Mad World: Gears ad propels song to #1 on iTunes

49 Comments by Ross Miller Nov 27th 2006 1:15PM
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, First Person Shooters, Business

It appears the Gears of War "Mad World" advertisement has done more than just augment sales of the game. The somber 2001 Gary Jules and Michael Andrews cover of Mad World, originally released by Tears for Fears in 1982, hit number one on the iTunes top sales charts yesterday, according to fan site Gearheads of War. As of this writing, the song is number 12 (direct link) on the iTunes charts. The only other prominent placement of the song currently is an episode of CSI that premiered in late September.

Did a gaming commercial really have that much influence on download sales? The use of licensed songs in video games has a long background, with many unknown bands seeing spikes in record sales due to their placement in games such as Madden NFL. How might this coerce music industry big wigs to court game developers into using their songs?

Recorded for the mind-screwing film Donnie Darko, the cover of Mad World was the 2003 UK Christmas number one single. In a sad twist of irony, the Tears for Fears song never hit number one. But no worries, they did pretty well for themselves.

[Via Gaming Bits]

Tags: epic, gears of war, GearsOfWar, i tunes, mad world, MadWorld

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

DWells55: Nov 27th 2006; 1:21PM

Not surprising, shortly after the release of Prey, After Midnight Project's "Take Me Home," the game's credits song, hit #1 on iTunes two weeks in a row.

PacoDG: Nov 27th 2006; 1:21PM

I always liked the song, then I heard the cover by a hardcore band out of Georgia/Florida (their name, Evergreen Terrace). Now after hearing the Gary Jules version, which wasn't even knew, I was blown away, I think every cover of this song is better than the original.

Also, poo on iTunes, go Torrents

earl g: Nov 27th 2006; 1:21PM

I actually bought that song on iTunes. It was the first song I had bought on the iTunes store. The GoW ad, indeed, was what introduced me to it and got me to buy it. My girlfriend thinks it's a creepy song, though.

ChrisL: Nov 27th 2006; 1:22PM

The Gears commercial is a great piece of advertising. Inspires that "There is no hope, but I will go down fighting" feeling.

cronotrigger913: Nov 27th 2006; 1:22PM

I know I downloaded that song pretty fast after seeing that commercial for the first time. It's pretty good, but damn, 1982?! I didn't think it was that old.

KBeat: Nov 27th 2006; 1:27PM

I loved the cover. Up until recently you could only obtain it by buying the entire album from iTunes. After a lot of demand, they opened it up as a single. As Borat would say, very nice.

@2 Yeah, steal it instead. Why pay the artists? I wonder how you come by your games.

aegies: Nov 27th 2006; 1:28PM

i think it was the juxtaposition of not so obvious elements. and the song, when coupled with the imagery in the trailer, gives more of an emotional context for the setting of the game than people previously saw or expected in it. it was excellent marketing.

Fierce360: Nov 27th 2006; 1:31PM

i agree with you ChrisL. that commercial made me really want the game. the first time my friends saw the commercial, their impressions were pretty much, thats gay that doesnt fit the game at all. but after seeing it again, they changed their minds cause the lyrics fit it perfectly. bravo epic, keep up the good work!

Steve2: Nov 27th 2006; 1:33PM

Give me a break. The song doesn't fit the game at all. MS just used it because they knew people liked the song and would hopefully transfer that like to the game. It worked.

The song (and indeed the whole album) is about a person with emotional/mental problems, not a guy fighting space bugs.

http://microsoft.blognewschannel.com/index.php/archives/2006/11/06/gears-of-war-ad-spoofs/

Personally, I prefer the version with Hoku's "Perfect Day".

Charles: Nov 27th 2006; 1:35PM

That is one cool commercial for GOW.

Guitar Hero led me to buy quite a few CDs for bands that I had heard of but never invested any time in listening to. If I knew more about some of the licensed music (THPS comes to mind) I might buy some of that too.

diskoboy: Nov 27th 2006; 1:35PM

Personally, I hated Donnie Darko. The TFF version is way better. Tears For Fears was a better band when they were all electronic.

And "The Hurting" is a way better album than "Songs From The Big Chair" ever was.. :)

MosquitoControl: Nov 27th 2006; 1:41PM

The sad thing is music studios are so controlling and demanding with their licenses.

Look at TV shows on DVD. Married with Children lost its opening theme. The Wonder Years is being held back because the songs are too intrical to the episodes, and the music companies are demanding too much money to license the songs for home use.

It makes no sense.
Would anyone buy a Wonder Years DVD set because it had a Bob Seger song? Of course not.
But would anyone buy a Bob Seger CD because they heard a song they liked on The Wonder Years DVD? Yes.

So why are studios playing such hardball? The media brings people to the songs, not the other way around.

Dave: Nov 27th 2006; 1:50PM

I liked the commercial a lot. Unfortunately, it implies that Gears of War actually has a plot.

