Reaction to tears for Fears Woman in chains 

One of the most beautiful, powerful songs ever written and performed. Tears for Fears is such a great band. All their songs are great.

Thank you to reacting to this song. It is one of my favorites of Tears for Fears. The guest singer is Oleta Adams. The Tears for Fears guys (Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith) heard her singing and playing piano in a bar in Kansas City, Missouri. They loved what they heard so they wanted to feature her on their next album. She is featured on the album 'The Seeds of Love' (1989), which is where this song is from. She also toured with them and after that began her solo career. This song, 'Woman in Chains' is considered a feminist anthem. The lead singer here (Roland Orzabal) wrote it in response to the troubling ways he saw women treated by some men (his mother included). Personally, I feel the subject matter of this song was way ahead of its time (and especially as it was written by a man).

Phil Collins on drums on this studio track. I went to see Tears for Fears on the "Sowing The Seeds" tour in 1990. I hadn't bought the album yet. Oleta Adams opened the show playing piano and singing "I Believe" and I thought she was the opening act and was doing a cover of a Tears for Fears song. Then Roland Orzabal's voice came in from back stage and I freaked out! The rest of the band came on stage and performed "Head Over Heals" and I knew she was part of the band. Great show!

This is one of the greatest pieces of "pop" ever made. It's perfect, from the lyric to the best power chord ever recorded.

TEARS FOR FEARS ONE OF THE GREATEST BAND EVER

great Oleta... beautiful voice

Thanks for doing this one. I'm not sure I've seen anyone else do this one, and it's a shame because it's beautiful.

"It's under my skin, but out of my hands..." It always make me cry. So beautiful. 😥❤

i’m glad more people are discovering this song it’s one of those songs from the 1980’s that has gotten lost in the shuffle of the decade (Which is a shame) 👍👍👍

one of the greatest songs ever written in my opinion, by one of the greatest bands I've had the pleasure to listen to

I got free... this is my anthom.... I was abused by my husband... it took so long to be free... abrazo desde Ciudad de México

A powerful and beautiful track 👌

Greetings love and respect and appreciation to all women of the world. My mother my sister my wife my daughter 💕

When Roland (lead vocals) wrote this ,he immediately knew it was their zenith of songwriting perfection and everything just clicked. I think they had a session guitarist who created the guitar riff and the band all loved it,built the song around it.

I lived some of this song and wanted to be freed... it took me freeing myself because the condtions I was in was not the definition of love... I cry at the scene where they were sitting at the table because I had an incident almost similar to that... I didn't cook the food that time but food was thrown by my SO at the time... I never knew what would set him off... I and then later our daughter suffered at his hands... that was years ago and it still affects me and we wonder what we did to deserve a fist when all we wanted was love😭😭... I love TFF since I was a teen and always will... thanks for your reaction video

One of my all time favorite songs. Oleta Adams is so under-rated and under appreciated. Her voice is the perfect complement to Roland's with that soulful haunting rhythm section. Beautiful and melodic.

Beautiful song!🥰❤👏

TFF discovered the great Oleta Adams singing at at a piano bar inside the Peppercorn Duck Club at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City. What a true gem they shared with the world.

Tears for Fears were fantastic! So many great songs! Sowing The Seeds Of Love..is another Tears for Fears song l think you would love Pretty Lady! ♥️🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦

Could you react to Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears? The male singer whom you thought had a charming voice is Roland Orzabal, and I think he was pretty attractive 😄

“Somewhere someone is trying to breathe, and you know what I mean.”

It's under my skin but out of my hands. Great lyrics

When I first heard this, it sounded plain compared to their other songs, but something about the message stuck with me. As I heard it again, I began to love it and the intricate subtle details in the song. The more you listen to it, the more beautiful it gets. I later began to love it as it helped me realize the personal prison I was in. I can't listen without crying 😢😢😢

This masterpiece is about the "trauma bond" of an abused woman and her abusive man!

Oleda Adams is the female singer.

