Elemental is the fourth studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears,[1][2] released on 7 June 1993 by Mercury Records.

[3] It was the band's first album recorded following the departure of co-founder Curt Smith, with Roland Orzabal assuming sole leadership with the help of additional musicians.

[5] However, despite being released under the Tears for Fears moniker, it is essentially a solo effort by Roland Orzabal, as Curt Smith had left the band in 1991.

For much of the writing and recording of Elemental, Orzabal was assisted by musician Alan Griffiths (1959–2017), a longtime acquaintance who had collaborated with Tears for Fears before.

In early 1983, The Escape signed with Phonogram Records, making the band label-mates with Tears for Fears.

Al was a bit of a genius, able to make musical sketches that were easy to jump off and finish into a song.

Interviewed twenty years after the release of Elemental, Palmer recalled, "In the 80's, [Tears for Fears] had a reputation for spending a lot of time making records, but that's just the way they are.

It was called Neptune's Kitchen, and we used a lot of copper that was doused in acid to look like it's been underwater and all the colors are sort of greens and blues like the sea.

"[14]Palmer enjoyed a good working relationship with Orzabal during the recording sessions for Elemental, recalling, "Roland is very into star signs.

According to Orzabal in the Elemental EPK, the song was inspired by an encounter with a German photographer who was trying to take pictures of him while he was on-stage.

[18] The song's lyrics, written by Orzabal, contain also references to prior associates of Tears for Fears such as the line "Listened to my old friend Nockles, hoped that it would warm the cockles".

"Nockles" is the nickname of former Tears for Fears keyboardist Nicky Holland, Orzabal's songwriting partner for much of the band's previous album, The Seeds of Love.

King declared bankruptcy in 1990 and, after being found guilty of later fraudulent activities, was imprisoned in 2004 and disqualified from being a company director for a period of ten years.

'"[19] The closing track of Elemental, "Goodnight Song", was released as the album's second single in the US (in lieu of "Cold").

"[20] The opening lyrics of "Fish Out of Water" are a salvo against Smith ("You always said you were the compassionate one/But now you're laughing at the sun/With all your high class friends you think you've got it made/The only thing you made was that tanned look on your face/With all your cigarettes and fancy cars/You ain't a clue who or what you are/You're dreaming your life away...").

The song also makes references to "Neptune's Kitchen" (the studio in which Elemental was recorded), Arthur Janov's book The Primal Scream (a major influence on Orzabal and Smith's lives and the first Tears for Fears album The Hurting), and the 1983 Tears for Fears song "Memories Fade".

Similarly, Orzabal wanted to write a song about one of his idols, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

Tears for Fears supported Elemental with a live tour of North America that took place between August and November 1993, followed by one concert in Paris and four in the UK in December 1993.

"[22]The New York Times wrote that "the album finds Mr. Orzabal straining self-consciously to make grand statements that lack the concision and spontaneity of Tears for Fears' best early work.

"[28] Entertainment Weekly wrote that "the sampled guitar bursts and nifty studio tricks, like Squeeze mimicking the Beatles, keep you obediently humming while Orzabal plays teen-neuroses word games.

Since Smith quit after the 1991 Seeds of Love world tour, Orzabal is left to fend off existential angst on his own – which he does with amazing grace and integrity on Elemental.

Orzabal, guitarist Alan Griffiths and co-producer Tim Palmer (Pearl Jam, Tin Machine) provide the production techniques, smooth segues and sweeping guitar-keyboard interplay that fans have come to expect from Tears for Fears.

Tracks like "Cold," "Power" and "Break It Down Again" are replete with melodic free falls, harmonized and overlapped vocals, burbling keyboards and guitar shudders... Elemental flashes the same sort of sheen, wordplay and sound wash that flourished in the '80s and still fights for its place on modern rock charts.