Tears for Fears - Mad World | The Story Behind The Song
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2020
- Tears for Fears members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith explain about their musical influences and the inspiration for the song 'Mad World', a song that later became a hit for Gary Jules and Michael Andrews. An interview from 2017.
- Hudba
"The dreams in which im dying are the best ive ever had" one of the most simple but chilling lines in a song of all time.
no doubt.
Big respect to Roland’s wife for financially supporting him by working three jobs so he could pursue music
I wonder if she has a sister ;)
it paid off for her in the end 😆
Big respect to Roland too for recognising how important she was for them.
@@TM-tx9ct True love indeed.
@@groovvvirgo Her death really affected him. He nursed her for 5 yrs while she was sick (due to years of alcoholism) while he himself was battling with his own alcoholism. The new album is pretty much about her. The album is painful, tragic, profound yet beautiful.
Gary Numan really doesn't get enough credit for the level of influence he's had on music.
Yep, the first appearance of Tubeway Army on Top Of The Pops was a historic moment. Not quite the magnitude of the much hyped debut of Bohemian Rhapsody but a whole bunch of us saw potential for synthesizer hits that Kraftwerk had not yet achieved (despite the awesomeness of Autobahn) and that JMJ and Space and Donna Summer had only hinted at.
He is the godfather of synthpop music.
Artists of the time always acknowledge him. He came out of nowhere and simply floored everyone
Right time, right place, musically zero.
Actually Human League had much bigger influence. Numan just recorded common rock songs with more primitive synths added.
Wow. How ego less of them to acknowledge the new version and to say it is closer to their lyrics than they. Awesome stuff. I guess not everybody wants to rule the world.
It's funny they drew inspiration from that Paul Simon song. I found it put me in a laid-back,languid mood,hearing it on the radio on some fallow 70s afternoon as a kid out of school,time on my hands to play or just watch the world go by if I wanted. But Mad World always seemed dark and intense in sentiment to me,hinting at panic,claustrophobia,anxiety,feelings of not truly belonging,etc.
Mad World is overrated in the TFF catalog... they have done 15-20 other songs that are better.
Yeah? Well, personally, that godawful cover version is something I can do without. It makes me shout.
@@SpaceCattttt Shout, shout, let it all out?
@@steelbill1834 LMAOOOO
The sheer humility and honesty of both of these individuals is refreshing...
I thought the exact same thing. True artists
Comes with age I am sure they weren't always like that.
@@thedave7760 It has to have a base. The base is how you build humility over time.
I still play it on my sax and 12 string,if you're looking for emotional it doesn't get much better,tears for fears,
They happen to make money off of the cover. Of course, that doesn’t mean they have to like it. But, it softens it regardless
Roland's dancing in this video has gone down in history as the most....unique.
I think most fans of Post Punk (which is the genre TFF basically started off in), would say Ian Curtis's "dance" was the most unique as it almost mimicked the epileptic seizures that plagued him later in his life and which would ultimately be one of the main reasons he took his own life. Roland's dance is like a slower, more "structured" version of Ian's, imho...
I agree unique and cool
Peter Garrett gives him a run for his money 😋
I think Kate Bush is the forerunner!
Wait. Dance deconstructed is all down to Joe Cocker, kids....
The 80s were the best time of my life. I would go back in a heartbeat if I could.
Just can't agree more~
Me too.. i want to go back to 1985 to 1989 on a continuous loop...
I was 20 in 1980. 80's were awesome. It's a pity it's all over now.
@@angelo1962 Now all we have are memories. ☹️ Well I guess that's something.
Agreed , if you find a way, take me with you!
What a couple Roland and his wife Caroline must have been. She believed and supported him working those 3 jobs and was a source of not only support but inspiration as well. My condolences and sympathies for his loss as finding someone like that who completes you is such a rare thing and the music world benefitted and her passing really kicked him hard.
