| "Mad World" |
|
| Single by Tears For Fears |
| from the album The Hurting |
| Released |
1983 |
| Format |
vinyl record (7") |
| Recorded |
1983 |
| Genre |
New Wave |
| Length |
3:36 |
| Label |
[[]] |
| Writer(s) |
Roland Orzabal |
| Producer(s) |
Curt Smith |
| Chart positions |
|
|
| Tears For Fears singles chronology |
"Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love)"
(1983) |
"Mad World"
(1983) |
"Change"
(1983) |
"Mad World" is a song originally written by Roland Orzabal of the British band Tears for Fears. It was released in 1982 and reached number 3 on the UK Singles chart and later number 2 in South Africa, and was included on the album The Hurting which was released early in 1983.
Origins
"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'!"
-Roland
"'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. I remember rushing off to London to do "Top Of The Pops" and having to go shopping for clothes - things like that."
-Curt
"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
Mystery Word?
"I forget the spelling but Hlaajian seems accurate enough. It was an imaginary planet dreamed up by Chris Hughes while recording The Hurting - blame him"
-Curt, regarding the mystery word at the end of the song
