Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Full Video)

What this video is

Released in March 1985, 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' arrived at the precise apex of the second British Invasion, when MTV had become the dominant tastemaker in American popular music. The video's Southern California road-trip aesthetic strategically mirrored American iconography back at its own audience, facilitating the song's climb to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1985. Thematically, the track…

Why it matters

A landmark of mid-80s new wave and synth-pop, the track synthesized the angular post-punk energy of early Tears for Fears with a more accessible, American-radio-friendly shuffle groove. Its success — No.1 in the US, No.2 in the UK, and gold certifications in multiple territories — helped define…

The director

Nigel Dick is a British music video director who became one of the most prolific and commercially successful directors of the MTV era. He directed multiple Tears for Fears videos and later directed Britney Spears' 'Baby One More Time' and the charity single…