Mad World

Gary Jules.

Brainclaw.

The Dresden Dolls.

What do these names have in common? They all do a great cover of the following words, originally written by Tears for Fears, who did a pretty good job with them:

All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, Worn out faces

Bright and early for the daily races

Going nowhere, Going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses

No expression, No expression

Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow

No tomorrow, No tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad

These dreams in which i'm dying, Are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles its a very, very

Mad World, Mad World

Children waiting for the day they feel good

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday

And they feel the way that every child should

Sit and listen, Sit and listen

Went to school and I was very nervous

No one knew me, No one knew me

Hello teacher tell me whats my lesson

Look right through me, Look right through me

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad

These dreams in which i'm dying, Are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles it's a very

Mad World, Mad World

Enlarge your world

Mad World

Great stuff, with that grabbing little panio hook… but it’s the lyrics that really knock this one out of the park. A good number of people haves heard of the Gears of War//Donnie Darko version, by Gary Jules, which is understandable, but I want to encourage listening to their varieties than the version which held number1 download spot for iTunes shortly after the GOW advertisement.

And if you are in the mood for something harder, check out the Brainclaw version -they are this unheard of band that i found on their myspace, and they do a grinding and pounding version which really captures something unlike any other version I heard, gave it the teeth which I felt like the lyrics really do deserve.

Another fun version is the live rendition of the Dresden Dolls and McSweeny (of the Red Painting, a Australian band) which they do - I really like it. It expresses more emotion, but not in the metal heavy pounding of Brainclaw.

And while we are on the topic of covers, I would love to hear what Nine Inch Nails would do with this song - it really is their sort of lyrical content, so I think it could be pretty cool.

In terms of the song itself; its when it comes to the actually lyrics and their meaning, that song really shines. "Bright and early for the daily races/going nowhere, going nowhere" --- its just a expression of how meaningless we all are on this train, headed to and then coming from work . And then the second verse is where it really hits me, "Hello teacher tells me what's my lesson? Look right through me, look right through me." Just another grey day, a day in which there just continues the cycle of meaningless interaction between people.