Duke Nukem I am glad he was able to find happy again
Her loss is a true tragedy as women need more help with Menopause induced depression so they don't go to self medicating I mean yes some mood change is normal but not to an extreme that it cripples your life
@@aprilgosa5779 Every woman is different. There are some who have very light symptoms, others moderate, some have short length for symptoms, and for others, it can last > 20+ years. There are quiet a few that have crippling symptoms that are exacerbated by stress, genetics, diet, lack of emotional support and opportunity for frequent and socialization. No one really knows the stress she lived with. Most women are nurturers and givers, but place their needs to the back. We all see the cost of fame to the artists, but the wife in the background pays a price aswell.
😥
Gary Numan changed everything...a great acknowledgement
Archie Duke - and SO true!
Oh crap, I used to listen to Gary Numan. Nice blast from the past.
vaskylark - try listening to his ‘new’ stuff, the single “My Name Is Ruin” is fantastic
We also interviewed Gary Numan a few years ago:
czcams.com/video/307sNKwhIuo/video.html
Errr........did someone say Bowie?
Depeche Mode and Tears for Fears are some of my favorite musicians
Don't know where you are from but i seen depeche mode in the 80s at Whitley bay ice rink,near Newcastle(UK).
glenshea1967 I’m for the US 😅
@@mssaltygiggles nice.Which part of U.S.
glenshea1967 East Coast
@@mssaltygiggles nice
Such an amazing album. The whole album of The Hurting is timeless.
And so is "Songs From The Big Chair".
@@mattma96 The Hurting is more of a cohesive emotional statement, though.
Their best album in my opinion. But I can't listen to the Gary Jules cover.
Favorite album
@@noneofyourbusiness4616 "I believe... that when the hurting and the pain has gone... we will be strong... Oh yes, we will be strong......"
Roland Orzabal is a very, very gifted man 👏🏻
Tears for Fears, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, the Cure, The Smiths, The Police,The Church, The Cars, Talking Heads...I can sit and type forever all the great bands in the 80's. Now? Not so much.
Talk Talk, The Stranglers.
@Narva77isback Started listening again to my favourites from OMD - Enola Gay, Joan of Arc, Souvenir, Maid of Orleans.
Duran Duran created couple of great songs but everything else was just not good.
Pet shop Boys❤️
New Order.
The lyrics of the song are quite frankly, genius.
To know the meaning & idea behind the line"The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had..." WOW! Now I love the song much more than before-- if that is possible.
I just had a disturbing dream and they just maybe correct.
The brilliant mind of Roland orzabal created some great tunes 💖💖
He is a genius...
So underrated. Not only is he a brilliant song writer, vocalist, performer, but also a great guitarist. Did I also mention that he is handsome?
It’s so refreshing to see creative people make their own music from scratch and not use samples from other artists!!
"The Hurting" album had a great impact on my musical tastes. I never imagined Depeche Mode's simple music had an impact on Tears For Fears. Watching this provokes NOSTALGIA
I’m almost the same age as these two and went to the same school as one. The apartment he mentions is 5 doors down from where I also used to also sit and watch the people go by. That’s where the parallel life ends. I didn’t pick up a guitar and pen one of the most iconic songs of the 80s. I became a cameraman and made pop promos instead.
I hope that these guys made millions off their music, cause in the 80's they had a string of hits and were HUGE.
They did, and they're still active despite now living across the Atlantic from each other, in fact. They parted ways in the 1990s, but Roland kept the name active as a solo project through the decade and they reunited in 2000.
@@reillywalker195 They were on tour a few years ago and I tried to get tickets but it sold out really fast. Coincidentally, 'Songs From the Big Chair' is an album that never seems to be available among the thousands of records I look at/for every year, in secondhand stores. I could order it online of course, but it's one of a few things I look for and just NEVER see used, or it's like $20 for an original pressing in specialty stores.
And hopefully they paid Cat Stevens royalties for taking his melody.
@@geoffreymerrifield5666 I'm sure Roland has a £5 note with Cat's name on it.
Head Over Heels is their best song. It's an 80's musical gem.
My favorite, too. Gorgeous song.
Listen to it over and over
The video is so badass too❤
Hearing Roland belt out "This is my, four leaf clover...la la la, lala la" brilliant, just brilliant
@@WomanNextDoor My dad thinks that part is so funny. Lol! I don’t know why.
