Tears For Fears, Sowing The Seeds Of Love | Throwback Vibez

In the 12^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2026), we recollect and reflect on “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” by Tears For Fears.

Can you feel those vibes, those surefire Throwback Vibez?! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past. Ah, there is nothing like a good oldie to get you fired up! The records featured in this column feature gems from the 20^th century, with a few exceptions. All genres of music are welcome. In the 12^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2026), we recollect and reflect on “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” performed by Tears For Fears.

Flowers, love… word. Tears For Fears – Curt Smith (b. 1961) and Roland Orzabal (b. 1961) – have a lot of big ones. By big ones, I mean big hits.  Yes, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is the crown jewel, but “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” marks another gem from the English pop/rock band’s catalog. “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” is the third track from the duo’s 1989 album, The Seeds of Love. Smith and Orzabal composed it and produced it with David Bascombe (b. 1959). “Sowing The Seeds of Love” peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.  While none of Tears For Fears’s music has been nominated for a Grammy, Bascombe, Smith, and Orzabal were nominated for their sole Grammy for Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical) at the 32nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, which would be associated with their The Seeds of Love LP.

“Sowing The Seeds Of Love” is a gargantuan recording. It commences enigmatically with unique sound effects. These effects segue into a loud and totally ‘rad’ drum run.  This is the first hint that “Sowing” is epic to the nth degree.  This is progressive 1980s pop/rock at its finest. Following the unusual start, the record settles in with an infectious groove. It cannot be overstated that the big sounds within the musical accompaniment play a crucial role throughout. Beyond the standard rhythm section, there is lots of keyboard, including organ (Ian Stanley), and programming.  Beyond the intricate arrangement, there is an intriguing harmonic progression, as well as key modulation.  Music theory isn’t the only thing that pops about “Sowing.” Roland Orzabal brings it with his powerful lead vocals. Curt Smith also sings, primarily during the choruses as well as the second bridge.  The songwriting is poetic and thought-provoking from start to finish. “Could you be, could you be squeaky clean / And smash any hope of democracy?” Orzabal sings, and continues, “As the headline says you’re free to choose / There’s egg on your face and mud on your shoes / One of these days they’re gonna call it the blues, yeah, yeah.” Yeah, indeed! The chorus, slightly varied each time, is quite memorable, where those seeds of love are, indeed, sown! 

“Sowing the seeds of love, seeds of love
Anything is possible when you’re sowing the seeds of love
Sowing the seeds
Sowing the seeds of love.”

Beyond three intriguing verses and multiple choruses, there is a pair of bridges, including the first, where Orzabal asserts, “Feel the pain, talk about it / If you’re a worried man, then shout about it.” All in all, “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” is quite the illustrious musical trip. A lot is going on, and much meaningful analysis could be made about the song. The complexity and the depth of the music are part of the charm and intrigue of this track. A classic? You bet! 

---

Tears For Fears » The Seeds of Love » Mercury Records Limited » 1989

Tears For Fears, Sowing The Seeds Of Love: Throwback Vibez No. 12 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Mercury Records Limited; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Gordon Johnson, schubinger from Pixabay]

---