| “Mad World” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by Tears for Fears from the album The Hurting |
|||||
| B-side | "Ideas As Opiates" | ||||
| Released | September 20, 1982 | ||||
| Format | 7", 12" | ||||
| Recorded | 1982 | ||||
| Genre | New Wave Dark Wave |
||||
| Length | 3:32 | ||||
| Label | Mercury | ||||
| Writer(s) | Roland Orzabal | ||||
| Producer | Chris Hughes Ross Cullum |
||||
| Tears for Fears singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
"Mad World" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Tears for Fears (sometimes informally abbreviated to TFF are The Hurting is the debut Album by British pop band Tears for Fears. A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) A gramophone A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s Dark Wave, also written as Darkwave, is an Umbrella term which refers to a movement that began in the late 1970s coinciding with the popularity of New Wave In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Mercury Records is a Record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US and are both subsidiaries of A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana (born 22 August 1961) is a British Musician, Songwriter and Record producer. In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Tears for Fears (sometimes informally abbreviated to TFF are " Pale Shelter " is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. " Change " is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Tears for Fears (sometimes informally abbreviated to TFF are 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. Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana (born 22 August 1961) is a British Musician, Songwriter and Record producer. Curt Smith (born June 24 1961, Bath, Somerset) is an English Singer, Bassist, Synthesizer player The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry Events in November All Saints' Day (formerly All Hallows Day a Christian holy day is celebrated on November 1, the day after Halloween See also 1982 in music (UK Musical groups established in 1982 Record labels established in 1982 Both "Mad World" and its b-side, "Ideas As Opiates", would turn up on the band's debut LP The Hurting the following year. A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s The Hurting is the debut Album by British pop band Tears for Fears. "Mad World" is also Tears for Fears' first international hit, reaching the Top 40 in several countries in 1982/1983. The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre.
Two decades later, the song made a popular resurgence when it was covered by composers Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the soundtrack to the movie Donnie Darko. Michael Andrews is an American musician and Film score composer Gary Jules (born March 19 1969 in Fresno California as Gary Jules Aguirre) is an American Singer-songwriter, best The Donnie Darko soundtrack was created by Michael Andrews and released in 2002 Donnie Darko is a 2001 cult classic Psychological thriller Film written and directed by Richard Kelly, and starring
Contents |
Background
"Mad World" began life as the intended b-side for Tears for Fears' second single "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)". A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s " Pale Shelter " is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. The band decided, however, that it may be something people would like to hear on the radio and held back its release, instead waiting to issue the song as a single in its own right after re-recording it with Chris Hughes.
That came when I lived above a pizza restaurant in Bath and I could look out onto the centre of the city. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Not that Bath is very mad - I should have called it "Bourgeois World"!
—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.
—Curt Smith
Meanings
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.
—Roland Orzabal
It's very much a voyeur's song. It's looking out at a mad world from the eyes of a teenager. [1]
—Curt Smith
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 the 7" double-single. A remix is an alternative version of a song different from the original version This mix is very similar to the album version, with the most notable difference being the additional echo added to the intro and middle sections. More recently, a remix by noted British music producer Afterlife was featured on the 2005 reissue of the Tears for Fears greatest hits collection Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82-92). Afterlife is UK chillout producer/writer/remixer Steve Miller Events January 1 - In most of Europe copyright expired on a number of classic pop and rock-and-roll songs recorded in 1954 and earlier including
B-side
"Ideas As Opiates" is a song that originally served as the b-side to the "Mad World" single. It would later be 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. Arthur Janov (born August 21, 1924) is an American Psychologist, Psychotherapist, and the creator of Primal therapy. Primal therapy is a trauma -based Psychotherapy created by Arthur Janov, Ph The song is musically sparse, featuring just a piano, drum machine, and saxophone. An alternate 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. Id, ego, and super-ego are the three parts of the " Psychic apparatus " defined in Sigmund Freud 's structural model of
—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.
