I remember as a kid hearing this for the first time. I wanted to talk over the intro on the radio so bad and in 1995 when I started my career, I did! Had goosebumps, still do.
Tears for Fears is an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.
Smith said that even though the song sounds upbeat, the concept of the song is quite serious - it's about everybody wanting power, about warfare and the misery it causes.
This was their first US #1 hit by the way. "Shout" went to #1 two months after even though it was their first single in the rest of the world. The band's producer Chris Hughes explained in Mix magazine that they spent months working on "Shout," but "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was cake in comparison.
It was featured in several TV shows such as ER ("Sharp Relief," 1998), Cold Case ("Greed," 2004), Malcolm in the Middle ("Lois Battles Jamie," 2005), Numb3rs ("Hot Shot," 2006), and many more.