Wednesday, April 08, 2009

"Mad World"

Tears For Fears had a hit with the song "Mad World" back in 1982, but the version that I know best is the slowed-down, haunting vocal by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews that was used in the soundtrack of the movie Donnie Darko. Jules had a big hit with his version 20 years after the original:

The song has been covered many times, and Adam Lambert covered it on Idol last night, using the Jule/Andrews arrangement (and Jules loved it). The Fat Lady Sings calls Lambert a countertenor. Wikipedia's entry talks about the fact that countertenor can mean a man who sings in the alto or mezzo range, but that there is more than one way to produce that sound (and singer, coaches, scholars and fans argue furiously about the differences).

I think I like the Dresden Dolls' version best, with the amazing Amanda Palmer:
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1 comment:

TFLS said...

I'd love to hear Glen Hansard tackle this song sometime. His delicate vocals on 'Falling Slowly' were what made that song such a hit. 'Mad World' is not an easy song to sing, actually. You're always on the edge of the melody - almost singing counterpoint. I have to say I prefer both Gary Jules and Adam Lambert's versions, however. The song lends itself to introspection whilst singing. It makes me cry.

11:28 PM

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