—Curt Smith
Music video
The promotional clip for "Mad World", filmed in late summer 1982, was Tears for Fears' first music video. It features footage of a gloomy looking Curt Smith staring out a window, while Roland Orzabal performs a bizarre dance outside on a lakeside jetty. The clip was directed by music video pioneer Steve Barron. Steve Barron (born May 4, 1956) is a director and producer, best known for directing the films Coneheads (1993
Track listings
|
|
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | UK Singles Chart | #3 |
| 1982 | Australian Singles Chart | #12 |
| 1982 | Irish Singles Chart | #6 |
| 1983 | German Singles Chart | #21 |
| 1983 | South African Singles Chart | #2 |
Cover versions
Michael Andrews/Gary Jules (2001)
| “Mad World” | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules from the album Donnie Darko (Original Soundtrack) |
||
| B-side | "No Poetry" | |
| Released | December 15, 2003 | |
| Format | CD | |
| Recorded | 2001 | |
| Genre | Singer-songwriter | |
| Length | 3:06 | |
| Label | Sanctuary | |
"Mad World" would achieve a second round of success beginning almost twenty years later, after it was covered by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the film Donnie Darko (2001). The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association The official Music Charts in Germany are collected and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband der phonographischen Wirtschaft (Federal The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Michael Andrews is an American musician and Film score composer Gary Jules (born March 19 1969 in Fresno California as Gary Jules Aguirre) is an American Singer-songwriter, best The Donnie Darko soundtrack was created by Michael Andrews and released in 2002 A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. A CD single (abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Sanctuary Records is a Record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Michael Andrews is an American musician and Film score composer Gary Jules (born March 19 1969 in Fresno California as Gary Jules Aguirre) is an American Singer-songwriter, best Donnie Darko is a 2001 cult classic Psychological thriller Film written and directed by Richard Kelly, and starring While the Tears for Fears version featured various synthesizers and percussion, the Andrews/Jules version was stripped down. Tears for Fears (sometimes informally abbreviated to TFF are Instead of a full musical backing, it used only a set of piano chords and a cello. 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. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002 The Donnie Darko soundtrack was created by Michael Andrews and released in 2002 The release was a runaway success in late 2003, becoming the Number One single over the Christmas holiday in the UK, a feat Tears for Fears themselves never accomplished. See also 2003 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2003 Record labels Each year record companies compete for the Christmas number one single spot on the British charts. This is a list of Christmas number one singles in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | UK Singles Chart | #1 |
| 2004 | Billboard Modern Rock Chart | #30 |
| 2007 | Canadian Digital Singles Chart | #1 |
Popular culture
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. The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry Hot Modern Rock Tracks (originally called Modern Rock Tracks) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the US-based music sales tracking company Nielsen SoundScan. Gears of War is a tactical Third-person shooter Video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The advertisement has been credited with helping propel the song to #1 on the iTunes sales chart. iTunes is a proprietary digital media player application introduced by Apple Inc
In addition to its usage in numerous 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:
The song also appeared on Broadway in 2006 as the closing number in Butley starring Nathan Lane. YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees Dramatic programming is Television content that is scripted and (normally fictional CSI Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama Television series that trails the investigations of a team of Las Vegas Emmerdale, known as Emmerdale Farm until 1989 is a British Soap opera that has aired on ITV since 1972 ER is an Emmy Award -winning American Medical drama series created by Novelist Michael Crichton and airing on Jericho is an American Serial drama Judging Amy is an American television Drama that aired from September 19, 1999 until May 3, 2005 Las Vegas is an American Television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008 Medical Investigation is an American Medical drama Television series that began September 9, 2004, on NBC. Silent Witness is a long-running British Television thriller series made by the BBC 's in-house Drama Serials production department Station X was an Animated / Live-action series that aired on both the English and French channels of Teletoon. Tatort ( English title: Crime Scene) is a long-running German / Austrian former Swiss, crime television series set in various This article is about the television show For information about naval watches see Watch system. Without a Trace is an American television show set in New York City. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Butley is a 1971 play by Simon Gray. The title character a literary professor and T Joseph “Nathan” Lane (born February 3, 1956) is a two-time Tony and Emmy Award-winning American actor of the stage and screen
Other versions
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. Nicola Sirkis (born Nicolas Sirchis in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France on June 22, 1959) is the singer guitarist and principal lyricist with . . (1992).
- American industrial rock band Kill Switch...Klick, on the Cleopatra Records compilation New Wave Goes To Hell (1998). Industrial rock is a Musical genre that fuses Industrial music and Punk rock. Kill SwitchKlick, also known as KsK and Kill Switch (the original is the name of an American industrial rock band Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles -based Independent record label.
- American Post-Hardcore band Finch relesed an acoustic cover VIA myspace. Post-hardcore evolved from Hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader Punk rock movement Finches are Passerine Birds often Seed -eating found chiefly in the northern hemisphere and Africa. MySpace is a popular social networking Website offering an interactive user-submitted network of friends personal profiles blogs groups photos music and
- Electronica act Nu Romantix featuring DJ John Bora, on their single "Mad World" (Dos or Die Recordings, Germany, 2001). Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary Electronic music designed for a wide range
- American alternative rock band Finch, on their EP Rolling Stone Acoustic Session (2002). Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of Finch are an American post-hardcore band from Temecula, California.
- British singer-songwriter Alex Parks, on her debut album, Introduction (2003). Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics Alexandra Rebecca Parks (born 26 July 1984 in Mount Hawke, Cornwall, England) is an English Singer-songwriter. Introduction is Alex Parks ' debut album released on 24 November 2003.