Jedijoe9: Nov 27th 2006; 1:54PM

I noticed on fire sharing clients, I am seeing things such as "Mad world (Gears of war soundtrack)"

JC: Nov 27th 2006; 1:56PM

i think the original still would of been better, check out the video if you've never heard it, it's much creepier than the new version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6Ev8ayqEk0

Jose: Nov 27th 2006; 1:56PM

There's never been a creepier juxtaposition of song with other media since Dawn of the Dead (remake) and Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around.

It's also a very different thing being in a soundtrack for a game, and being featured so prominently on the commercial. Not everyone who sees the commercial will buy the game, but having seen the commercial, they will probably want to. I've had so many friends tell me they now want a 360 for this game, and they don't even know what it was about, or what kind of game it was. I told them 3rd person shooter a-la RE4, and their response usually follows along the lines of, "Sweet!"

OM: Nov 27th 2006; 1:57PM

That song makes my ears bleed.

KineticOnline: Nov 27th 2006; 2:02PM

Considering the sucess of the song in other countries, i think that i would have done well anyway, but the use of the song in an advert helps.

bubbacrosbysucks: Nov 27th 2006; 2:04PM

1: Great article Ross- i've been thinking the same thing for a good week.
2: I only liked the song because at first I thought it was Neil Young.
3: It's a good song that has nothing to do with the game. The game did not do anything to promote the song. The commercial could've been anything else besides gears and still sell the song due to the production of the commercial.

Unimental: Nov 27th 2006; 2:22PM

Hey Paco (and everyone else)... here's a link to the Gears promo with the Evergreen Terrace version of "Mad World" playing. Pretty slick stuff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSlHC_3VC6I

QS: Nov 27th 2006; 2:41PM

Im sorry but that version with evergreen terrace is awful. its the juxtaposition of the seemingly mellow music mixed with the creepy lyrics that make the visuals so much more powerful. with the hard rockish chords and screaming it sounds more like a 12 year olds game. Microsoft wants to appeal to older people as well. they appear more mature using a more mature version of the song.

Mitchell Dyer: Nov 27th 2006; 2:44PM

That song made me cry like a girl in Donnie Darko.

Jared: Nov 27th 2006; 2:49PM

I tried to buy this on iTunes when I first saw the commercial, and it was an Album-Only tune... Now it's not... Kinda interesting that it was changed. I bought it now. Great tune.

NNTPgrip: Nov 27th 2006; 2:56PM

The commercial did everything to promote the song. You realize that MTV killed the video. People are also starving for something other than hip-hop or cookie-cutter rock. Feed them ANYTHING else and couple it with something else cool and you've sold it. They could have put damn near anything in that commercial.

Another example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZrjr4A-ASQ

Ward: Nov 27th 2006; 3:14PM

Damn song's been in my head for weeks now. No wonder people are buying it.

Mike: Nov 27th 2006; 3:14PM

I first got hooked on this song when it was used earlier this year on promos for the F/X series, Thief. It's good to see it's getting more exposure with the Gears of War ad.

kam-RA: Nov 27th 2006; 3:39PM

at #6... yeah... Donnie Darko made good use of that song, that's when I heard of it. I liked the movie. The tears for fears version is a little less somber.

puddlejumper: Nov 27th 2006; 4:35PM

This is not surprising in the least. But I should mention a lot of people may not be buying it because the game influenced them, it's probably because the ad just showcased a song that not a lot of people knew about.

I'm in that camp. It's a great song! Tears for Fears or otherwise!

Daniel: Nov 27th 2006; 4:41PM

I also went searching for the song after watching the trailer. I think Postal Service and Frou Frou got the same kind of boost from the Garden State soundtrack that this song is getting.

I think the song works well with the trailer. Its sets a somber mood amid all this insanity. I'm sure alot of kids think the music is stupid, but it speaks to a fighters desire for introspection amid chaos.

dave: Nov 27th 2006; 4:44PM

This was the first song I ever played live in a gig on guitar. So simple, and hauntingly creepy with the stage lights off and not a sound in the whole place. Great use of it in the ad, but I'm a little saddened that people will now think I learned it because it was on a video game commercial.

Iscariote: Nov 27th 2006; 5:16PM

You know what band sucks? Evergreen Terrace. Go back to Hot Topic and get out of hardcore.

sambo: Nov 27th 2006; 5:44PM

call me lame, but i actually bought the song yesterday on itunes. Then i went back and found my tears for fears cassette tape and listened to that too!!

great song. great commercial. great game.

MosquitoControl: Nov 27th 2006; 6:15PM

Evergreen Terrace shouldn't be allowed to play music. Except for maybe Hot Topic sampler CDs eaten up by people that haven't discovered that the bands Evergreen Terrace wishes they were are much better.

kpm: Nov 27th 2006; 6:30PM

I loved this commercial, and it certainly made me interested in the song. Whoever produced the commercial did a very good job of using the lyrics and mood it creates, so I think that is why so many people decided to research afterwards.

