Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST

Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD

Festival Guides-YOUR ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL COMPANION

Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST

Mixtape-DORK'S BEST NEW TRACKS

Play-DORK'S NEW MUSIC FRIDAY EDIT

Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD

Playlist Covers

Playlist Directory

Before Doors-LIVE SESSIONS

Music Video Directory

Down With Boring-THE DORK PODCAST

Chart Attack-UK NUMBER ONES, DISSECTED

Dork Radio

Live

Live 24/7

Dork Radio

Down With Boring

Join thousands of music lovers getting the best new tracks, exclusive interviews, and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

In print now

June 2026

Latest issue variants

Dork, June 2026 (Bleachers cover)

Bleachers

Dork, June 2026 (Myles Smith cover)

Myles Smith

Dork, June 2026 (Towa Bird cover)

Towa Bird

|

Privacy Policy|

Cookie settings

© 2026 The Bunker Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advertise on this site.

Tears for Fears – Empire Building (1984) | Track profile | Dork

Tracks
Tears for Fears
Songs from the Big Chair
Empire Building

TRACK

Tears for Fears

Empire Building

Release date: 6th August 1984

From Songs from the Big Chair

Spotify More on Tears for Fears

About This Track

"Empire Building" is a track by Tears for Fears, from the album Songs from the Big Chair, released 6th August 1984. Full lyrics are available below.

About the Artist

Tears for Fears

Tears for Fears

Lyrics

Empire Building

[Vocal Sample]

"It was a conspiracy, it was a consultation"

[Interlude]

[Vocal Sample]

"Everything is wonderful down in South Africa"

[Interlude]

[Vocal Sample]

"Lorraine has sinus after all"

[Interlude]

[Vocal Sample]

"Buried alive, oh-"

"Buried alive, oh-"

[Interlude]

[Vocal Sample]

"Oh freeze, oh freeze"

[Interlude]

[Vocal Sample]

"We like to pass it on"

"We like to pass it on"

"We like to pass it on"

[Interlude]

[Vocal Sample]

"Why don't you let me kill you harder?"

[Interlude]

[Vocal Sample]

"The big house of Empire Building"

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Songs from the Big Chair

1984

Listen

Album

Songs from the Big Chair

Tears for Fears

17th February 1985

Release year

1984

—Broken
—Empire Building
—The Big Chair
—The Marauders
—Sea Song
—When in Love with a Blind Man
—Pharaohs
—Listen
—I Believe
—The Working Hour
—The Conflict
—Head Over Heels / Broken
—The Working Hour (Piano Version)
—Broken Revisited

More from Tears for Fears

Albums & EPs

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point

Live At Massey Hall Toronto, Canada / 1985

The Seeds Of Love (Super Deluxe)

The Seeds Of Love (Super Deluxe)

Rule the World: The Greatest Hits

Rule the World: The Greatest Hits

Everybody Loves a Happy Ending

Everybody Loves a Happy Ending

Raoul And The Kings Of Spain

Elemental

Explore

More tracks by Tears for Fears

Break the Man (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Badman's Song (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

LandlockedSongs for a Nervous Planet

My Demons (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

No Small Thing (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Pale Shelter (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Long, Long, Long Time (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Suffer the Children (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Change (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Woman in Chains (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Mad World (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Break It Down Again (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Sowing the Seeds of Love (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

The Tipping Point (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Secret World (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Rivers of Mercy (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Shout (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Emily SaidSongs for a Nervous Planet

Say Goodbye to Mum and DadSongs for a Nervous Planet

Head Over Heels (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

The Girl That I Call Home

The Girl That I Call Home

Broken / Head Over HeelsFamiliar Faces

The HurtingFamiliar Faces

Everybody Wants To Rule The WorldFamiliar Faces

Memories FadeFamiliar Faces

Memories FadeFamiliar Faces

The HurtingFamiliar Faces

Broken / Head Over HeelsFamiliar Faces

Mothers TalkFamiliar Faces

ShoutFamiliar Faces

Suffer The ChildrenFamiliar Faces

Mad WorldFamiliar Faces

Everybody Wants To Rule The WorldFamiliar Faces

Mothers TalkFamiliar Faces

ShoutFamiliar Faces

Suffer The ChildrenFamiliar Faces

Mad WorldFamiliar Faces

Rule the World (Everybody)

Rule the World (Everybody)

Pale Shelter (Blinky Blinky Computerband remix)

Pale Shelter (Blinky Blinky Computerband remix)

Atura o Baile (The World Is Yours To Take)

The World Is Yours To Take (Latin Remix / Budweiser Anthem Of The FIFA World Cup 2022)

The World Is Yours To Take

Everybody Wants to Rule the World (sped up version)

Everybody Wants to Rule the World (sped up version)

View all tracks by Tears for Fears →

Astronaut
Everybody Wants To Rule The WorldFamiliar Faces
4:20
Everybody Wants to Rule the World (sped up version)
Rule the World (Everybody)
The Girl That I Call Home
Astronaut
Atura o Baile (The World Is Yours To Take)
Badman's Song (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet
Break It Down Again (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet
Break the Man (Live from Franklin, TN)Songs for a Nervous Planet

Showing 10 of 50

If you like Tears for Fears

Simple Minds

Simple Minds

Duran Duran

Duran Duran

Thompson Twins

Thompson Twins

Howard Jones

Howard Jones

Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet

The Police

The Police

a-ha

a-ha

Eurythmics

Eurythmics

The Human League

The Human League

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode

READ MORE ABOUT TEARS FOR FEARS

READ MORE ABOUT TEARS FOR FEARS

READ MORE ABOUT TEARS FOR FEARS

READ MORE ABOUT TEARS FOR FEARS

No coverage available for Tears for Fears yet.

Credits

Production & Engineering

Writer: Curt Smith, Ian Stanley, Roland Orzabal
Producer: Chris Hughes
Engineer: Dave Bascombe
Drums: Manny Elias
Keyboards: Ian Stanley, Roland Orzabal
Programmer: Ian Stanley, Roland Orzabal