- Canadian hard rock band Surface Underground, on their debut self-titled album (2003). Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock
- American industrial act Brainclaw, downloadable on their website (2004). Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of Experimental music, especially but not necessarily Electronic music. Brainclaw is an industrial / Electronic music project initially created at Ithaca College, NY in 1989 by David Giuffre
- American metalcore band Evergreen Terrace, on their album Writer's Block (2004). Metalcore is an umbrella term used to describe fusion genres that incorporate elements of the Hardcore punk and heavy metal genres Evergreen Terrace is a five-piece Melodic hardcore band out of Jacksonville Florida. Writer's Block is a cover album released by the Metalcore band Evergreen Terrace in 2004
- American ska band The Ninjas, on their debut album Skaflakes (2004). Ska ( pronounced /ska/ or in Jamaican Patois /skja/ is a Music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and which was the precursor
- Electronica/dance act Impact, on their single "Mad World" (2004).
- Electronica act Familiar Faces, on their single "Mad World" (2004).
- German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen, on their live DVD Rock am Ring 2004 (2004). Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. They have enjoyed decades-long mass appeal in Germany
- Polish gothic rock band Closterkeller on their EP "Reghina" (2004). This article is about the musical style of gothic rock For the goth scene in general see Goth subculture.
- Australian art rock band The Red Paintings, on their EP Walls (2005). Art rock is a term describing a subgenre of Rock music that tends to have "experimental or avant-garde influences" and emphasizes "novel sonic texture The Red Paintings are an Art rock band from Brisbane, Australia, originally from Geelong. Walls EP is the sixth release by the Brisbane band The Red Paintings. This cover features an acoustic cello and guitar arrangement. The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles While they modified the lyrics from the original version, in live performances they are known to enunciate words in different fashion giving it an altogether unique sound.
- Dance act Alain feat. DJ Chris, on the single "Mad World" (2005).
- German DJ Jan Wayne, on his single Mad World (2005). Jan Wayne (pronounced YAN Wayne (b Jan 1974 in Husum) real name Jan Christiansen is a German Electronica DJ and dance producer noted for his remixes
- American singer-songwriter Sara Hickman, on her double album Motherlode (2006). Sara Hickman (born March 1, 1963) is a rock/[[folk music|folk/]] pop[[children s music|/children's]] music singer songwriter and artist
- Canadian ska band The Makeshift Heroes, on their EP Last Call (2006).
- Canadian rock bassist Ken Tizzard, on his album Quiet Storey House. A bass player (bassist is a Musician who plays a Double bass, Bass guitar, keyboard bass or wind Ken Tizzard is a Canadian rock bassist. He was a member of The Watchmen, one of Canada's most successful Alternative rock bands of the 1990s . . An Introduction (2006).
- German a cappella group Wise Guys, on their album Radio (2006). A cappella (Italian or Latin "From the chapel/choir" Music is Vocal music or Singing without instrumental Accompaniment This article is about a German a cappella band from Cologne called Wise Guys. This article is about a recorded album for other uses see Radio (disambiguation.
- German group Night Bird, on their covers album Thank You (2006).
- American dark cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, on their live DVD Live at the Roundhouse (2007). Dark cabaret is a Music genre that blends the aesthetics of the decadent risqué German Weimar -era Cabarets and 1920s Burlesque The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston Massachusetts. Live at the Roundhouse is a live concert DVD by The Dresden Dolls. The performance features Trash McSweeney of Australian art rock band The Red Paintings. The Red Paintings are an Art rock band from Brisbane, Australia, originally from Geelong.
- Canadian folk-singer Tara MacLean, on her EP Signs of Life (2007). Tara MacLean (born October 25, 1973 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada) is a Canadian Singer Signs of Life is an EP by Canadian Singer/songwriter Tara MacLean, released in 2007 (see 2007 in music)
- German vocal band Gregorian, on their album Masters of Chant Chapter VI (2007). Gregorian is a German band, headed by Frank Peterson, performing Gregorian chant -inspired versions of modern pop and rock Masters of Chant Chapter VI is the ninth album by German band Gregorian.
- Italian band Spectra Paris, on their album Dead Models Society (2007).
- California rapper Overdose produced a song by the same name using samples of the original Mad World (2007)
- British accordionist Martin White produced an instrumental cover played exclusively with an accordion. The accordion is a portable box-shaped Musical instrument of the hand-held Bellows -driven free-reed aerophone family sometimes referred to as a Squeezebox The accordion is a portable box-shaped Musical instrument of the hand-held Bellows -driven free-reed aerophone family sometimes referred to as a Squeezebox
Notes
External links
| Preceded by "Changes" by Ozzy Osbourne & Kelly Osbourne |
UK Number One single (Andrews/Jules version) December 21, 2003 - January 11, 2004 |
Succeeded by "All This Time" by Michelle McManus |
| Preceded by "Sound of the Underground by Girls Aloud |
Christmas Number 1 2003 |
Succeeded by "Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid 20 |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic