Mad World
| "Mad World" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Ideas As Opiates" |
"Mad World" is a song originally written by Roland Orzabal of the British band Tears for Fears. It was the band's third single release and first to crack the charts, reaching #3 on the UK Top 75 chart in October 1982. Both "Mad World" and its b-side, "Ideas As Opiates", would later turn up on the band's debut LP The Hurting the following year.
Background
"Mad World" began life as the intended b-side for Tears for Fears' second single "Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)". The band decided, however, that it may be something people would like to hear on the radio and released the song as a single in its own right after re-recording it with Chris Hughes.
As would be the case with all three hit singles from The Hurting, bassist Curt Smith sings lead vocals on the track.
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.
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.
It's very much a voyeur's song. It's looking out at a mad world from the eyes of a teenager.
Song versions
"Mad World" had only one remix on its initial release, the "World Remix" that was featured on the 7" double-single. The 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).
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. 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" format 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 1982, was Tears for Fears' first music video. It features footage of Curt Smith staring out a window, looking depressed while Roland Orzabal does a bizarre dance in the background. The clip was directed by music video pioneer Steve Barron.
Track listings
|
7": IDEA3 (UK)
12": IDEA312 (UK)
|
2x7": IDEA33 (UK)
|
Cover versions
Michael Andrews/Gary Jules (2001)
| "Mad World" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "No Poetry" |
"Mad World" would achieve a second round of success over twenty years later, after it was covered by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the 2001 film Donnie Darko. While the Tears for Fears version featured various synthesizers and could be considered somewhat of a dance song, Jules' version was much simpler. Instead of a full musical backing, it used only a haunting set of piano chords and a cello. The cover was originally released on CD in 2002 on the Donnie Darko 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 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. The song has since had continuing chart success worldwide, reaching the top 30 of the American Billboard Modern Rock chart in 2004 and hitting #1 on the Canadian Digital Singles chart as recently as January 2007.
The Andrews/Jules cover made its small screen debut in January 2003 on Episode #211 (Visage) of the television series Smallville. It has since become a popular choice for background music in television dramas, having appeared in the following:
- TV series CSI
- Episode #602 Room Service (2005).
- Episode #614 Killer (2006).
- Episode #622 Time Of Your Death (2006).
- Episode #624 Way To Go (2006).
- Episode #707 Post Mortem (2006).
- TV series ER
- TV series Judging Amy
- Episode #516 Baggage Claim (2004).
- TV series Medical Investigation
- Episode #103 Coming Home (2004).
- TV series Third Watch
- Episode #415 Collateral Damage (Part 2) (2003).
- TV series Without a Trace
- Episode #201 The Bus (2003).
- Episode #215 Wannabe (2004).
- Episode #421 Shattered (2006).
- Episode #423 White Balance (2006).
- TV series Station X
- Episode #7 Hope (2005).
A slightly remixed part of the song was used in the TV commercial for the 2006 Xbox 360 game Gears of War. The advertisement brought the song an increased level of popularity, propelling it to number one in downloads at the iTunes music store in late 2006. This song has also had a strong presence in Internet culture, as it has been used countless times for fan videos and trailers.
The song also appeared on Broadway in 2006 as the closing number in Butley starring Nathan Lane.
Other versions
In addition to the Andrews/Jules version, "Mad World" has been covered over the years by the following artists:
- Electronica act Nu Romantix featuring DJ John Bora, on their single "Mad World" (Dos or Die Recordings, Germany, 2001). In 2004, a compilation titled Hard Dance Mania Vol 1 - Mixed by Pulsedriver was released featuring a track ("Familiar Faces - Mad World") with samples from the Nu Romantix mix.
- American alternative rock band Finch, on their EP Rolling Stone Acoustic Session (2002).
- British singer-songwriter Alex Parks, on her debut album, Introduction (2003).
- American industrial act Brainclaw, downloadable on their website (2004).
- American metalcore band Evergreen Terrace, on their album Writer's Block (2004).
- German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen, on their live DVD Rock am Ring 2004 (2004).
- Australian art rock band The Red Paintings, on their EP Walls (2005). This cover features an acoustic cello and guitar arrangement. 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.
- German DJ Jan Wayne, on his single Mad World (2005).
- American electronica musician Brian Transeau (BT), during his This Binary Universe tour with Thomas Dolby (2006). This surprise performance featured clips from the film Donnie Darko in the background.
- American singer-songwriter Sara Hickman, on her double album Motherlode (2006).
- American bluegrass band Trampled By Turtles, live at festivals throughout the USA, including the 10,000 Lakes Festival (2006).
- Canadian ska band The Makeshift Heroes, on their EP Last Call (2006).
- Canadian rock bassist Ken Tizzard, on his album Quiet Storey House... An Introduction (2006). Available for download.
- German a cappella group Wise Guys, on their album Radio (2006).
- German group Night Bird, on their covers album Thank You (2006).
- British accordionist Martin White produced an instrumental cover played exclusively with an accordion. [1]
- American ska band The Ninjas, on their debut album "Skaflakes" (2004).
- Spanish MAKINA DJ's From Valencia (Ruta del Bakalao) with the Version "JOG - Future" (1998)
- British post-rock influenced alternative band Hope of the States covered the song during their 2003 tour.