"Mad World" | ||||
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Single by Tears for Fears | ||||
from the album The Hurting | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 20 September 1982 | |||
Recorded | July 1982 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:30 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Roland Orzabal | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Tears for Fears singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Mad World" on YouTube |
"Mad World" is a 1982 song by British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Both "Mad World" and its B-side, "Ideas as Opiates", appeared on the band's debut LP The Hurting (1983). This single was also the band's first international success, reaching the Top 40 in several countries in 1982–83. In the UK it was the 12th best-selling single of 1982. [6]
"Mad World" has since been covered by various artists, including a 2001 version recorded by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the soundtrack of the film Donnie Darko ; a 2003 single release of the song reached number one in the UK for three consecutive weeks and won Orzabal his second Ivor Novello Award. [7] A 2021 rendition of the song was included on Demi Lovato's album Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over .
The cover photo was taken at Round Pond in Kensington Gardens (London, England).
"Mad World" was originally written on acoustic guitar when Orzabal was 19 after being inspired to write a new wave song in the vein of Duran Duran's "Girls on Film". After a few false starts with Orzabal on vocals, he suggested Smith sing it and "suddenly it sounded fabulous". [8]
"Mad World" was intended to be the B-side for the band's second single "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)", but their record company stated that "Mad World" could be a single in its own right. The band then opted to re-record "Mad World" with producers Ross Cullum and Chris Hughes, the latter a former drummer with Adam and the Ants. [9]
That came when I lived above a pizza restaurant in Bath and I could look out onto the centre of the city. Not that Bath is very mad – I should have called it "Bourgeois World"! [10]
— Roland Orzabal
"Mad World" was the first single off the finished album. The intention was to gain attention from it and we'd hopefully build up a little following. We had no idea that it would become a hit. Nor did the record company. [10]
— Curt Smith
Curt Smith's ad lib in the song's final chorus resulted in a mondegreen. Smith clarified the actual lyric in 2010:
With Mad World's again-resurgent popularity, I'm getting asked more frequently about the last line on the album version from The Hurting, a line which I occasionally also sing in concert. The actual line is: "Halargian world." (Not "illogical world", "raunchy young world", "enlarging your world", or a number of other interesting if not amusing guesses.) The real story: Halarge was an imaginary planet invented by either Chris Hughes or Ross Cullum during the recording of The Hurting. I added it as a joke during the lead vocal session, and we kept it. And there you have it. [11]
— Curt Smith
The song was influenced by the theories of Arthur Janov, author of The Primal Scream . [12] The lyric "the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had" suggests that dreams of intense experiences such as death will be the best at releasing tension. [13]
Cash Box said that the song "grows on you, expanding from a soft dance tune to a shy Britisher's confessions of his darkest dreams." [14]
"Ideas as Opiates" is a song that originally served as the B-side to the "Mad World" single. This earlier version was produced by the band themselves, though it was later re-recorded for inclusion on The Hurting. The song takes its name from a chapter title in Arthur Janov's book Prisoners of Pain and features lyrics related to the concept of primal therapy. The song is musically sparse, featuring just a piano, drum machine, and saxophone. An alternative version of this song titled "Saxophones as Opiates" was included as a B-side on the 12-inch single and is mostly instrumental.
That's the chapter from Janov, and it's really a reference to people's mindsets, the way that the ego can suppress so much nasty information about oneself – the gentle way that the mind can fool oneself into thinking everything is great. [10]
— Roland Orzabal
It really was all about that kind of thing – the psychological answer to religion being the opiate of the masses, whereas we thought ideas were, more than anything else. [10]
— Curt Smith
The promotional video for "Mad World" was filmed in late summer 1982, in the grounds of Knebworth House. [15] It was Tears for Fears' first music video, and features Curt Smith staring out of a window while Roland Orzabal dances outside on a lakeside jetty. A brief party scene in the video features friends and family of the band, including Smith's mother as well as his then-wife Lynne.
