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.
@@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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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. ❤️
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!
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 RU-vid 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 RU-vid 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" ;-)
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 💗
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.
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 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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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).
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.
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 :-)
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
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.
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.
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.
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."
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
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.
@@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 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.
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.
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.
@@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...
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...
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
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.
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.
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
U guys!!! U gave words to the feeling I lived with most of my childhood and my adulthood! No matter what anyone does to it now, it is your song!! Own it!
Roland was pure eye candy back in the day. Especially on "Elemental" and "Raoul and the Kings of Spain". And that hair. Lord have mercy so beautiful! Caroline was a lucky gal. Curt wasn't bad looking himself, but I prefer dark hair/dark eyes. I love your music guys!
I can't believe the Gary Jules cover is almost 20 years old, it feels just like yesterday that I had to correct everyone who saw it in Donnie Darko and thought it was a new song. The fact that Donnie Darko is 19 years old will hit me at any moment 🤘
Well said bro. Also lost count of folk I've had to tell Donnie Darko is a time travelling film. :))) One of the best movies and soundtracks of the 21st Century.
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.
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.
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.
