MAD WORLD

I was checking out the youtube videos of Adam Lambert's portrayal of the song "Mad World" at this year's American Idol 2010 on the way home just now and I think his version was actually very hauntingly fantastic with all the stage lights, little stage movement from him, and yes, he deserved the standing ovation by Simon Cowell. I couldn't attach the youtube, so I am providing the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfR0JGWX62E

There was also a version performed by the Australian Idol 2007 contestant Ben McKenzie, which was also slightly different. The critic's comments were kind of interesting but positive. Are they all so nice on the Australian Idol?

But I still prefer Adam's take on the song.

THE CRAZIES 2010

The Crazies 2010 was a remake of the 1973 movie of the same title. It tells the story of Ogden Marsh, a small town of Iowa, known to be the friendliest place on earth, with a population of 128,000, whose residents were slowly infected by a virus via their drinking water.

Within 48 hours of infection, the sane townsfolk all slowly but surely turned into blood-thirsty zombie-like killers, who went on a rampage to kill others in sight. The military implemented a containment protocol that involved killing everyone, including the infected and normal residents. The whole town was decimated in the end with a massive explosion. There were seemingly only 2 survivors at the end of the movie; the upright town sheriff David played by Timothy Olyphant and his doctor wife Judy played by Radha Mitchell. Unfortunately, the movie ended with a zoom-out view of the town that showed the words "initiate containment protocol" for the second time, which likely meant they would too be exterminated.

It was an entire cast of unknowns to me. When I first saw the trailer, the song Mad World haunted me so much that it had my full attention. I was completely mesmerized by the sad, distant song but it was not played throughout the entire movie. Anyway, at first glance, I mistook the male lead as Josh Duhamel.

Yes, there were a few frightening scenes but well, I didn't find it as scary as the other zombie movies like "28 Days Later", "28 Weeks Later" or "Legend". At least in "The Crazies", the virus was not contagious and could not be spread by blood or touching the victims. The latter movies were definitely a lot scarier. These were almost like end of the world or hell on earth movies and the notion itself freaked me out. Imagine being infected simply by touching the blood of the infected, who were almost everywhere, and within a matter of seconds turning into blood-thirsty zombies who go around eating and killing others. In such a world, it may be better off being dead than to be killed in the most frightening way. And I just read that they are or may be making the movie "28 Months Later". I am so looking forward to watching it.

MAD WORLD

The first time I heard this song was when Adam Lambert sang it at this year's American Idol competition. Then recently, I saw the movie trailer for 'The Crazies' and I heard this sad song all over again. So it was only now that I found out more about this song. It's time to look for the actual album sometime soon.

Apparently, the original version was sang by Tears for Fears but I read somewhere that Gary Jules did a much better and more meaningful version of it with the new music arrangement, which I attach below.

Anyway, the lyrics and interpretation by a netizen at this link http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858635252/ are below.

Mad World

All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for their 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

The 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, very

Mad world

Mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good

Happy birthday, happy birthday

Made to 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, what's my lesson?

Look right through me, look right through me

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

I find it hard to tell you

I find it hard to take

When people run in circles

It's a very, very

Mad world

Mad world

Enlargen your world

Mad world

Interpretation

The first part (lines 1-8) are about a funeral. He is sitting at the funeral, and he sees the familiar faces of friends and relatives. The reference to filling glasses with tears is not talking about drinking glasses, but rather they are crying and getting tears all over their eye glasses. The blank expressions show that it is a solemn event, and the guy is clearly sad by wanting to hide his sorrows. He wants to be strong and hide it, but he feels very strong emotions.

The chorus, about his dreams, reveals the confusion going on in his head. He doesn't know how to feel in his time of despair.

When the song talks about children waiting for the day they're happy, I think he is talking about himself. Either he is a child, or he is comparing himself to a child waiting for his birthday. The "sit and listen" part is , in the child metaphor, about how kids are made to behave. From an older person's perspective, he feels like he's being told how to feel by the people around him, but really he wants to feel his own way.

I think that the lines about going to school once again bring up the child metaphor. Children literally do go to school and talk to teachers, but I think it really means that "going to school" is returning to life after the loss of a loved one. He feels awkward, and unsure of himself, and people always would offer their condolences and pity him, which actually makes him feel alienated. He doesn't want any special treatment.

"Hello teacher, tell me what's my lesson" means that he could be praying to God, or just looking for guidance in his life after he was torn apart by his sorrows. He wants God, or whoever can help him to "look right through him" and understand how he feels, because, as I said before, he feels alienated.

The sing finishes with another chorus. I find it a bit hard to interpret, but, as I said before, it reveals his confusion and mixed emotions. When the lyrics talking about running in circles, I think it could be referring to the "circle of life", but I'm really not sure.They are my thoughts, enjoy!