I heard the Gary Jules song first, but after hearing the original, I realized I liked the Tears for Fears one better. I think some people might've gotten the idea it's about suicide from the Gary Jules version since it sounds very sad. I think the Tears for Fears version captures their message better.
That's interesting; for me, it was the other way around: The slower the lyrics, the easier it is for me to think of them and take the time to imagine what is going on. I was also thinking that, of all the people who love this song, it seems they all see different things in it. Or read different things into it. I listen (and watch different videos) to this song often.
Gary Jules should have called his version "Sad World."
@@bjbinmke I agree. A slower tempo gives the time for a different vocal delivery and the lyrics become even more poignant. It's often used when covering a song to add another dimension, rather than doing a copy of the original.
Julia Jacklin's cover of The Strokes song Someday combines a slow tempo and a masterful vocal to wring all the emotion out of the lyrics in a way the original hadn't and it's a much sadder song as a result.
it's only about 1,000 x's better, than Jules version.
@@digitalintent more apt of a name.
Tears for Fears had brilliant songwriting which set them off from the other 80’s bands. They did not even come close to that level of songwriting talent.
Thank you. Even to this day. . .
Oh, I think that's a hard claim to make, as the 80s produced an immense amount of deep and meaningful stuff, even if most remember the more boppy, poppy, synth. Other huge groups of the time that had (at least some) songs with incredible lyrics were The Human League, Yazoo, OMD, Simple Minds ... honestly, even Duran Duran had their moments among the more superficial stuff.
I agree with you but Talk Talk were also incredible with lyrics. The Party's Over being a masterpiece IMHO. ;-)
I hope you’re speaking from emotion rather than voicing a genuine opinion. As we all know, there were tons of bands in the 80s with brilliant songwriting.
george michael
Their music got me through some very rough teen years in the eighties...love these guys!!
Been a fan of Tears for fears for many many years. This song has never been more relevant for me than now
Roland's explanation of the line is so brilliant! Its almost as though I too am now relieved of 40 yrs of tension. I love the lyric even more. GENIUS LINE!
My boys ... Curt and Roland. Legends. Still as relevant today as ever... Cheers Guys
That song will never age.
The Gary Jules version (and everyone going on about Donnie Darko) is what made me search for Mad World on youtube, and therefore discover - and fall in love with - Tears For Fears! I ADORE The Hurting album 💗
Man i love your channel, it's absolutely fascinating to see the artists talk about their creations.
yeah, and what is even cooler is that he just calls up all these superstars and says: " hey, I am Sjaak from the Netherlands and I have a CZcams channel.Can I come over and do an interview? And they all say: "of course Sjaak, come on over, no problem!"
@@DJDanceClassic Not entirely. This is the CZcams channel of a Dutch TV show with the same name. They only air at between christmas and New Years and produce mini documentaries like this. I do like the show and these documentaties, but they're not exactly "just a guy" ;-)
Thanks a lot, spread the word!
@@twilightshadow91 underrated program and and these mini song/artist documentaries are excellent... so glad to have access here in the states
Yes!!! That's what got me subscribed to them.
As a kid growing up listening to Tears for Fears I was absolutely amazed at their talent, the lyrics, the vocals and the music was all incredible. Thanks for the great memories throughout the 80s.
There are some huge 80s bands that don’t get enough recognition. They are insanely good, compared to today’s music. Most people love the older music. ❤️
XTC for one.
Great song from a couple of legends in the music biz!
Mad World is overrated in the TFF catalog though. It's no comparison to the stuff they did later on ("they" primarily meaning Roland, as Curt's role decreased substantially).
@@willritter4076 Roland's Falling Down is worth a listen.
@@PN1296 thanks man i'll head over there.
Roland sort of looks like Paul Stanley now. No, that's NOT an insult.
Love Tears for Fears.
Mad world by Gary Jules is a Brilliant cover.
Most covers don't do the original justice, for Curt and Roland to say that shows what great guys and good song writers they are.
That whole album was so great. It formed the soundtrack of my teenage heartache years.
Same here~
Another reason to love Gary Numan and the lads from Tears for Fears. Thanks for the vid, need music in times like these
The most memorable concert of my lifetime was Tears for Fears, when they came to Detroit about 25 years ago. The musicianship in that concert was so amazing and it filled the whole stadium with electricity. At that concert, they introduced an amazing new artist that was playing the piano. It was Olita Adams and she sang "Get Here". The whole concert was amazing and was an experience I will never forget.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all these stories behind all the music that I grew up with... :o)
Glad to hear it, spread the word!
TFF discussing Depeche Mode for me as a huge mega fan of Mode and TFF is just fantastic
Me too! I love them both, and was so happy to see them mention Depeche Mode
The pain is so raw with The Hurting album, which is why the connection is very intense and long lasting.
My favorite 80’s era band. And extremely well spoken!
So cool to see Roland and Curt together.....I remember back in 1993 when the album ELEMENTAL came out and how it seemed we would never see these two together again. Thank goodness they were able to make amends :-)
@bright star Yeah, it's sad how Rolands body language shouts he can't stand Curt though :(
Tears for fears are on my play list. I listen most days . Every time I listen to their music I hear something different.They were so underrated and are very very talented . Thankyou for such joy
Love how every album changed a little bit. To go from The Hurting to Seeds...you can hear them growing up. Great band.
Very honest, articulate, and gracious. Refreshing.
This song hits the core of me. I didn't understand the narration until the explanation of dreams. Now I get it and will never forget it and the emotional connection.
To this day "The Hurting" is one of less than 10 albums I can listen to every song and enjoy.
Wow this is first time I see them other than their old MTVs. One of my favourite group
Love the song & this album! My favorite album by TFF. "Pale Shelter" takes the #1 spot for me though.
It was lovely to listen to Roland and Curt speak candidly about their songs and the artists that influenced them. Brilliant voices both of them and I love to listen to their songs. Cheers from Australia.
5:05 I think this is the most mature and honest thing I have ever heard an artist say.
What a delightful surprise it is to see creators go beyond ego and acknowledge that another artists rendition of their song is truer to the lyrics.
Still one of my fav’s, such haunting lyrics…Tears was such an incredible band.
They still are.
their 1st and 2nd album were iconic, defined the 80s...working hour is pure ART....living the 80s was just incredible....really
Yeah you really spoke my heart out~
Working hour is a beautiful song
5:05 I am so impressed with the pure class of the original artists as they acknowledge & pay tribute to the G Jules cover of their work. 👍🏼
This song is on the money even today. So many great songs - glad we had them to get us thru life.
A legendary band!! I have even more respect & admiration and for T4F now than I did when I was a teenager. Roland is a musical genius :)
I was waiting in a train station hall and they had a grand piano there where people can go and have a play. One guy sat down and began to play "Mad World" and I joined in, singing along. And after the song was over I placed a Music Mag with Tears For Fears on the cover in front of him. And he went "Who are they?"
And I went "You just finished playing a Tears for fears song and you don't know who Tears for fears are?" at which he got a shocked look in his eyes "What, so this song isn't an original by Gary Jules?"
That's because most people- not all- tend to hear Gary Jules first and then Tears For Fears. But if that guy had paid any attention to where it says "lyrics written by" in a Mad World lyric page or even if he buys a copy of it online or not, it always says regardless of who is singing; "lyrics written by Roland Orzabal."
Hmm but who is Gary Jules?
Ok just saw him towards the end of this video
@@SuccessforLifester The singer who covered Mad World. If you saw Donnie Darko, he is credited as the singer but not songwriter.
@@heartlandqueen82 Ok I have heard of this version but I didn't keep track of who sang it. Thanks.
I used to play this cassette every night when I went to bed at boarding school. I would wake up in the morning with my Walkman headphones still on my ears.
The whole of ‘The Hurting’ is an amazing set of songs. One of my fave albums from that era! And amongst my all time favourites!
