1985 Rock Classic, Once Banned From Radio Play, Named 'One of the Greatest Songs of the 80s'
In 1985, English pop rock band Tears for Fearsreleased their second album, Songs from the Big Chair . Following up on the decent success of their debut, The Hurting , the Bath-based band shifted away from the somber tones of songs like "Mad World" to a more bright, accessible sound. The result was a hit, praised by critics and climbing to lofty spots on the best-seller charts, fueled by two number one singles: "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". The latter is perhaps the band's most lasting work, and considered one of the greatest songs of the 1980s .
The track uses an unusual 12/8 time signature to give the rhythm an iconic shuffle groove, a bouncy beat that belies the melancholy lyrics about the state of the world in the middle of the Cold War. Pitchfork , who also called the track one of the decade's greatest songs , said the song had Tears For Fears' "maddened disdain filtered through a beat you could actually dance to", and praising the song for enduring to be a favorite over four decades since its release. It's hardly a surprise that Paste named "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" the 4th best song of the 80s .
The BBC Once Banned The Song During The Gulf War
The song's lyrics are attacks on many faults the band saw in the political climate of the 1980s and the Cold War, with lines such as "Even while you sleep / We will find you", and "Acting on your best behavior / Turn your back on Mother Nature". In 1990, five years after the song's release, the First Persian Gulf War broke out. The BBC decided to ban 67 songs from radio airplay during the war, and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" made the cut. The combination of these biting, politically conscious lyrics with its soothing layers of synths over the shuffle beat have made the song an all-time classic, and one of the best songs ever recorded .
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Sep 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
