Skip to content

Mad World

Near the end of 1982 I first heard the song “Mad World” by Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears and immediately liked it (and many other Tears for Fears songs), but I was a firm art/progressive rocker at the time and put it well below my favorites of that time (Yes, The Who, Jethro Tull, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles).

Over the years, though still fond of Tears for Fears music, I gradually forgot about the song as I learned to love REM, Moby, U2, the Police, Steeleye Span, and many other bands in no particular order. I should have heard about and seen Donnie Darko when it was first released, but I did not… and had no idea what I was missing. It is excellent science fiction, though it was not billed as science fiction at all (or I would have seen it). For the film, Gary Jules and Michael Andrews did a slower, acoustic cover of “Mad World” that ended up on the Donnie Darko Soundtrack and became very popular in 2003.

This song is so hauntingly beautiful it makes me cry, regularly. I just thought I’d share….

Here is a live version of the same cover:

Here is what I think is the original Tears for Fears version (or one from 1982 anyway):

Hat tip to Mark Blacknell who posted a alternative video to the Jules/Andrews cover in honor of the end of the Opus comic strip:

Hope you have tissues handy…

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *