"MAD WORLD" MICHAEL ANDREWS FEAT. GARY JULES (2002)

This month, I’m looking back at movies and tv shows to rediscover songs that graced the screen. The scenes and the music are inseparable. They’re engrained in our heads and our hearts. And they’re proof that the best music we have doesn’t exist in isolation. It attaches itself to a moment or an experience. #SceneSongs

Movie: Donnie Darko

“Mad World” is one of my all-time favorite Tears For Fears anthems. The opening electronic beat, apocalyptic synth overtures and ominous vocal delivery gave the new wave movement a new voice and a new mood. I didn’t think a cover could ever be greater than the original, but the Michael Andrew take for the Donnie Darko soundtrack exceeded all my expectations. It was a perfect cover to complement the dark, sad end scene in the film.

By stripping down the sound and slowing down the RPMs, Michael Andrews created a unique film score that brought TFF’s profound lyrics to the forefront. Like what Johnny Cash did with Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt”, the deliberately slower pace in Andrews’ vision for “Mad World” gave the lyrics a harder, darker edge—and prove that, as great as the music was, the words of the song have always been the most powerful thing about the song.

“And I find it kind of funny. I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had.”

"MAD WORLD" MICHAEL ANDREWS FEAT. GARY JULES (2002)

Cover songs can be many things. They can be lazy album filler. They can be ho-hum recordings that do nothing to advance a band’s catalog. But, once in a while, they can be truly epic. For my next five entries, I’m highlighting five of my favorite cover songs of all time. Each of these tracks, in my opinion, have reinvented and, in many ways, exceeded the original recordings.

During a long, successful reign throughout the 80s, Tears for Fears was one of those few new wave bands that broke through into the mainstream. They conquered alt rock stations, took over MTV and eventually invaded Top 40 stations. They did it with songs that defined a new generation of music — like “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, “Shout”, “Pale Shelter”, “Change”, “Head Over Heels” and “Mad World”. When Michael Andrews and Gary Jules teamed up to create a new apocalyptic version of “Mad World” for the Donnie Darko soundtrack, they reimagined the tempo to become something that crawls under your skin and stays there.

By stripping down the sound and slowing down the RPMs to a near standstill, Andrews crafted a unique film score that put the instrumentation in the background and thrusted TFF’s profound lyrics to the foreground. This deliberately slower pace in Andrews’ vision for “Mad World” gave the words a harder, darker edge. It revealed that, as great as the drum-machine and synth-driven new wave original was, the lyrics and eerie melody behind the song have always been the most powerful things about the song.

“All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for the daily races. Going nowhere, going nowhere.”

"MAD WORLD" MICHAEL ANDREWS FEAT. GARY JULES (2002)

Exceptional soundtracks can make good movies great. They can also take on a life of their own, becoming a greater highlight than their respective films. In this series, I’m selecting some of my favorite soundtrack songs. While quite a few are well-known recordings, I’m also including a few that have flown under the radar over the years.

“Mad World” is one of my all-time favorite Tears for Fears anthems. The opening electronic beat, apocalyptic synth overtures and ominous vocal delivery gave the new wave movement a new voice and a new mood. I didn’t think a cover could ever be greater than the original, but the Michael Andrew take for the Donnie Darko soundtrack exceeded all my expectations.

By stripping down the sound and slowing down the RPMs, Michael Andrews created a unique film score that brought TFF’s profound lyrics to the forefront. Like what Johnny Cash did with Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt”, the deliberately slower pace in Andrews’ vision for “Mad World” gave the lyrics a harder, darker edge—and prove that, as great as the music was, the words of the song have always been the most powerful thing about the song.

“All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for the daily races. Going nowhere, going nowhere.”