"Suffer the Children" is a song by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

band

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...

. Written and sung by

Roland Orzabal Roland Orzabal (born Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana; 22 August 1961) is a British musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and author. He is best known as a co-founder of Tears for Fears, of which he is the main songwriter and joint v ...

and released in October 1981, it was the band's first release, recorded shortly after the break-up of Orzabal and Curt Smith's previous band Graduate. The original single was produced by David Lord and recorded at his own facility, Crescent Studios in

Bath, England Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the ceremonial counties of England, county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 1 ...

. The song would eventually be re-recorded for inclusion on Tears for Fears' debut LP ''

The Hurting ''The Hurting'' is the debut studio album by British new wave band Tears for Fears, released on 7 March 1983. The album peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in its second week of release, and was certified Gold by the BPI within three weeks o ...

'' (1983), this time produced by Chris Hughes and Ross Cullum.

Origins and production

Along with "

Pale Shelter "Pale Shelter" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was originally the band's second single release in early 1982. The original version of the song, entitled "Pale Shelter ( ...

", "Suffer the Children" was one of two

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

songs that landed Tears for Fears their first record deal with

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in 1981. According to Orzabal: The song was later re-recorded by producers Chris Hughes and Ross Cullum for inclusion on the band's debut album ''The Hurting'' in 1983. This recording is distinct from the original 7" version by the subtraction of an extra Curt Smith-sung lyric at the beginning of the song. Both the original version and re-recording of the song notably feature Orzabal's wife Caroline on a "child vocal" during the

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Release and reissue

"Suffer The Children" was released as a United Kingdom-only single in both 7" and 12" formats. The 7" features the original recording of the song, while the 12" features both

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

and instrumental versions. Both formats featured a short B-side, "Wino", which, minus synthesizers or production of any sort, was uncharacteristic of the band's body of work at the time. Despite being added to the playlists of influential

Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...

disc jockeys

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

and Peter Powell, the single failed to chart. In 1985, following the massive success of the band's second album ''

Songs from the Big Chair ''Songs from the Big Chair'' is the second studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records. The album peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in the US, becoming a multi-platinum s ...

'',

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reissued the single complete with a new variation of the original picture sleeve. Featuring the same formats and track listings as the original 1981 release, the single was moderately successful, barely missing the

UK Top 50 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. No music video was produced for the song. All three original single variations of "Suffer the Children" (plus "Wino") remained unreleased on compact disc until the 30th anniversary reissue of ''The Hurting'' in 2013.

Reception

Sunie Fletcher of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' called the song an " OMD-ish ditty", adding, "I don't doubt their sincerity, but kind thoughts do not a pop song make, nor well-meant words a hit. Still, it makes a change from exegesis."

Track listings

7": Mercury / IDEA1 (

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

) # "Suffer the Children" (3:36) # "Wino" (2:17) 12": Mercury / IDEA12 (United Kingdom) # "Suffer the Children emix (4:15) # "Suffer the Children nstrumental (4:26) # "Wino" (2:17)

Chart positions

Other appearances

Having often cited Tears for Fears as an influence in interviews, British synthpop act

La Roux La Roux ( ) is an English synthpop act formed in 2008 by singer Elly Jackson and record producer Ben Langmaid. The act's debut album ''La Roux'' (2009) was a critical and commercial success, winning a Grammy Award and producing hit singles suc ...

incorporated "Suffer the Children" into their mix compilation '' Sidetracked'' in 2010. In 2018, the Greek duo

Marsheaux Marsheaux is a Greek synthpop duo formed in Athens in 2003. The group is composed of vocalists, songwriters and keyboardists Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou. The name Marsheaux is derived from the first syllable of each band member's ...

covered "Suffer the Children" as contribution to a 2-CD various artists compilation album called ''The Electricity Club''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suffer The Children (Song) Songs about children Tears for Fears songs 1981 debut singles Songs written by Roland Orzabal Song recordings produced by Ross Cullum Song recordings produced by Chris Hughes (record producer) 1981 songs