I didn't download it off of iTunes (boo), but I definitely Googled the song after I saw the commercial and watched the video on YouTube a couple times. Awesome.

Ratchet the Lombax: Nov 27th 2006; 8:20PM

Yea this song is great I got it a while ago from a newsgroup. It's been in a few tv shows and movies I first heard it in donnie darko then later it was in an episode of CSI LV and now a gears of war commercial. I even have a anime music video of it done to Fooly Cooly which turned out really nice.

Adam: Nov 27th 2006; 8:34PM

I love that song,

I'm not sure what version. The one from Donnie Darko is the one I enjoy most. Although it is a sad song it fits that movie perfectly in the end.

Drew2u: Nov 27th 2006; 8:42PM

I L.O.A.T.H.E that commercial. What a way to ruin a song.

NoBullet: Nov 27th 2006; 9:37PM

@13
"Married with Children lost its opening theme"

Umm, no. They cut the song in half to keep the intro short so they can get to the actual show instead of going to a commercial right away.

justin: Nov 28th 2006; 8:49AM

nobody remembers Donnie Darko?

exit stencil: Nov 28th 2006; 8:10PM

i was skeptical of the game at first, but the graphics were incredible. i saw the advert on television and was seriously intrigued. easily the best commercial spot for a video game ever. i downloaded it off xbox live, watched it several times. bought the donnie darko soundtrak, bought gears of war. i'm pleased with all of it. great marketing of a truly exceptional game.

Matt: Nov 29th 2006; 7:33AM

To those who think that this song dosent go along with the game. Download Zune for your pc then stream it to your 360. That zune program is really nice too.

Craig Smith: Nov 29th 2006; 8:44AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByipG3GlyzM

Granted, it's Eminem, but it sort of fits the visuals.

Ryan: Dec 1st 2006; 10:02AM

I saw a small private recording session with Tears for Fears a while back (for WXPN radio in Philadelphia - lot's of great stuff at xpn.org ).

The interviewer asked about that remake, and they thought it was great, too. They said they weren't playing the song, as the cover was so good, they we're happy to let Jules et al have at it.

hosecoat: Dec 6th 2006; 3:29AM

I find that commercial annoying. The song is so ingrained with donnie darko for me, that the GOW use seems out of context and absurd.
GOW is a great game though. Im glad i dont have to listen to the song while playing it.

Brad: Dec 8th 2006; 5:14AM

I've never played GoW nor have I played any Xbox game, I'm a PC gamer nerd. However, this is the most powerful video game advertisment I'm seen in some time. It's a hauntingly beautiful song mixed with violent video game. Oddly it somehow works. Kudos to their marketing team.

mayank: Dec 17th 2006; 1:38AM

i loved this commercial the first time i saw it on tv. i think we all did to some extent, or we wouldn't have been writing in this forum. i was acutally thinking of getting an xbox360 just for this song, but i figured im going to use my uncle's ps2 right now, in 4 years (ill be 17 by then) get an xbox720 (planned for 2010) with my own money and by gears of war and halo 3 for CLASSIC games of its own time hoping that xbox720 has backwards compatibility. i actually have the full commercial on my pc as a windows media file (ign is giving it out) so you can contact me on: mayank_gulati@hotmail.com for that song. thank you, my comment is over

Khaki: Jan 8th 2007; 4:43AM

Great song, just too bad iTunes and Apples monopoly makes it impossible for us non-Apple fans to get it except by buing the CD or "stealing" it... A whole album for just one song, sorry to the artists, but Apple and iTunes are forcing my hand into cheating them for their royalties. I tried getting it on other sites, but no luck, apparently the only way to get MP3 for your MP3 player are the illeagal way.

iTunes sucks! Apple sucks! give Microsoft a break (not to much though)

-- Cheers from sunny Denmark (no not really, it's cold as Hell :) )

Chris: Jan 16th 2007; 1:51PM

That is one of the most beutiful songs ever written and to see it played along with such a violent commercial is only a tribute to the songs compatibility with all aspects of any human feeling. To come to this site and bad mouth the song only shows that even though you don't like it it still leaves a sub-consious infatuation with it in your head. That's write people- You Hate It So Much That You Can't Get Enough Of It. Sound retarded huh?not really.. You did it to yourself. And the best part is your keeping a song you supposeably hate...Alive!!!!!!!!!!

Christina: Jan 23rd 2007; 3:07AM

The song really hit like a punch in the stomach because I couldn't help but see all the soldiers over in Iraq in that lone soldier. So strong, so brave, but still human enough to look at that broken child face. Then to fight so valiantly even against hopelessness! It was like watching a whole movie in under a minute! The commercial just resonates the gut sentiment in America and our mad world now!