Song of the Day 10/3: Tears for Fears, “Sowing the Seeds of Love”

I’ve heard this No. 2 hit from 1989 in random places a couple of times lately, and though “Sowing the Seeds of Love” wears its psychedelic-era Beatles influences like a paisley-pattern Nehru jacket, its preposterous optimism does lift the spirits in these Trump-tainted times.

Maybe that’s not an accident. Roland Olazabel wrote this in the gloomy wake of the UK’s 1987 general election, which handed Margaret Thatcher her third term as Prime Minister; she’s the target of the line “politician granny with your high ideals, have you no idea how the majority feels?” Though Olazabel had never written anything political previously, he also took a swipe at Paul Weller – “kick out the style, bring back the jam” – for dropping the leftist politics of The Jam for the smoother, more commercial Style Council.

The song topped the charts in the UK but was kept from the top spot in Billboard by a forgettable Janet Jackson dance track. It was the last hurrah for Tears for Fears, as co-founder Curt Smith left as his contributions diminished – he sang lead on only one song on “Seeds of Love.” The duo reunited about 20 years ago and finally released an album of new material in 2022.

A footnote Mike Dinsmore will like: Hearing the old folk ballad “Seeds of Love” sung by a gardener named John England in 1903 set folk song collector Cecil Sharp on his career path and led to the 20th century revival of folk music in Britain.