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Jenna Millecker

Prof. Calhoun

ENG 1201.521

16 Feb. 2020

It’s a Mad World

Much of the lyrics in the song “Mad World” uncover a deeper message and depict how

the main characters of the two music videos are feeling. The original music video by the band

Tears for Fears in 1982 depicts a teenage boy looking out the window feeling a sense of

entrapment and isolation from the outside world. Later covered by Gary Jules in 2001, this

version seems to enhance the original message using different instruments and a change in

tempo. The video shows a man peering down from a rooftop and observing children playing

while pondering on his thoughts. This version also highlights the message in a way that the

original version didn’t. Although they both have a similar theme and message, the version by

Gary Jules seems to have taken it a step further and executed the idea with more accuracy,

providing a reason for why it is more popular than the original performed by Tears for Fears.

The nineteen years between the two versions allow for a great contrast between the songs

through depiction and use of instrumentals to highlight parts of the original message. The Tears

for Fears’ version has an upbeat, catchy rhythm, which was common amongst their other

releases. Although its tune is very appealing, it does not seem to match its lyrics or interpretation

of the story. The video shows a troubled teenager, Curt Smith, looking out the window, as the

world outside continues, as another man is seen dancing. Curt feels that life is empty and

monotonous, almost like a chore. In the UK, their release of the song was a major hit, but in

America, very few people knew about it. It wasn’t until years later when Gary Jules made a
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cover of it that took off, claiming the hearts of many. The new interpretation featured the music

with a somber, depressing mood and using the piano rather than artificial sounds. The tempo of

the music is drastically slower than the original song to express emotion and sadness. The video

shows Gary Jules watching from a rooftop while children play and make shapes, longing for his

troubles in life to vanish. The Americans seemed to have a deeper connection to this version than

the original, partly because the music and overall mood had a strong relationship, resulting in a

larger impact on its viewers.

The lyrics of “Mad World” are very powerful and can relate to how people in the world

are feeling, even in modern society. Some very powerful lines, “I find it kinda funny, I find it

kinda sad” and “The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.” show that the main

characters in each video finds it ironic that their society should be perfect, but instead, there is an

absence of happiness and is replaced with sadness. They try to find an escape, but the only

option seems to be death. However, although the two versions share similar broad themes of

unhappiness and monotonousness in a society, Gary Jules’ goes more in-depth and depicts a

deeper, unique idea by altering the interpretation but keeping the lyrics the same. In addition, his

video also shows a thought-provoking idea to get his point across. Rather than showing a single

subject for most of the video like Tears for Fears did, Jules added different scenes to take the

viewer on a journey of feelings. The lyrics of the song also mention the idea that children aren’t

aware of existence or depressed feelings, wishing that he could be saved from having those

feelings, “Children waiting for the day they feel good, Happy Birthday.” This means that the

children are excited for their birthdays, but when they become adults it’s just another

meaningless number. Through his music video, Gary Jules depicts this idea by show children

playing as one of the major scenes. On the other hand, the music video of the original version is
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very repetitive because one of the only scenes is a boy staring out a window for much of the

duration of the video. For this reason, it seems that the version by Gary Jules expresses the story

deeper and has a stronger correspondence with the lyrics than the original.

The two videos both strongly appeal to pathos, or the emotional perspective for its viewer

and surround the broad ideas of life and unhappiness. They tug at the many emotions that the

viewers may feel or relate in their own life to the two videos. As mentioned previously, Gary

Jules’ version went a step further in depicting the story by including the children referenced in

the lyrics. By highlighting this idea, Gary Jules made the message of his version unique by

specifying his message and still the inspiration of the original, surrounding unhappiness. The

Tears for Fears’ version focuses on the broader, depressing idea that everyone goes on with their

lives doing the same thing every day, almost as if it was a chore, and in turn live with

unhappiness. Many viewers can probably relate to the ideas that are expressed while going

through the monotonous motions in their lives. In contrast, Gary Jules wanted to build onto the

idea of unhappiness and the broad idea of depression but additionally emphasize the fact that

children don’t possess a sense of existence or the unhappiness that adults may experience, and

instead go about their life with innocence and oblivion. By doing so, he demonstrated this in-

depth depiction through various scenes in his video. Many adults look back on certain points in

their lives and long to be a child again, appealing to their emotions, or pathos. Without realizing,

it is a way to escape the unhappiness that they feel because as a child, they didn’t have the same

burdens that they have as adults.

Ultimately, many would consider that the intended audience for the two videos is mature.

This is because there are very deep underlying messages behind the lyrics that most younger

audiences are unable to interpret or understand in their youth. In addition, many younger children
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would not be able to relate to the songs because they mention that the adults long for the

innocence like they once had when they were children. Through the remaking of the song, the

lyrics in the version by Gary Jules were highlighted in his story. It later became very popular in

America and appealed to many adults who were touched by the powerful message that is

emitted. It also brought comfort that they weren’t the only ones that felt that way about their

everyday, monotonous life.

Works Cited

Tears for Fears. “Mad World.” Youtube, 9 Aug. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=u1ZvPSpLxCg. Accessed 15 Feb. 2020

Jules, Gary. “Mad World.” Youtube, 29 Dec. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=dKdJhL6WEgU. Accessed 15 Feb. 2020