It's a Mad World

The BBQ Pit
1

Everyone knows the UK singles buying public has no taste. Of course it doesn’t, it comprises mostly 8-12 year old girls who don’t have the funds or sense to buy full size CD’s.

Not only that but come Christmas time the single chart is dominated by novelty records. Happens every year, happened this year:

  1. Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End) The Darkness
  2. Changes Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne
  3. Proper Crimbo Avid Merrion
  4. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) Pop Idols

What a load of pony!

So let me take you back to firstly September 21st when I was listening to one of only a handful or radio shows I make a point of catching every week and, in particular, when the DJ (Nick Stewart for those who know the A&R man who first signed U2 to Island) played a certain track.

It hit me, and most people, right behind their musical ear; a truly outstanding, haunting, intelligent interpretation of an oldie from the 80s. I made a note to buy the Donny Darko CD because it apparently plays over the closing credits. I also mentioned it to a few people, including snake-hip dude who still works in the music biz.

Then, in late October, snake-hip dude calls and say that the track in question is going to be released as a single for the Christmas market. Great, I say, it deserves the exposure.

Around the first week or second week of November, dude phones again and says the bookies are taking bets on what will be the Christmas Number one and the track we talked about is 20/1. “Get on” he says, “it’s a banker!”. I say “It’s not a novelty, it’s not Pop Idol, it’s outstanding, it’s got no chance. It won’t even get exposure on most stations.”

20/1.

Roll forward to yesterday; congratulations to the UK public for demonstrating more taste than I though possible, and congratulations to Gary Jules for both making a wonderful record and for it becoming the media circus that is the Christmas No 1 in the UK.

I am as sick as a parrot. It’s a Mad World.

p.s. I believe it will now be released in the US early next year – but don’t bet on it!

20/1. I weep for my lost judgement . . .

2

Gary Jules rocks, his two albums are fantastic (I think I’ve raved about him before on this board too). Mad World is a bit atypical of his other stuff as it’s performed on piano where the rest is guitar based music. (Also, it’s a cover by Tears for Fears whereas he usually plays his own wonderful material).

I’m still trying to figure out why this is in the BBQ, I think it’s a great thing he’s getting the kudos so deserved.

3

I hate this single.
Sorry.

4

sorry L_C, but frankly it’s angsty student toss.

Now the Darkness, on the other hand, is just what should have been number 1 for christmas - a big pile of naff silliness, with a semi rude refrain for all the family to screech along to. Why, it’s a Slade for our time.

Truly, I weep for this country.

5

You don’t have to like it. But it is, imho, wildly more tasteful than the usual Christmas fare. And a most unlikely hit single at any time, let alone at the height of novelty season.

stpauler - I’m pitting myself for having utterly crap judgement when I should have had the sense to listen to snake-hip dude and fill the coffers. Arse wanking idjut!

6

L_C, another word from you and I’ll have to actually quote its lyrics just to show what I mean by angsty bollocks.

And how can you not like a song with the phrase bell-end in the refrain?

7

I weep for the <i>US</i>. Have you seen our Top 10? I do think Outkast rocks, but everything else on MTv is a load of pants. MTv is poison, and sadly has NOTHING to do with…music.

Cheers to you.
http://www.billboard.com/bb/charts/airplay/adult.jsp

8

FUCK! SHIT! BOLLOCKS!

Those words and more emanated from my mouth upon discovering live that The Darkness weren’t Christmas #1.

“Angsty student toss” doesn’t begin to describe this drivel. Here we had the best Christmas song for donkeys years, only to be beaten to the top by the kind of miserablist shite that the indie scene in this country is all too dominated by.

Once again: BOLLOCKS!!!

9

I have no idea what you mean but my eyes are watering anyway.

Seriously, I’m really completely out of touch with ‘pop’ music and have no idea of anything else in the ‘charts’, nor have I for about 15 years.

Except It’s a Mad World!!

It’s a very different game. It’s about an interpretation, folks; taking A and creating B, something remarkably different, with different instruments, tempo, style, mood, etc., etc., from an already carved piece of marble. To do that requires a very particular kind of musicality. This is intelligent music-making, imho.

I don’t know the lyrics and don’t care to . . . the words of a bunch of 20ish-year old Scousers don’t fill me with eager anticipation . . .
but I do think we’ll have to agree to see this interpretive track rather differently . . .

10

“I find it kind of funny,
I find it kind of sad.
The dreams I have of dying
Are the best I’ve ever had.”

It’s all total toss, isn’t it? Just the cheery tune for Christmas.

Tears For Fears got away with it because their version was bouncy pop. But this git has made it an anguished and plodding whine about dehumanising modern society. Well, it’s a bit mad, in’t it? Deeeeeep. :smack:

11

Oh, Kleine Raupe, welcome to the boards :slight_smile:

…and listen to the Darkness :wink:

12

Scousers? ISTR Roland Orzabal was a fairly posh bloke from Bath, and the other one was Welsh. The Darkness are famously from Lowestoft (as in “the only famous people ever to have come from Lowestoft”). Or did you mean Gary Jules? I admit I haven’t followed his career closely.

13

Useless fact: The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins was a TV advertising music producer who wrote and sang the “schlomping” music for Ikea a couple of years ago.

14

If they weren’t Scousers their sound was fucking produced to sound like early 80s Scoucer.

Gary Jules is a yank, I’m led to believe . . .

I’ve only seen posters of The Darkness and the single before this Christmas one - is it somewhere between a catsuited Queen and Slade, but tongue-in-cheek ?

15

For the record, I fucking hate The Darkness. But even I think a song with the words “bells end” in the title deserves the christmas number one.

16

You’ve got the general idea :). There’s some debate as to exactly how tongue-in-cheek it is.

17

China Crisis, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, A Flock of Seagulls… yes, I see what you mean.