Another great tune from their debut album. Songs from the big chair . Is on of those albums that stand the test of time never getting old. This is another song that proves it.

Essa música é tão poderosa , que mesmo ela não sendo do meu tempo mais por meus pais escutarem muito ela não saiu mais da minha cabeça. Eu tenha uns 4 anos na época . Hj tenho 32, e mesmo não entendendo sua letra mais posso sentir e me emocionar . É algo incrível não sei explicar .

Hi there, dear Cynthia ! This song is actually reacted to very rarely, but I like this song very much... as well as your reaction to it. Try "Shout" and "Everybody wants to rule the world" by Tears for fears, these are the two best known songs, and they are both great. And you look wonderful, as always... also with your new hairstyle. :-) I can't wait for your next reaction, it's always wonderful watching you. All the best from Germany : Gerry

"Woman In Chains" works on a couple different levels in this song. First, the girl/woman in the relationship is "in chains" in that she is seen as an object by the men at the dance club and she is also in chains in the demands her lover is making on her. He is obviously upset about how she makes her living. He doesn't want her to be objectified and he wants to keep her "safe". Unfortunately, the downside for her is that she would not have any freedom if she let him control her in that way. Next, "Woman In Chains" also pertains to the man. He is a Boxer and he works in a world of hyper-masculinity and hyper-competition. But, he is also in love with her. So he is struggling with the two sides of his life. What the singers are trying to say is that he also needs to free himself, in his soul, to get in touch with his feminine side and experience some freedom from the weight that can come from trying to make it as a man in a brutal world. At the end of the video, he is caressing a bird (a Dove?) and he is taking it out of its cage, to set it free. That is a metaphor for his own freedom/balance and perhaps of the freedom they both will experience, now that he isn't so fraught with conflict. He is free to love, without fear.

This is so important a song! It says if you have someone trapped let her go.

I could totally understand him exercising and keeping his mind occupied because most people that never been through something like this don't know it's utterly very painful you can literally heal your soul bleeding❣️😥😢😓 For everyone out there listening to this prey you'll never experience something like this it could score you for life No matter how strong you are you will never forget, A broken heart is worse than a physical scar Every time I hear the song I hold back tears😪❣️💔💔💔💔

Love this song! Your reaction is tender. Thanks

they have a lot of great songs. were a huge huge band, both guys have great voices. this song Oleta Adams was a guest singer too.

My basic runthrough of the story shown by the music video is:. The man is a boxer who perhaps is not all that successful so he's not bringing much money home. The woman supports the 2 financially by working as an exotic dancer. The profession of the woman causes friction between the 2 at home on the side of the man, even though it's his fault that she has to take that job to begin with. Iit's not just about the chains we put on others, but also about the chains we put on ourselves. It's about domestic disharmony (violence is at worst implied but never shown directly), and the fact that he is not willing to just push her out the door so that she does not have to go through his problems with what she does to keep food on the table. She won't leave him on her own, and he won't push her away. Basically it's a crap shoot any which way you look at it. People get themselves into bad situations and just fall into acceptance of them rather than working to try something new - because new hard life is often scarier than old hard life. You might say that dependency is a set of chains all by itself. This is not at all a gender specific problem by my life experience.

My favorite Tears for Fears song.

incredible song , reminds me of my parents , for me it was there best song , wish more people would react to this wonderful song

She’s a stripper he’s an abusive boyfriend or husband so the story shows and Oleta Adams has a voice to die for (also Great in Advice for the young at heart) Tears for fears have so many hits and Us Brits certainly had the 80’s Covered But TFF we’re just a little bit more special than the Norm. Great Band great Songs and Roland although a great Singer as was Curt his guitar expertise was highly underrated.

Mother earth is the woman in chains.in a world gone mad.

I think you paid more attention to the video (the animation) than the melody, arrangements and voices. Beautiful song.

