Tears for Fears, “Head Over Heels”

Ah, pure fucking perfection (I apologize for the sudden increase in my usage of f-bombs, but there is too much passion when it comes to certain things in Little Star’s life).   Remember that mix-in of high pitch singing I recognized in the previous post- which is a staple to good 80s music?  Well “Head Over Heels”  is the epitome of that.  If you thought I loved Level 42, you should see my face light up with this song; as soon as I hear that all too familiar keyboard start to play.

“I wanted to be with you alone, and talk about the weather.”

WHERE ARE LYRICS LIKE THIS NOW?   I’ll tell you- they don’t exist.  People are singing about sex, sex, and sex.  Not to say they weren’t singing about sex in the 80s, but not in the vulgar fashion they are now.  The first line of this song is one of my favorite lines ever.  Gentlemen, there is no faster way to get panties dropping than to send your love interest flowers with a simple handwritten note:  “I want to be with you alone.  And talk about the weather.”   It is so pure and beautiful.  When you show someone that is simply all you need, all you want- you are bound to get a whole lot more.

Its been years and I can’t figure out exactly what this song in its entirety is about.  But I love it.  I love the original lyrics (if I have to hear ‘heart’ rhyming with ‘apart’ one more time in any song…), I love the lead singer’s voice, I love the hauntingly beautiful music, I love the quotable lyrics (“But traditions I can trace against the child in your face”, “You keep your distance via the system of touch”, “Don’t take my heart, don’t break my heart, don’t throw it away”, “With one foot in the past now just how long will it last?”, “It’s hard to be a man when there’s a gun in your hand”, “This is my four leaf clover”) despite the fact I don’t understand what they mean when they all come together.  My guess is it’s about a love that he knows ultimately isn’t going to work out.

I also want to give a shout out to the movie Donnie Darko, I first saw this film about 5 years ago, and I still don’t understand what the hell the movie is about (just like this song) but I flipped the fuck out when all of a sudden “Head Over Heels”  started playing.  The way the director played THIS song, MY song- was unlike any other song in the movie (which are all classics by the way, the soundtrack is GREAT)- it wasn’t just a background song to a scene, he put this in to almost make a mini-music video within the movie.  Awesome.  I have included for your viewing and listening pleasure.

xo, Star