Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Tears for Fears, and Widescreen Synth Pop

If you want to support me making more videos on the music theory, history, and techniques behind classic pop songs, check out my Patreon at   / howpopmusicworks  . It's 1985, and Tears for Fears have turned a "throwaway" loop of two chords into a massive hit song. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" combines big hooks, anthemic 80s production, and then-cutting edge synthesizers and drum machines with minimalist pop songwriting built around recurring motifs. In this video, I talk about why those two main chords are so special. I also reveal: why the verse melody is constantly pulling the listener towards the chorus; how the chorus uses changes in harmonic rhythm to accelerate towards the refrain; how the chorus melody shares a motif with the verses; and how the song delays a melodic payoff by avoiding the tonic until the very end of the refrain.