Coming up the story behind a song about the trauma the artist endured during his childhood. Mad World by Tears for Fears came from a very dark place. Singer Roland Orzabal felt alienated by the world around him but found no shelter at home because of his abusive parents. Every ounce of emotion he felt went into this 80s classic, but the problem is when he went to record it, he discovered his voice didn’t effectively deliver what he was trying to express. It made him question whether he should even record or finish the song. So he turned to a friend, a fellow musician named Curt Smith who also had a painful childhood and he became the song’s interpreter, the result was something magical. The recording became an international smash from Tear of Fears' debut album The Hurting... It had such an impact, that it was reimagined for the Donnie Darko motion picture soundtrack that attracted a new generation of fans 20 years later When Gary Jules covered it. the story of this unforgettable hit is NEXT on Professor of Rock.

Thank you to this episode’s sponsor, Zenni
GET ZENNI Glasses HERE: https://imp.i279709.net/vn5gLd


Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal

Honorary Producers
Moon Comix, Scratchers J Scratcherton esq, fakeaorta, Mark Thompson, Suzi, Dan Schneider



Check out my Hand Picked Selection Below

Professor's Store

Van Halen OU812 Vinyl Album https://amzn.to/3tLsII2
The 80s Collection https://amzn.to/3mAekOq
100 Best Selling Albums https://amzn.to/3h3qZX9
Ultimate History of 80s Teen Movie https://amzn.to/3ifjdKQ
80s to 90s VHS Video Cover Art https://amzn.to/2QXzmIX
Totally Awesome 80s A Lexicon https://amzn.to/3h4ilrk
Best In Ear Headphones (I Use These Every Day) https://amzn.to/2ZcTlIl


Check Out The Professor of Rock Merch Store http://bit.ly/ProfessorMerch

Check Out Patron Benefits
http://bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan

Help out the Channel by purchasing your albums through our links! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you, thank you for your support.

Click here for Premium Content: https://bit.ly/SignUpForPremiumContent

https://bit.ly/Facebook_Professor_of_...

https://bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of...

#classicrock #80smusic #vinylstory #tearsforfears

Hey Music Junkies Professor of Rock Always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. if you remember the great cola war of the 80s between coke and pepsin you’ll dig this channel of deep musical nostalgia, Make sure to subscribe below right now to be a part of our music history daily straight from the artists. And to become an honorary producer on our Patreon, click on the link in the description. You know… our childhood memories…they’re like the bricks that build the house of who we are today. They're the little snippets of life that stick with us, shaping the way we see the world, the way we react to things, and the way we live our lives. It's like each memory is a thread in this big ol' quilt of our existence, all stitched together to make up the unique pattern that forms us as individuals.

The childhood memories of Tears For Fears cofounder Roland Orzabal were sad & painful, and impossible to escape. At an early age Roland felt alienated from the world and found his only sanctuary was sitting all alone in his bedroom just strumming a guitar. When he was 19, he poured all of the emotions from his unhappy childhood into one of his first & ultimately most influential compositions…A song he titled “Mad World. Roland Orzabal grew up in Havant and Bath, England. His father suffered from P.T.S.D., post traumatic stress disorder, from the harrowing experience of serving in World War II, long before doctors really understood what the condition was and came up with a medical term for it.

Back in the 60s and even the 70s, medical experts treated patients with P.T.S.D. as emotional & physical defectives who were dangerous to society. For his condition, Roland’s father, like many P.T.S.D. patients, was given electric shock treatment. He was very abusive to Roland’s mother, and to his son, and the domestic abuse led to a deeply scarred & divided family.

Whenever there was an domestic altercation, or negative atmosphere in the Orzabal home, Roland would retreat to bathroom, turn out the lights, and strum his guitar. As a nine year old boy, he could totally relate to Simon & Garfunkel’s 1965 classic “The Sound of Silence,” especially Paul Simon’s evocative lyric “