Gary Jules shares “very intimate” 20th anniversary version of ‘Mad World’

Gary Jules has shared a “very intimate” 20th anniversary version of ‘Mad World’ – listen to it below.

• READ MORE: ‘Donnie Darko’ at 20: “We were scared it was going to go in the straight-to-DVD wastebasket”

The cover was first released in 2003 and now Jules has shared an anniversary version of the track which, according to a press release, “sets the perfect tone for the current state of the world and is as poignant this Christmas as ever.”

In 2003, Jules recorded a cover of the song for the film Donnie Darko, with the original version of the song written by Tears for Fears.

The song went on to become Christmas Number One in 2003 and remained at the top spot for three weeks.

You can listen to the new version here:

In a statement marking both the release and the announcement of new music from the musician that’s arriving in early 2024, Jules said: “There’s been such widespread loss these last years, so much illness and isolation, such violent and dramatic upheaval in the world and in people’s personal lives, including both my family and me.

“I feel like stories and music, and specifically live music — people gathering together to hear stories and reflect — is key to healing humanity, allowing us to remember ourselves. It feels important for me as a performer and storyteller, to get back to my part of that remembering, healing. That’s why we’re making this series of very intimate live in-studio albums– the ‘Alive! in Los Angeles’ series – to share stories and experience in an intimate, authentic environment, human to human.”

He continued: “For me ‘Mad World’ was the obvious place to start. I have always felt like the lucky caretaker of something much bigger than any one person, something of real value that belongs to everyone and no one. I feel a deep responsibility to perform it (and experience it) live, in front of real people, with all of the peril and imperfection front and centre.

“The song gives people permission to reflect, to sit in chaos, loss, change, and (hopefully) find beauty and community in the midst of isolation. I feel it too, every single time I sing it, even 20 years later.”

Jules’ most recent release was in 2011, a cover of Cheap Trick’s ‘I Want You To Want Me’. His self-titled debut album arrived in 2006 and in 2008 he teamed up with The Group Rules for a project titled ‘Bird’.

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