Ever since the dawn of MTV and Friday Night Videos, the music video has significantly impacted musical tastes and pop culture. It might not be as extreme as when the Buggles declared that "Video Killed the Radio Star", but there is no arguing that the music video certainly could make or break a song's popularity. So this regular Flashback Video feature will serve to remember some of the music videos from the great '80s decade that made an impact on me in one way or another.
This issue we will cover "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. This was the second single released in the U.S. from the band's second album, Songs From the Big Chair, in March of 1985. It was hugely successful spending two weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of 1985. In the U.S., it also reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance and #2 on the Adult Contemporary charts while seeing international success reaching the top 2 in at least six other countries. It is one of my favorite songs of the entire decade.
The music video for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was directed by Nigel Dick who was one of the most prolific in that arena starting back in the mid-80s and then into the '90s and really still today. He really got his start working with Tears For Fears on videos for hits "Shout" and "Head Over Heals" in addition to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". He also directed videos for the 1984 Band Aid charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas", Howard Jones "Things Can Only Get Better" and several others before working extensively with Guns N' Roses on hit videos for "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City", "Sweet Child 'o Mine" and "Patience". He has gone on to direct over 500 music videos in total.
The video features bassist Curt Smith, who sings lead vocal on this track, driving an antique 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 sports car around Southern California including Los Angeles, Salton Sea desert and Cabazon. That is intercut with shots of the band performing the song in a London studio. I am not sure what connection the imagery has with the lyrics or meaning of the song, but it is interesting that they chose to shoot it in California when they really had not broken through all the way in the U.S. until after this album came out. Here is the music video for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears...
Along with "Shout", the "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" video really helped establish Tears for Fears in the U.S. due to its heavy rotation on MTV. I also love 1985's Real Genius and that they used this song for the film's ending as well. They could have used this as the music video as far as I am concerned...
Hope you enjoyed another trip back to the '80s thanks to Flashback Video!