“Mad World” works pretty damn well with Pixar’s Inside Out, too

In all probability, “Mad World” will forever be associated with Donnie Darko because of that film’s prominent use of a somber cover version of the song by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules. But does that mean Donnie Darko “owns” this piece of music? Hardly. “Mad World” started out as 1982 hit by English synth pop outfit Tears For Fears. The song was considerably more uptempo, even sprightly, back then, but the lyrics were as heart-rending as ever. Tears For Fears were always among the most emotional of the mainstream New Wave bands of the era. The album from which “Mad World” derives is actually called The Hurting, and the band’s very name was a reference to primal scream therapy. So it’s no surprise that “Mad World” makes a very nice accompaniment to Pixar’s Inside Out, as ably demonstrated in “Inside Out World,” a YouTube mashup created by filmmaker Jon Lefkovitz.