Tears for Fears Provide ‘Shelter’ in H&M’s Winter Collection Commercial

H&M have gone all ‘80s synth-pop on us, choosing Tears for Fears’ 1982 single ‘Pale Shelter' for the new TV commercial announcing their Winter Collection. The clip stars Doutzen Kroes, a Dutch beauty who came in fifth on Forbes magazine's 2012 list of the top-earning models.

‘Pale Shelter’ was not a hit upon its original release, but a remixed version of the track hit the Top 40 in several countries a year later. “It's a kind of a love song, though more referring to one's parents than to a girl,” singer/guitarist Roland Orzabal has said about the song. Sung by bassist/singer Curt Smith, ‘it can be found on Tears for Fears' 1983 debut album, ‘The Hurting.’

The 15-second H&M commercial is too short to truly capture the song’s haunting essence, but there definitely is something intriguing about a gorgeous model wandering around a barren canyon against a backdrop of Smith’s crystalline vocals. Had the ad agency been given the standard 30 seconds devoted to most TV spots, they'd have had a clearer winner on their hands, but kudos to them for picking ‘Pale Shelter’ over a more obvious Tears for Fears single like ‘Shout.’