Gary Jules: From Mad World to Christmas Number One
Gary Jules, an American singer-songwriter, became a household name with his haunting cover of Mad World by Tears For Fears. His version was released in 2003 and went on to become the U.K.’s Christmas number-one single, a huge accomplishment that solidified his place in music history.
Following the success of Mad World, Gary continued to sell his own CDs through CD Baby, even as his songs were being released through record labels. In fact, CD Baby helped Gary rake in significant earnings from his now-iconic track, this gives us all a valuable piece of advice: “Don’t sign the first contract you see!”
Despite his early success, Gary Jules never quite replicated the magic of Mad World. While he continued to make music, he didn’t manage to capture the public’s attention in the same way again. He may have figured out the indie music business model, but he seemed to miss the key fact: the public loved him for his interpretation of songs. Perhaps Gary didn’t want to play the music industry’s game, or maybe the industry’s reality was too much to bear once he got a clearer view behind the scenes. Regardless, Mad World remains his most significant achievement.
Gary Jules Tunes | Related Pages
Mad World | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play Mad World by Tears For Fears + Gary Jules using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, chord analysis, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Em | G | Dsus2 | A |
All around me are familiar faces, worn-out places, worn-out faces…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Mad World – Guitar Lessons with TAB.