If, perchance, you picture villains competing for world domination, what song comes to mind? The odds that it is Tears For Fears’ mid-80s earworm “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” have rocketed with the release of Despicable 4. In the movie, Steve Carell’s Gru and Will Ferrell’s Maxime Le Mal sing the track in a prison scene. Despicable 4 topped the box office in the US when it was released over the 4th of July weekend. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is burrowing into a new generation of ears.
Let’s start with Tears for Fears’ version. This run-through of Everybody Wants to Rule The World is from the band’s February 2022 appearance on SiriusXM to promote their album The Tipping Point. Singer Curt Smith and singer-songwriter-guitarist Roland Orzabal have aged well since their chart-topping heyday. When the maddeningly catchy melody starts, the years slip away.
The comments show the strength of the love for both the band and the song. Christopher Williams states: “I believe this song is the definition of a timeless classic, one of the best songs ever in my opinion.” Quoting the lyrics, George Kar suggests “‘Nothing ever lasts forever’ – except the beauty of this song.” Spaceman refers to Curt Smith: “His voice is still so amazing, 37 years later and old but gold.” A Jang concurs: “Dude’s in his 60s and yet he still sings like he’s in his 20s.”
In a 2017 interview, Orzabal and Smith observed that Everybody Wants to Rule The World was just as poignant as when they wrote it at the height of the Cold War – except the world’s attention had shifted from the US and Russia to the US and North Korea. Russia is back in the headlines, even so, the biggest boost to Everybody Wants to Rule The World’s contemporary resonance is its inclusion in Despicable Me 4. Let’s watch the fun cast version of Tears For Fears’ signature song:
Despicable Me veteran Steve Carell said he found it nearly impossible to work with cast-newcomer Will Ferrell. Ferrell is too funny, he said!
Back in 1985 when they topped the charts, Tears For Fears were unable to appear at Live Aid (some touring members of the band were unavailable). Tears For Fears donated gate money from a string of concerts as compensation. They also released a novelty single for the Band-Aid-linked famine-relief charity, Sports Aid (slogan: I Ran the World). The video for Tears for Fears’ Everybody Wants to Run the World was heavily rotated on MTV and the song went to #5 in the UK.
Regarding the song title, the late great Joe Strummer (who became acquainted with Orzabal and Smith when the duo were in a mod/ska/new wave group called Graduate) bumped into Orzabal in a restaurant in 1988. Strummer claimed a small share of the credit for the success of Everybody Wants To Rule the World. “You owe me a fiver,” he said, noting that the title is a line in the Clash song Charlie Don’t Surf. Orzabal put his hand in his pocket and handed over the cash. As Orzabal knew, “Charlie Don’t Surf” is itself a catchphrase from the movie Apocalypse Now!
How about we finish off with Everybody Wants To Run The World? The video features Midge Ure, Frank Bruno, Duncan Goodhew, Bob Geldof, Tessa Sanderson, Jimmy White, Alex Higgins, Peter Ustinov. Enjoy this time capsule from the mid-1980s:
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