I’ve heard some people (including Tears For Fears songwriter, Roland Orzabal) say that the Gary Jules cover of Mad World is a better musical representation of the song’s lyrics than the Tears For Fears version ever achieved, but I disagree.
For me, the utterly batshit insane, overly bombastic production & drum programming of the original version gives it this really tense and unsettling vibe that sells the feeling far better.
As the song builds and the production gets busier and more chaotic, it’s like we see the world through the distorted lens of our narrator as he becomes more and more insular, while the world is getting louder and more intense around him. There’s something claustrophobic about it, like the song itself is gradually closing in around you as it progresses.
From the second verse, we’re introduced to these short, sporadic synth brass runs that almost feel like car horns blaring past us, like we’re hopelessly stuck in the middle of a busy motorway. They are just one of several bombastic, borderline obnoxious sounds that begin to fill the song’s production, almost to the point it feels like Curt’s vocals are being drowned out by the titular mad world he is being swallowed up by.
The Gary Jules version is like hearing someone talking about their depression and anxiety, the Tears For Fears version is like momentarily experiencing it for yourself.
