"Mad World" was written and originally performed by the popular 80's band Tears for Fears. A more mellow, piano-based cover of the song was featured in the cult movie "Donnie Darko" (Jake Gylenhaal, Patrick Swayze) as performed by folk artist Gary Jules. His version of "Mad World" reached the coveted Christmas #1 spot in the UK in 2003, despite that it was 3 years old and performed by an unknown artist.
This song is quite possibly my favorite song of all time, at least in my Top Ten, because I feel that it describes life very accurately. The chorus of the song is:
"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."
To me, this song is saying "Hang in there...I know life sucks on this earth, but you will go to a far better place after your death."
Depressing? No. This song helps me to carry on.
from Donnie Darko (Enjoy) available on CD - Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets (EMI International)
19 Jan 04 ·malpt: This is a rare occasion where I love the cover more than the original. A very awesome song.
"Understanding in a Car Crash" is the song that brought me to love Thursday, a hardcore emo rock band from the New Jersey area. Emo (for "emo"-tional) is a genre that encompasses deep and tenderly obscure lyrics with raw, impassioned screams and hard rock riffs. Thursday is probably the best emo band out there. This is a great song about wasted time and wanted love, so listen to it! You might discover an emo-punker inside of you that you never knew existed!
A beautiful but simple guitar ballad, with Jack White foregoing his usual vocal theatrics and screeching. This song utilized really beautiful viola, one of the only times the band ever used outside instruments for a song. The most polished, elegant and beautiful of any of the White Stripes' songs.