SONG PICK: Tears For Fears - No Small Thing (Video)
What begins as maybe a little campfire ditty, with simple guitar strumming and lyrics like “I just have one more song to sing, one more story to tell,” develops into something big and grande and absolutely irresistible. I am biased, no doubt, with Tears For Fears being among my all-time favorite bands, but the allure of “No Small Thing” is… -excuse the pun- no small thing. Tears For Fears’ new single is the brilliant result of two musicians and songwriters who are still at the height of their game and are proving once more that there’s a reason why they are pop music legends.
‘Cause freedom // Is no small thing
We punish the child // For flying too high
For rushing like the wind
Roland Orzabal says about “No Small Thing:”
In early 2020, Curt and I sat down together with just a couple of acoustic guitars. The first time in decades. We needed a meeting of minds, a coming together psychically. We were literally going back to the drawing board looking for some depth, heart and soul with which to complete our album. Curt came up with this simple folk/country riff, a little bit Dylan, a little bit Johnny Cash, and then we were off. It was the complete opposite of what we had been trying to do for many years – searching for the elusive, modern hit single. We felt suddenly unencumbered, free if you like, no longer worrying about the market, about success, but drawing on influences from our childhoods. It was at this point that the whole album started opening up. “No Small Thing” was the key, the thing that turned a red light green.
Curt Smith adds:
“No Small Thing” feels like it could have been a song from a seventies or sixties acoustic folk album with how the track starts. The fact that we felt confident enough to go from there to the end of the song to where it’s just absolute mayhem speaks to that sense of freedom, and that’s our comfort zone musically.
And now it all makes sense. Why they chose “No Small Thing” as the second single to announce the upcoming album The Tipping Point, out February 25, 2022. “No Small Thing” isn’t really your typical hit single, but it is a fantastic song, and only time will tell how much it’ll become a hit. And who cares anyway? The track is gorgeous, and its message is timelessly important.
Listen to “No Small Thing,” our Song Pick of the Day, and also check out the cinematic video, directed and edited by Vern Moen:
Connect with Tears For Fears, and add “The Tipping Point” to your playlist as we are adding it to our #glamglarepick playlist on Spotify and AppleMusic:
Photo credit: Frank W Ockenfels III