Mad World / Ideas as Opiates

by Tears for Fears

Mad World / Ideas as Opiates cover art
  • Type: Single
  • Released: 30 September 1982
  • Label: Mercury
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Community rating: 4.15/5 from 4 ratings

Artists on this release: Biti Strauchn, Nicky Holland, Maggie Ryder, David Bascombe

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Written by Roland Orzabal on an acoustic guitar before being reworked into an electronic arrangement, 'Mad World' served as Tears for Fears' first major chart success. Featuring Curt Smith's haunting lead vocal, the track explores themes of intense adolescent alienation and existential dread over a sparse, synthetic rhythm.

Genres

Descriptors: existential, alienation, rhythmic, synthesizers, downtempo

Tracklist

  1. Mad World
  2. Ideas as Opiates

Credits

More from Tears for Fears: full discography