According to Curt Smith, "When we made the video in a country estate on the cheap, we bussed all our friends and family up from Bath and had a fun day. The woman who's having the birthday party in the video is my mum." [16]
The music video was directed by Clive Richardson who was notable for his work at that time with Depeche Mode.
7-inch: Mercury / IDEA3 (United Kingdom) / 812 213–7 (United States)
7-inch: Mercury / IDEA3 (Ireland) / 6059 568 (Australia, Europe) / TOS 1411 (South Africa)
7-inch double pack: Mercury / IDEA33 (United Kingdom)
12-inch: Mercury / IDEA312 (United Kingdom) / 6400 677 (Europe)
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Mad World" | |
---|---|
Single by Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules | |
from the album Donnie Darko and Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets | |
B-side | "No Poetry" |
Released | 15 December 2003 |
Recorded | 2000 |
Genre | Soft rock |
Length | 3:04 |
Label | Sanctuary |
Songwriter(s) | Roland Orzabal |
Producer(s) | Michael Andrews |
"Mad World" achieved a second round of success 20 years after its release, when it was covered by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the film Donnie Darko (2001). While the Tears for Fears version featured synthesisers and heavy percussion, the Andrews/Jules version was stripped down; instead of a full musical backing, it used only a set of piano chords, a mellotron imitating a cello, very light touches of electric piano, and modest use of a vocoder on the chorus.
Their version was originally released on CD in 2001 on the Gary Jules album Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets and again in 2002 for the film's soundtrack along with an additional alternate or remixed version, but an increasing cult-following spawned by the film's DVD release finally prompted Jules and Andrews to issue the song as a proper single. It was released through Sanctuary Records on 15 December 2003, in time for the race for the UK's Christmas number one, beating "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" by the Darkness to take the title the following week.
This version was used in 2005 as the soundtrack for the opening section of the Season 6 episode "Room Service" of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation .
For the soundtrack to the film Donnie Darko (2001), director Richard Kelly commissioned Michael Andrews, a San Diego musician and television and film composer who had worked as a member of a range of bands, including the Origin with Gary Jules (whose two solo albums he had produced), and the Greyboy Allstars. Kelly said he was confident that Andrews could do the job: "I met with Michael and I just knew right away that he was really, really talented and that he could come up with a really original score. He would allow me to be in there and be really kind of editorial with how I wanted the score to be." [26] Andrews relocated to Los Angeles to work on the film between October and December 2000. As Andrews states, the low budget for the project encouraged him to play a diverse range of instruments for the soundtrack:
The film was pretty low budget so my portion of the money was pretty thin. I couldn't hire anyone, it was just me. I played everything; piano, mellotron, mini marimba, xylophone, ukulele, organ. I also brought in two female vocalists Sam Shelton and Tori Haberman. But no guitar because Richard said no guitar or drums; he just wasn't into it. I was down with that—I've played guitar my whole life. [26]
Like many of his role models for soundtrack composing (such as John Barry and Ennio Morricone), Andrews wanted to put a song on his otherwise instrumental score. He eventually chose "Mad World", as Tears for Fears were one of his and childhood friend Jules' favourite bands growing up. [27] Andrews enlisted Jules to sing the song, while Andrews himself played the piano; [28] together they recorded the song in an hour and a half. [27]
Despite being critically acclaimed, Donnie Darko was not a commercial success, but it sold very well on DVD and became a cult film, and demand grew for Andrews and Jules' cover of "Mad World" to be released as a proper single. This prompted Andrews to give the song an official release. [29]
Jules said that he believed the song was easy for people to relate to: "I think it's a really beautiful example of a person struggling with the fact that life is mad. I honestly think it's one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard and the way it's stripped down now just pins people." He went on to say, "Every so often a song with just vocals, piano and cello creeps up on you and says something about who you are, where you're going which stops you in your tracks." [30]
Despite "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" by the Darkness being the bookmakers' favourite to become the 2003 Christmas number one in the UK, [31] "Mad World" upset the odds and took the title on 21 December 2003. [27] It remained at number one on the UK Singles Chart for three consecutive weeks. [32] The song's success in the UK did not, however, translate to the United States, where it reached number 30 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the issue dated 27 March 2004. However, it did reach number 1 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart for the issue dated April 17, 2004.