This song is about to become the world’s theme song. People are absolutely sick of the exhaustion - working constantly to make a very few people obscenely rich - and we’re being sent out to keep doing it even though a deadly virus is circulating. I really hope we totally reorganise our world - it has indeed been mad.
You're either making yourself rich (if you own your business) or you're making someone else rich
Agree. Let’s hand over all the power to a centralised government. What could go wrong?
I assume you're being sarcastic there Hoylosboyolos Z
@@fenastray Oh no...he's telling it straight. A great idea! Let the Gov't and politicians ruin your life for you--er, run your life for you. Yeah, that's it! That's the ticket!
I'm 13 and this is deep.
Good I love this song in both versions. Brilliantly simple
Not talking about these guys in particular, but the 80's was the beginning of the end for pop music. It never recovered.
Roland has 1 of the best voices ever and it has never been used in the best possible way
Mad world video was shot about 100 yards from where the main stage was at the Knebworth big concerts, the lake was just behind the stage.
He found a good partner
Love these interview/stories -- just wish they were about five times as long :)
Such a gracious compliment to give to another artist that covers your original.
I wish they were still close friends. The distance between them is palpable. Sad. I hope you guys start to love each other again.
bert wesler 👆What you said. 💔
Roland always said that the division between them was apparent when he got into astrology and realized that their star signs were not compatible.
@@WisdomKeeper11 Do you mean that when he got into astrology, he Realized Why they weren't getting along, or do you mean they Stopped getting along After he got into astrology and realized that their star signs were not compatible? Wow, if it is the second one, it's really extreme, I'm into astrology too, but man...
55 Cancri e I think he means the first
I think it's better to focus on the fact that they're even together again, in the first place, than any "distance" between them now. That distance has always been palpable really, even in the early days. Just watch older interviews and you can see there is a bit of "distance" between them but, it can also be part of their British upbringing.
To people from other countries, Brits can appear somewhat cold and distant but, it's just all due to upbringing. I personally think astrology is a farce. I think they do have love for each other but, you also have to factor in the fact that people change as they get older. Priorities change, goals change, likes and dislikes change, personal experiences can change a person in many ways.
The fact that they're still together and working on a new album is a bit of a testament to their initial friendship and their ability to accept themselves for who they are now, as individuals, versus who they were decades ago, under very different levels of mentality and maturity...
tears for tears for fears ... you made my day
One of greatest songs of one of greatest eras in music, early 80s synth-driven New Wave.
when my brother kirk was dying of cancer in the summer of 2003, i stumbled across the movie and the song Mad World. and i think i listened to it everyday before and after he died. it comforted me somehow.
Jesus, life goes quickly. Seemed only yesterday this song was in the charts. Now look at them (and me, for that matter)!
These guys put out great music in the 80.
This is such a great video. It's mind blowing how young Roland and Curt were when they wrote such catchy, yet deep and introspective songs. Also so thrilled to hear them acknowledge Gary Numan and his massive influence on music at the time. One of my first vivid memories as a kid is hearing The Pleasure Principle in a set of headphones shortly after it came out. I was like 9 years old and it blew me into another universe.
Beautiful! I love to hear what inspired all those great tunes who helped me to grow in the eighties... thank you !!
5:30 - DM's Enjoy the Silence has the same deep quality masked by the uptempo arrangement
Two things: I love the story behind the song & I love how they gave credit to the genius of Gary Jules. Real talk.
How was this 1983....good grief. Dear Roland & Curt, I'm sure you're long-tired the fan "what this means to me" bit, but one more time: Yes, Gary Neuman was a fav but when you two showed up, oh man! I "absorbed" the feeling from your music. I "absorbed" Oleta Adams, through you, & added HER to my playlist.
Dear Curt & Diva, you have brought me full-circle. Your acoustic version brought tears (not fears) to my eyes. Well done. I love that you have this. Amazing job. Thank you all. xx
It’s so great that the simplest thought out songs played at a slow pace are often the most memorable.
I do like the cover version but I like the "juxtaposition" of a song that's lyrics are dark but the music sounds poppy or upbeat. Many great songs do this. Look at Every Breath You Take by The Police
As a kid, it was Maxwell's Silver Hammer that turned me on to this type of weirdness.
