tears for fears

If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that we're living in a very, very mad world right now. Listening to the lyrics of the song "Mad World," it has perhaps never felt more fitting.

All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for their daily races

Going nowhere, going nowhere

Umm, yeah. Going nowhere indeed. And it just gets more apropos:

Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

Oof. Le sigh.

Tears for Fears front man Curt Smith and his daughter, Diva, performed the the song on YouTube, and it's gorgeous. Frankly, Diva is the one who steals the show, as it takes an immediately impressive turn when she pipes in with her perfect harmony.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Just beautiful.

"Her harmonizing tho. It sends shivers down my spine. It needn't be better," one viewer wrote.

Another gushed. "As a father to daughters, I love this. As a musician, I love this. As a Tears for Fears fan, I love this. As a person with ears connected to my brain with a beating heart, I love this."

Oddly enough, the version they sing is actually a cover of a cover of an original Tears for Fears song. The original Tears for Fears version from 1982 had a quicker tempo and techno beat. It wasn't until the song was covered by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews for the 2001 movie Donnie Darko that the song became the haunting ballad we're most familiar with.

As for Diva, she has followed in her father's footsteps, crafting her own career as a singer songwriter. Below is a snippet from one of her most recent singles, titled “I Can See in the Dark”

She also has plenty of solo covers, like this one of "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. Honestly, Diva makes it so much her own, you can barely recognize it.

It might be a mad world we're livin' in, but it's not without talented artists to make something beautiful of all the madness.

This article originally appeared five years ago.