Further Listening

The Hurting

MERCURY, 1983

ears for Fears’ debut album arrived at the height of the early 1980s synthpop movement that included British acts such as the Human League, Depeche Mode focused on childhood trauma—the result of the duo’s interest in the writings of Dr. Arthur Janov, a psychologist who popularized the idea of primal therapy. The album turned out to be a success in the U.K., yielding the hit songs “Pale Shelter,” “Change” and the now-classic “Mad World.”