To me, I actually find the original version of "Mad World" fits the lyrics better. The song is in the Dorian mode anyway, so it's not going to sound especially dark compared to something in a regular minor key, and having an upbeat melody and harmony matched with dark lyrics really conveys the feeling of madness.
"Ahhh, good answer. I like the way you think. I'm gonna be watching you." (Kinison - Back to School)
Tears for Fears "Mad World" responsible for the musical careers of Gary Jules and Adam Lambert!
I am a huge TFF fan, Adam Lambert I can live without.
when can i be paid . damages
Adam Lamber is a TV star from being promoted to kids, via television . google knows anyone presented on TV or smartphone will be a star
@@SheriffofCZcams and Queen's live karaoke deluxe
I only know who is Adam Lambert as I watched American Idol
Wow, the ... warmth ... evident between Curt and Roland...
Omg. I love these two! Brilliant men and wayyy ahead of their time.
In this interview, I thought Roland would address the dance moves he did in this video at 2:38.
I need to know more about his little interpretive dances.
"Mad World".
Look around you, this is real.
I grew up in the 80's and loved Tears for Fears and so many other bands from that time.
The music was awesome to listen to back then but I am gaining more appreciation of how much talent these artists had the more I listen to them now.
My young sons, about four and seven at the time, loved these men and their new music. It meant something to them, and now so many years later means something to me as well.
I'm still a big fan of Tears for Fears
I love this song, especially the original recording which I don't think is all that 'poppy' - it has drama and menace, despite being uptempo. I don't mind the Gary Jules version, and I think the fact that it works well just highlights the brilliance of the original song - but the production and the performance sound like a lot of other melancholy, quavery-vocal, piano-based stuff.
I was a bit underwhelmed by this video - It's all a bit lightweight, and it took six minutes to tell us hardly anything at all. I'm sure there's a lot more to say about the genesis of this song than we got here.
It makes me profoundly happy that FINALLY Gary Numan is getting the respect he always deserved. He was even a major influence on the invention of hip hop -- ask Kool Herc. Awesome.
Thank you Roland and Curt .. You made my life such more enjoyable ..
The slower versions while may capture the essence of the liberty simply don't do so with the melody. The melody of the song is brilliant. It's all about the melody.
TFF, soooo underrated .. love those guys and their music !
Thanks for this vid. I "grew up" in the eighties, and I don't think I was aware this was their song! I loved the REM cover and now Gary Jules'.
The original version by the band was one of those songs rarely played on the radio, 91X in San Diego, CA, except on late night or on Steve West's Resurrection Sundays. I loved it when it came on while I was driving as a 16 year old in my own car where I was in control of my music. It was magical and always made me smile. Then Donnie Darko and Gary Jules' version came out in 2001. It's hauntingly beautiful and one of the influential songs my boys, now in their 20s, remember from their childhood. Brilliant lyrics. Love this interview.
good to see they're still together after all these years lol
Gary Numan, the godfather, always...
We have also interview him:
czcams.com/video/307sNKwhIuo/video.html
Amen.
You two rocked my creativity. This tune became a favorite when I heard it long ago from you - later Gary etched it in my psyche forever.
You gentlemen created some of the greatest music I’ve known in my life.
I loved your music then and still love it today.
Grateful to you for making my life better through your wonderful, imaginative music.
Thank you. X
Great to see you guys are still cool after 30+ years. Do you remember my old restaurant Le Jardin in Bath. Ive fond memories of those times.
Hope your well Curt et al. It really is a mad world with this covid business. Are you still in America?
Ciao & respect 🙂
Alan
The food was pretentious and over rated i could just about stomach the garlic bread. The obsequious waiters and the ghastly maitre d really ruined my experience
@@johnsmith-wx5fb hahaha i think you'r confused with the " Hole in the Wall " restaurant close by.. waiters ?? Nope, lovely female student waitresses. And no maitre D. Regardless,enjoy life & peace to you 👍