"Mad World" 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 third single release and first chart hit, reaching #3 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 the following year.
In the same time, the song eventually became Tears for Fears' first international hit,
reaching the Top 40 in several countries in 1982 and 1983, peaking notably at #2 in South
Africa.
Two decades later, "Mad World" made a popular resurgence when it was covered in a much slower
and sombre minimalist style by composers Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the soundtrack
to the movie Donnie Darko in 2001.
This version reached #1 in the UK in December 2003, and also became an international hit.
Background "Mad World" was originally written on acoustic
guitar when Orzabal was 19, it was a deliberate attempt to write something in the vein of
Duran Duran's "Girls on Film".
After a few false starts with Orzabal on vocals, Smith took over and "suddenly it sounded fabulous".
It began life intended to be the b-side for the band's second single "Pale Shelter".
At Polygram's insistence, the band instead decided it may be something people would like
to hear on the radio and held back its release, waiting to issue the song as a single in its
own right after re-recording it with producer Chris Hughes, a former drummer with Adam and
the Ants.
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"!
"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.
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.", "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.
Meanings [3] The song was influenced by the theories
of Arthur Janov, author of The Primal Scream.
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.
Lyrically the song is pretty loose.
It throws together a lot of different images to paint a picture without saying anything
specific about the world.
It's very much a voyeur's song.
It's looking out at a mad world from the eyes of a teenager.
Song versions The 7" version of "Mad World" is the same
mix of the song found on The Hurting.
The song had only one remix on its initial release, the World Remix that was featured
on a 7" double-single.
This mix is very similar to the album version, with the most notable differences being the
additional echo added to the intro and middle sections and the subtraction of a subtle keyboard
part from the bridge.
A later remix by noted British music producer Afterlife was featured on the 2005 reissue
of the Tears for Fears greatest hits collection Tears Roll Down.
B-side "Ideas as Opiates" is a song that originally
served as the B-side to the "Mad World" single.
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" 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.
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.
Music video
The promotional clip for "Mad World", filmed in late summer 1982, was Tears for Fears'
first music video.
It features a gloomy looking Curt Smith staring out of a window while Roland Orzabal performs
a bizarre dance outside on a lakeside jetty.
A brief party scene in the video features friends and family of the band, including
Smith's then-wife Lynn.
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."
The music video was directed by Clive Richardson who was notable for his work at that time
with Depeche Mode.
Track listings 7": Mercury / IDEA3 / 812 213-7
"Mad World" – 3:32 "Ideas as Opiates" – 3:54
7": Mercury / IDEA3 / 6059 568 / TOS 1411 "Mad World" – 3:30
"Ideas as Opiates" – 3:54 7" double pack: Mercury / IDEA33
"Mad World" – 3:32 "Mad World" – 3:30
"Suffer the Children" – 4:15 "Ideas as Opiates" – 3:54
12": Mercury / IDEA312 / 6400 677 "Mad World" – 3:32
"Ideas as Opiates" – 3:54 "Saxophones as Opiates" – 3:54
Chart positions Michael Andrews and Gary Jules version
"Mad World" achieved a second round of success almost twenty years later after it was covered
by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the film Donnie Darko.
While the Tears for Fears version featured synthesizers 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 cello, and modest use of a vocoder on the chorus.
Their version was originally released on CD in 2002 on the film's soundtrack, but an increasing
cult-following spawned by the movie's DVD release finally prompted Jules and Andrews
to issue the song as a proper single.
The release was a success in late 2003, becoming the Christmas number one single in the UK.
The music video was directed by Michel Gondry.
The song's success in the United Kingdom however did not translate to the United States, where
it reached number 30 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Gary Jules performed "Mad World" with Mylène Farmer on her Timeless 2013 Tour.
Later in 2006, the song was included in the commercial to the videogame Gears of War,
which helped move it up the charts.