Jules performed "Mad World" with Mylène Farmer on her Timeless 2013 Tour. [33] In 2006, the song was included in the commercial to the video game Gears of War , [34] which helped move it up the charts. [35] A performance on the eighth season of American Idol by Adam Lambert also briefly increased its sales and interest in the song. [36] [37] The song reached No. 11 on the Rock Digital Songs chart.
The song charted again in Australia in 2020 following the success of The Masked Singer .
The music video was directed by Michel Gondry [38] and was filmed at Hoboken Middle School (formally AJ Demarest School) [39] in Hoboken, New Jersey in 2004. [40] [41] It begins with an aerial shot of the school; the bell rings and children go out onto the pavement. The rest of the video sees the children forming different shapes whilst Jules stands on the roof and watches from above. On two occasions the camera pans towards Jules looking down at the children, whilst a third pan away sees Andrews playing a piano as the song ends. The video has over 167 million views since it was uploaded to YouTube on 9 January 2006. [42]
Curt Smith paid tribute to the Jules and Andrews version in April 2020 while staying home under general quarantine orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his daughter Diva performed an acoustic guitar rendition of "Mad World" using the style of Jules and Andrews, uploading the video to YouTube. [43] [44] Their version went viral, picking up more than a million views in one week, and four million views in the first month. [45] [46] [47]
CD1: Sanctuary / SANXD250 (United Kingdom)
CD2: Sanctuary / SANXD250X (United Kingdom)
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [83] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [84] | 3× Gold | 450,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [85] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [86] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [87] | Platinum | 699,000 [88] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 15 December 2003 |
| Sanctuary | [89] |
United States | 17 February 2004 | Universal | [90] | |
Australia | 1 March 2004 | CD | Modular | [91] |
United States | 12 April 2004 | Hot adult contemporary radio | Universal | [92] |
Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the synth-pop bands of the 1980s, and attained international chart success as part of the Second British Invasion.
Gary Jules Aguirre Jr. is an American singer-songwriter, known primarily for his cover version of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World", which he recorded with his friend Michael Andrews for the film Donnie Darko. It became the UK Christmas number-one single of 2003.
Michael Andrews, also known as Elgin Park, is an American multi-instrumental musician, producer, and film score composer. He is best known for a cover version of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World", which he recorded with Gary Jules for the Donnie Darko soundtrack, and which became the 2003 UK Christmas number one. He is a founding member of the San Diego soul-jazz band The Greyboy Allstars, where he goes by the moniker Elgin Park.
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is the sixth studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 14 September 2004 in the United States and on 7 March 2005 in the United Kingdom and Europe.
The Seeds of Love is the third studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 September 1989 by Fontana Records. It retained the band's epic sound while incorporating influences ranging from jazz and soul to Beatlesque pop. Its lengthy production and scrapped recording sessions cost over £1 million. The album spawned the title hit single "Sowing the Seeds of Love", as well as "Woman in Chains", and "Advice for the Young at Heart", both of which reached the top 40 in several countries.
The Hurting is the debut studio album by British new wave band Tears for Fears, released on 7 March 1983 by Mercury Records distributed by Phonogram Inc. The album peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in its second week of release and was certified Gold by the BPI within three weeks of release. The album also entered the Top 40 in several other countries including Canada, Germany, and Australia. It was certified Platinum in the UK in January 1985.
Curt Smith is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer, who is best known as the co-lead vocalist, bassist and co-founding member of the pop rock band Tears for Fears along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Smith has co-written several of the band's songs, and sings lead vocals on the hits "Mad World", "Pale Shelter", "Change", "The Way You Are", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", and "Advice for the Young at Heart".
