Tears For Fears – The Hurting

It was one of the first albums I played all the time. I borrowed it from a friend and was really drawn by the artwork. ‘Mad World’ – that’s me! Yes, it’s a crazy mad world. Somebody was saying how mad the world was and it shaped me when I was very young.

I learned that their band name came from a book called Prisoners Of Pain by Dr. Arthur Janov, detailing how you can manage your emotions. I went to Rugby Library to search for it and read it. I was really into psychology – these kind of ‘what am I doing in the world’ kind of books. Whilst other kids were going out, I was in my bedroom with my headphones on reading this book! I then realised that The Hurting is a concept album. One of the tracks is named after the book, and one was named ‘Suffer The Children’.

I felt like we were treated like kids, but I felt like a mini adult. I had my own mind, I wasn’t allowed to go out to gigs, I didn’t know if I was English or Indian, I felt suffocated. Reading Prisoners Of Pain taught me so much about psychology and philosophy, and I thought ‘They’ve actually turned this book into an album!’ I once wrote into Radio 6 Music after they asked for stories about The Hurting. I said I thought it was the first concept album, but that nobody talks about it. They got back in touch to interview me, but I missed it because I was vacuuming the flat!

Tears For Fears really shaped that young, impressionable Vinita. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to wonder what you’re doing in the world.