A performance on the eighth season of American Idol by Adam Lambert also briefly increased
its sales and interest in the song.
The song reached No. 11 on the Rock Digital Songs chart.
Track listings CD1: Sanctuary / SANXD250
"Mad World" – 3:06 "No Poetry" – 3:59
"Mad World" – 3:37 CD2: Sanctuary / SANXD250X
"Mad World" – 6:45 "The Artifact & Living" – 2:26
"Mad World" – 3:20 Chart positions
Year-end charts Certifications
Chart positions for Adam Lambert's version Chart positions for Michael Andrews featuring
Gary Jules version Popular culture
In 2014, the song appeared in an episode of SyFy original series Helix.
In 2000's the song was used in various Anti-Bullying slideshows across the United States.
In 2011, the song was covered in the TV reality show The Glee Project.
In late 2006, a condensed version of the Andrews/Jules cover of "Mad World" was featured in the award-winning
commercial for the video game Gears of War.
In addition to its usage in numerous advertisements and fan-made YouTube videos, the Andrews/Jules
cover has also become a popular choice for background music in television dramas, having
appeared in the following series among others: Being Human, Brothers & Sisters, Cold Case,
CSI, Dead Like Me, Smallville, The Cleveland Show, The OC, Jericho, The Mentalist and Helix.
The Lambert version has appeared in ER, FlashForward and General Hospital.
Curt Smith sang this song on the television show Psych.
It is used on Broadway as the closing number in Butley starring Nathan Lane.
The Andrews/Jules version was used in the 28 July 2010, episode of So You Think You
Can Dance by choreographer Stacey Tookey in a routine about homelessness, performed by
Billy Bell and Ade Obayomi.
The 2011 game Gears of War 3 contains a distinct instrumental cover of Gary Jules' version
that plays when Dom saves Delta Squad by sacrificing himself to destroy the Locust and Lambent
attacking them.
UFC fighter Chris Leben used the Gary Jules version as his walkout theme at UFC 138.
An instrumental cover of the Andrews/Jules version was used in one of the scenes of the
2011 Philippine film Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story.
Cleveland from the animated Fox television program The Cleveland Show sang "Mad World"
for the first 2 minutes of the show that aired 1 April 2012.
In the web-based parody of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series, "Mad World" is adopted
as the theme for Noah Kaiba.
A commercial for the video game Battlefield: Bad Company titled "Mad World" uses the chorus,
sung by Sweetwater.
It is used as he and Haggard run through a destroyed street.
Haggard is annoyed and questions the meaning of the line "the dreams in which I'm dying
are the best I've ever had."
He then proposes the song "Shortnin' Bread".
The Gary Jules version was used in an advertisement for Underground: The Julian Assange Story,
which was shown on Network Ten in Australia in 2012.
The Gary Jules version is also used in the credits of the movie Donnie Darko.
During the 1.04 episode of Luther, there's a dinner scene where the Tears for Fears version
of the song can be heard playing in the background.
Other versions and covers In addition to the Andrews/Jules version,
"Mad World" has been recorded over the years by the following artists:
French artist Nicola Sirkis, frontman of the new wave band Indochine, on his solo album
Dans La Lune...
Italian eurodance project Firemaster, on the single "Mad World"
American industrial rock band Kill Switch...Klick, on the Cleopatra Records compilation New Wave
Goes to Hell German DJ Pulsedriver's popular remix of Nu
Romantix's cover, on the compilation album Dos or Die Fresh Cuts
American alternative rock band Finch, on their EP Rolling Stone Acoustic Session
British singer-songwriter Alex Parks, on her debut album, Introduction
American industrial act Brainclaw, American metalcore band Evergreen Terrace,
on their album Writer's Block German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen, on
their live DVD Rock am Ring 2004 Polish gothic rock band Closterkeller, on
their EP Reghina Australian art rock band The Red Paintings,
on their EP Walls German DJ Jan Wayne, on his single "Mad World"
American singer-songwriter Sara Hickman, on her double album Motherlode
Canadian rock bassist Ken Tizzard, on his album Quiet Storey House...
