Mad World | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Em | A :||
Verse 1
||: Em | G | Dsus2 | A :||
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.
Chorus 1
||: Em | A :||
And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda 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.
| Em | A | Em | A | Em | A |
When people run in circles, It’s a very, very mad world, mad world.
Verse 2
||: Em | G | Dsus2 | A :||
Children waiting for the day they feel good, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday.
And I 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.
Chorus 2
||: Em | A :||
And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda 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.
Outro
||: Em | A :||
Enlarging your world, mad world.
Mad World’s chords and progressions
The chords for Mad World are really simple, the intro/chorus/bridge/outro is just a II – V. Em – A.
The II – V is #4 on my top 10 chord progression list, usually employed when it’s time to dance, in Mad World it creates a cold eerie feel.
The verse only has two more chords. II – IV – I – V. Em – G – Dsus2 – A.
All chords are from the key of D, however, the D chord is not the home chord, instead, the Em chord is (chord II).
In the video above, you hear me playing Mad World on one acoustic guitar, influenced by Gary Jules’s version. After some time, it cuts to show you 2nd guitar parts as well. This is followed by a preview of an early guitar lesson from the course.
In the course, you get more examples of how to play the verse, we also look at what to play for the chorus. This is followed by the intro, and the complete song, all with TAB and practice loops.
We then look at how to play Mad World’s chords all over the neck using the CAGED system.
This is a great idea since if you know your way around the neck, you can improvise your guitar part. It’s also imperative when writing guitar parts for your tunes.
Finally, we create two 2nd guitar parts using a capo on frets 2 and 5, you should learn this so you, me, and the singer can play Mad World together.
You can preview all this in the playlist at the top of the page as well as hear the Gary Jules and original Tears For Fears versions.
Here’s a link to the complete lesson series (members only): Mad World 8 step-by-step guitar lessons with TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all step-by-step guitar courses, TAB for the songbook, the Self-Eliminating Practice Routine, and the eBook Spytunes Method.
Mad World was a hit, twice!
First released in 1982 by Tears For Fears as a single for the forthcoming album The Hurting (1983), Mad World became a hit, reaching #3 in the U.K. and #2 in South Africa. Sales came to 250,000 for the single and 1 million for the album.
Twenty years later, the soundtrack for Donnie Darko had a cover version by Gary Jules which was released as a single.
This version had greater sales than the original, charting in 17 countries, and even became the Xmas #1 in the U.K.
Gary Jules managed to make himself some money as he had already released it on his album, Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets, 2001.
Following the success of Donnie Darko, Gary had offers from labels but continued selling his album on CD Baby, rather than signing a record deal, giving all profits away against promises of a bright future.
Perhaps the title of his album served as a good reminder!
Mad World chords | Related pages
Intermediate Acoustic
Most intermediate acoustic tunes can’t be played using just basic open-position chords. We have to move up the fretboard and play CAGED barre chords as well.
We incorporate bass lines, add licks, extend chords, and play vocal melodies. Most importantly, we’ll invent second guitar parts and play these songs together.
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
Gary Jules
Gary Jules is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his cover of Mad World by Tears For Fears. It became the UK Christmas number one single in ’03.
Following the worldwide success, Gary Jules kept selling his own CDs on CD Baby as well as being released through a label.
Gary Jules on the web
Tears For Fears
Tears For Fears is an English pop band that has sold more than twenty-two million albums.
With hits like Mad World, Seeds Of Love and Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Tears For Fears was one of the biggest bands around in the ’80s.
Tears For Fears on the web
Ballads
The perfect first dance or an emotional piece for your next audition, this collection of ballads is great for working on your expression.
Learn tunes from Burt Bacharach, Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Eva Cassidy, Ben Harper, Etta James, Chet Baker, Elvis, Norah Jones, and many more.
