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A math guy's random thoughts. |
A math guy's random thoughts. |
"Mad World" is a 1982 release by UK band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit. It's been covered by many other artists, most notably by Gary Jules for the movie Donnie Darko. I love this song. I admit, I've never watched Donnie Darko, even though I'm a movie geek. The lyrics, including the line, "the dreams where I'm dying are the best dreams I've ever had," are supposedly derived from the ideas of the discredited psychologist Arthur Janov. His book, The Primal Scream, has semi-plausible pseudo-science with no evidence to support it. It has a few case studies, but the plural of "anecdote" is not "data." So, there are reasons for me to dislike the ideas that inspired the song, including that one perfect line that inspired a chaper--in some ways, in inspired the whole novella. But because Wagner was a racist and anti-semite doesn't mean I can't enjoy The Siegfried Idyl. Anyway, this haunting song is one that I love. It would be part of the soundtrack of my life even if it hadn't inspired a story. In this case, I use it at the start of "Chapter 6--Mad World" ![]() ![]() Here's the Gary Jules version. Max Griffin Please visit my website and blog at https://new.MaxGriffin.net |