An Introduction Canadian ska band The Makeshift Heroes of
Toronto, Ontario, on their EP Last Call German a cappella group Wise Guys, on their
album Radio Australian Idol contestant Ben McKenzie
American dark cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls featuring Trash McSweeney, on their live DVD
Live at the Roundhouse Canadian folk-singer Tara MacLean, on her
EP Signs of Life and her album Wake German vocal band Gregorian, on their album
Masters of Chant Chapter VI Italian dark wave band SPECTRA*paris, a side
project of Kirlian Camera, on their album Dead Models Society
Estonian singer, Sandra Nurmsalu, in the Estonian gameshow Kaks Takti Ette.
Israeli actress/singer Melanie Peres, on the soundtrack to the movie Lost Islands
Norwegian singer Erlend Bratland, on his debut album True Colors
Swedish blackened death metal band Zonaria, on their second album The Cancer Empire
Australian Idol contestant Nathan Brake Italian singer-songwriter Elisa, on her sixth
album Heart Adam Lambert during American Idol in 2009
and an acoustic rendition on his Acoustic Live!
EP.
A recording of this performance was subsequently released as a digital single and reached the
top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009.
German House duo Heiko & Maiko released a club mix of "Mad World" as a single
British DJ Andy Hunter released a remix of "Mad World" as a single
Drum Corps International ensemble The Cavaliers made prominent use of the song in their 2010
production, also titled "Mad World."
American operatic soprano Renée Fleming, on her 2010 album Dark Hope
2010 UK X Factor contestant Aiden Grimshaw during the first live show.
Danish producer Michael Parsberg featuring Safri Duo and Isam B
German indie rock band Blackmail, released as a free download on their website in 2006.
Italian singer Marco Mengoni, on his live album Re matto live
Managing editor of Boing Boing, Rob Beschizza, along with Heather Beschizza, created a chiptune
version in the 2011 Classic Arcade Game Deaths.
American pianist Louis Durra, in an instrumental trio version released on Mad World EP and
Arrogant Doormats.
Contestants from The Glee Project, a musical reality show, performed "Mad World" in the
third episode.
The late Taiwanese singer Ah Sang covered the song in Mandarin on her second album Loneliness
in Singing.
Some time in 2010, Absolution Project recorded an epic version of "Mad World".
Susan Boyle covered the song on her third studio album Someone to Watch Over Me, released
in 2011.
Ida Long did the song for Swedish promotion of the TV series Mad Men in 2011.
German jazz/funk band Hartmut Hillmann Band covered "Mad World" on their album Point of
View in 2011.
Spanish singer-songwriter Priscilla Hernandez arranged a tribute version in 2013 to celebrate
the 30th anniversary of The Hurting album release
British rappers Doc Brown and Lowkey covered the song on Doc Brown's 2004 album, Citizen
Smith: Volume One.
French singer, Sophie-Tith, for The gameshow Nouvelle Star in 2013.
Aiden Grimshaw, 2010 X Factor UK, Week 4 – Halloween Benn Slack/Down covered Mad World for his
album "Zombies", changing some of the lyrics to better suit the theme of the album.
Danish Trance and House producer covered this song together with Outlandish's leadsinger
Isam Bachari and Danish Electronic Percussion group Safri Duo
Samples and quotations Wale samples a version of the song on his
track "Vanity" on his album The Gifted.
Prozak samples the song on the track "American Princess", from the Strange Music compilation
Strictly Strange 08.
British dubstep artist The Bug, with vocalist Warrior Queen, included the song "Insane"
on the album London Zoo.
The song ends with a quote from "Mad World".
Orbital sampled the song on "The Moebius", the first song on their debut album.
References
External links Boston Globe article on the Andrews/Jules
cover Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics