Love London UK Virgin Books ISBN 0 86369 329 6 bibleofbritishtaste How Cecil Sharp sowed the seeds of love Bible of British Taste Retrieved 7 June 2022 Giles David 2 September 1989 Singles PDF Music Week p 23 Retrieved 13 March 2023 Hiroshima 2014 International Jury hiroanim org Retrieved 21 August 2014 MTV Video Awards 1990 Sowing the Seeds of Love UK 7 inch single sleeve Tears for Fears Fontana Records 1989 IDEAG 12 874 996 7 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Sowing the Seeds of Love UK cassette single sleeve Tears for Fears Fontana Records 1989 IDMC 12 874 710 4 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Sowing the Seeds of Love UK 12 inch single sleeve Tears for Fears Fontana Records 1989 IDEAT 12 874 711 1 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Sowing the Seeds of Love UK CD single liner notes Tears for Fears Fontana Records 1989 IDCD 12 874 711 2 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love ARIA Top 50 Singles Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love in German O3 Austria Top 40 Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love in Dutch Ultratop 50 Top RPM Singles Issue 6592 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 30 September 2020 RPM 30 Retail Singles RPM Vol 51 no 2 11 November 1989 p 22 ISSN 0033 7064 via Library and Archives Canada Eurochart Hot 100 Singles PDF Music amp Media Vol 6 no 40 7 October 1989 p IV OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History Pennanen Timo 2006 Sisaltaa hitin levyt ja esittajat Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 in Finnish 1st ed Helsinki Tammi ISBN 978 951 1 21053 5 Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love in French Les classement single The Irish Charts Search Results Sowing the Seeds of Love Irish Singles Chart Retrieved 30 September 2020 Top 3 Singles in Europe PDF Music amp Media Vol 6 no 46 18 November 1989 p VII OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History Nederlandse Top 40 Tears for Fears in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved 30 September 2020 Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love Top 40 Singles Salaverri Fernando September 2005 Solo exitos ano a ano 1959 2002 in Spanish 1st ed Madrid Fundacion Autor SGAE ISBN 84 8048 639 2 Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love Singles Top 100 Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love Swiss Singles Chart Tears for Fears Artist Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved 20 July 2022 Tears for Fears Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved 20 July 2022 Tears for Fears Chart History Adult Contemporary Billboard Retrieved 20 July 2022 Tears for Fears Chart History Alternative Airplay Billboard Retrieved 20 July 2022 Tears for Fears Chart History Dance Singles Sales Billboard Retrieved 20 July 2022 Tears for Fears Chart History Mainstream Rock Billboard Retrieved 20 July 2022 Top 100 Singles PDF Cash Box Vol LIII no 17 4 November 1989 p 15 ISSN 0008 7289 via World Radio History Offiziellecharts de Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love GfK Entertainment charts Australian Top 100 Singles Chart 1989 ARIA Retrieved 7 January 2020 via Imgur Jaaroverzichten 1989 Singles in Dutch Ultratop Retrieved 30 September 2020 Top 100 Singles of 89 RPM Vol 51 no 8 23 December 1989 p 8 ISSN 0033 7064 via Library and Archives Canada Eurochart Hot 100 1989 PDF Music amp Media Vol 6 no 51 23 December 1989 p 6 OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History Top 100 Jaaroverzicht van 1989 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 15 March 2021 Jaaroverzichten Single 1989 in Dutch Dutch Charts Retrieved 30 September 2020 Year End Singles PDF Record Mirror 27 January 1990 p 44 ISSN 0144 5804 via World Radio History Hot 100 Songs Year End 1989 Billboard Archived from the original on 8 May 2021 Retrieved 20 July 2022 a b 1989 The Year in Music Top Album Rock Tracks Top Modern Rock Tracks PDF Billboard Vol 101 no 51 23 December 1989 p Y 58 ISSN 0006 2510 via World Radio History The Cash Box Year End Charts 1989 Top 50 Pop Singles Cash Box 30 December 1989 Retrieved 20 July 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sowing the Seeds of Love amp oldid 1146900321, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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