Roland Jaime Orzábal De La Quintana is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. He is the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, main songwriter, co-founder, and the only constant member of Tears for Fears. He is also a producer of artists such as Oleta Adams. In 2014, Orzabal published his first novel, a romantic comedy.
Donnie Darko: Music from the Original Motion Picture Score is a soundtrack album by American musician Michael Andrews, released in April 2002 on Enjoy and Everloving Records. It contains music from the 2001 science fiction psychological thriller film Donnie Darko, written and directed by Richard Kelly. It consists of 16 instrumental tracks and two covers of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears sung by American singer Gary Jules.
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears from their second studio album Songs from the Big Chair (1985). It was written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, and Chris Hughes and produced by Hughes. It was released on 22 March 1985 by Phonogram, Mercury, and Vertigo Records as the third single from the album. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a new wave and synth-pop song with lyrics that detail the desire humans have for control and power and centre on themes of corruption.
"Shout" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released as the second single from their second studio album, Songs from the Big Chair (1985), on 23 November 1984. Roland Orzabal is the lead singer on the track, and he described it as "a simple song about protest". The single became the group's fourth Top 5 hit in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 4 in January 1985. In the US, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 3 August 1985 and remained there for three weeks; also topping the Cash Box chart. "Shout" became one of the most successful songs of 1985, eventually reaching No. 1 in multiple countries.
"Head over Heels" is a song recorded by British band Tears for Fears for their second studio album Songs from the Big Chair (1985). The song was released by Mercury Records, as the album's fourth single on 14 June in the UK. It was the band's tenth single release in the United Kingdom and eighth top 40 hit in the region, peaking at number 12. In the United States, it was the third single from the album and continued the band's run of hits there, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A limited edition four-leaf-clover-shaped picture disc was issued for the single's release in the UK. The song was also an international success, reaching the top 40 in several countries.
"Suffer the Children" is the debut single by the British band Tears for Fears. Written and sung by Roland Orzabal and released in October 1981, it was the band's first release, recorded shortly after the break-up of Orzabal and Curt Smith's previous band Graduate. The original single was produced by David Lord and recorded at his own facility, Crescent Studios in Bath, England. The song would eventually be re-recorded for inclusion on Tears for Fears' debut LP The Hurting (1983), this time produced by Chris Hughes and Ross Cullum.
"Change" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's fourth single release. It would eventually become the second hit from their debut LP The Hurting (1983) and second UK Top 5 chart hit, following the success of "Mad World". The song also gave Tears for Fears their first charting single in the United States when it cracked the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1983. "Change" was also a big international success, reaching the Top 40 in numerous countries.
"Pale Shelter" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was originally the band's second single release in early 1982. The original version of the song, entitled "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)", did not see chart success at the time of its original UK release. However, it did later become a top 20 hit in Canada and a top 75 hit when it was reissued in the UK in 1985.
"Advice for the Young at Heart" is a song by the English band Tears for Fears, taken from their 1989 album The Seeds of Love. It was released as the third single from the album in February 1990.
"Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)" is a song by British band Tears for Fears. It was released as a single in 1992 to coincide with the release of the band's greatest hits album Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92).
"Break It Down Again" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released in May 1993 by Mercury Records as the first single from their fourth studio album, Elemental (1993). It is one of the band's later songs with the typical late 1980s sound, using synthesizers. The song was the second single released after the departure of Curt Smith from the band.
In My Mind's Eye is a concert performance video released by the British group Tears for Fears. It was recorded in December 1983 at the London Hammersmith Odeon, and released on home video in October 1984.
The Origin was an American alternative/indie rock/power pop band formed in San Diego, California in 1985. The classic line-up of the band consisted of Michael Andrews, Topper Rimel, Rony Abada, and Daniel Silverman. During the band's active years in the early nineties, they released two full-length albums and five singles, with two singles charting in the top 20 of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. They broke up in 1993.
... brooding synth-pop ...
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