Tears for Fears - Mad World

Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesizer bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into mainstream rock and pop, which led to international chart success.

Their platinum-selling debut album, The Hurting, reached number one on the UK Album Chart, while their second album, Songs from the Big Chair, reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, achieving multi-platinum status in both the UK and the United States.

Following the release of their third platinum-selling album, The Seeds of Love (1989), Smith and Orzabal parted company, though Orzabal retained the Tears for Fears name throughout the 1990s.

The duo reformed in 2000, and released an album of new material in 2004. To date, Tears for Fears have sold over 22 million albums worldwide, including more than 8 million in the U.S.

"Mad World" was written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's
third single release and first chart hit, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Both "Mad World" and its B-side, "Ideas As Opiates", would turn up on the band's debut LP The Hurting the following year. The song would eventually become Tears for Fears' first international hit, reaching the Top 40 in several countries between 1982 and 1983.

Nearly two decades later, the song made a popular resurgence when it was covered in a much slower, ballad-like style by composers Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the soundtrack to the movie Donnie Darko. This version reached #1 in the UK in December 2003, and became an international hit.

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