I truly understand her many years later my son's mother tried to reconcile and I told her. I no longer use to be the person I used to be.

that beat put me in a sad mood 😥😥

The one band I wish I had seen live when i was a teenager. I've heard and seen their concerts on TV but never live.

Phil Collins isn't in the video, but he did play drums on the recording!!

This song deals with a heavy topic and as so it is not one of those feel good songs we all like. Reading the lyrics along with the song sometime might be a good idea. The song lays out the woman's situation, trapped in an abusive relationship. Fast forward to the end of the song, "So free her", is repeated as a message to get out of that kind of situation and be free of it. I have always liked this song. For a lighter flavor of this band, "Advice For The Young At Heart" is a good choice. "Goodnight Song" is a good choice as well. They have a lot of great music on RU-vid and had some really popular songs others have listed here. One of my favorites is "Working Hour", not one of their most well known song but great just the same. Tears For Fears is not too popular among reactors for some reason, they are great though.

I love Tears For Fears, they have several good songs, their best is "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".. ♠W.G.

This is such a beautiful Song

Another wonderful reaction, Cynthia! I'm sorry I have not commented on the last few reactions. We are having winter storms in Texas and the power has been out in our area. I'm backtracking, though, and am working on catching up! 🙂 Here's to all of your reactions! 🙏🙂❤️

I was not a animal like him but whenever I listen to this song it just makes my soul bleed inside This song is very powerful it reminds me of a very Painful divorce, people just do not realized the tragedy of a separation a divorce could do to a man or a woman I was left scared for many years, This is a very beautiful song unfortunately it just rips me apart🙏

So awesome and beautiful 💕 thumbs up 💯 thanks for sharing your wonderful video new friend here 😊

I always thought the song, not the video, was an indictment of people who exploit women's sexuality

My memory is not clear , I believed that this group was Australian like Inxs ,or Midnight oil , I lost they are English . Very nice song Thank's a lot Cynthia for your reaction

Roland said this was partly about his mum. She was a stripper and she would work all night and when she got home, if Roland's dad found out she had flirted with customers, he would beat her up. She eventually left

Not a huge fan of the album Seeds of Love, but this song alone was worth the purchase. Still hits me right in the heart.

This is up there with "Belfast Child" by Simple minds

Your beautiful Im from philippines

Hi Ambrose,could you react to Zucchero and Pavarotti ,Miserere at the Royal albert Hall? Thankyou

No songs in the last 2, 3 decade can rival Woman In Chain by TFF.

What I actually get here is that she has to strip as the part where the song says “she sells the only thing she owns” is her body. Maybe this is more about men taking ownership of their spouse/partner/girlfriend. No one owns anyone. Mothers don’t “own” their children either. They are loving caring stewards that help to raise and rear a soul that chooses them to protect and love them through their most vulnerable time in life: childhood!!! This forms who they will become in every way, shape, and form!

Some people just don't get art.

Can you please react to Bluezone song called Jackie Please plz

Shes supporting him by stripping while hes trying to make it as a boxer...and hes failing.

This is no criticism of your efforts at all, as you are coming to these songs for the first time, and prior knowledge, I appreciate, would effect your reactions, and it's all about that first response. It's just me I guess, I just prefer reactions in audio only, having the lyrics to refer too is very good too, and then you can interpret the song your own way. This is a wonderful anthem, and in my opinion it is too powerful a message to be reduced to the story of one domestic drama. I believe promo videos for first reactions are a total distraction, however professionally it has been directed, as half way through you were saying, 'Why is he doing that to her?' If a video is needed then a live version would be the better option, or a performance video that only features the musicians, over some film directors own narrative. This video does have some nice ideas, but it is way too story based, making you assume this particular controlling relationship is what the song is specifically about. This scenario is just one aspect of the theme, but the heart of the song is much, much broader in it's statement about men holding back women. For me it covers the whole history of repression; physical, cultural, sexual, political, religious. Thank you for this anyway, channels such as yours are bringing some fantastic music to new generations that may have never experienced these classic tracks without your efforts. Keep them coming. Peace.