Originally, Gregorian was conceived as a more pop-oriented group in the vein of Enigma. Under this concept, they recorded the 1991 album Sadisfaction, with lead vocals provided by The Sisters of Oz: Susana Espelleta (Peterson's wife at the time) and Birgit Freud. However, this was the only album in that style.
In 1998, Peterson and his team Jan-Eric Kohrs, Michael Soltau and Carsten Heusmann re-invented the project to perform popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be translatable into the 7-tone scale. For each album, songs were carefully chosen in addition to original songs written by Jan-Eric Kohrs, Amelia Brightman and Carsten Heussman. Twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers - were then hired to record the tracks.
Each Gregorian album is initially digitally tracked at Nemo Studios, Peterson's Hamburg studio. The vocalists then record their parts in a church atmosphere with dimmed lights and candles, in order to escape what Peterson referred to in a 2001 interview as the "cold and technical" studio atmosphere.
The concept proved to be successful, and the group proceeded to record several more Masters of Chant albums in the same style. Their 2004 album, The Dark Side, was a slight departure from the others, featuring a darker repertoire consistent with the title.
In 2005, The Masterpieces, a compilation album with a live DVD, was released. A fifth Masters of Chant album was released on 31 March 2006. In 2006, a festive album was also released, titled Christmas Chants. A sixth Masters of Chant album was released on 28 September 2007. In 2009 a seventh Masters of Chant album followed.
Gregorian in 2009
On 8 September 2010 the next album, titled The Dark Side of Chant, was announced to be published on 15 October 2010.
The members of the Gregorian choir group are Richard Naxton (Naxos), Johnny Clucas (Johnny), Chris Tickner (Chris T.), Richard Collier (Rich), Gerry O'Beirne (Gerry), Lawrence White (Lorro) and Rob Fardell (Rob F.).
Others who contribute to the vocals or sound of Gregorian are Sarah Brightman (under the pseudonyms Hepsibah or Sarah Hellmann), Amelia Brightman (Sarah Brightman's younger sister), Frank Peterson, and staff of Nemo Studio among others.
Mad World
Gregorian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Worn out places
Worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere
Going nowhere
No expression
No expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow
No tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen
Sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No-one knew me
No-one knew me
Hello teacher tell me
What's my lesson
Look right through me
Look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Halogen World
Mad World.
The song "Mad World" by Gregorian is a commentary on the state of society and how it can leave one feeling disconnected and isolated. The opening lines "All around me are familiar faces, Worn out places, Worn out faces" set the stage for the rest of the song. The people around the singer are living their lives like they're in a race, but they're not going anywhere. They're just going through the motions, and their tears are filling up their glasses because they're unhappy.
The singer is overwhelmed by the lack of expression on people's faces and wants to escape from it all. He wants to hide his head and drown his sorrow, unable to see a better tomorrow. He finds it ironic that the dreams in which he's dying are the best he's ever had, a commentary on the sad state of the world he sees around him. He wants to tell people how he feels, but he finds it hard to take when people run in circles, as if they're not really living their lives.
The chorus of the song reinforces the idea that the world as he sees it is mad, with children waiting for the day they feel good and everyone going through the motions of life without really living it. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that the world he sees is a very, very mad world.
Overall, "Mad World" is a bleak yet insightful commentary on society and how it can leave people feeling alone and disconnected.
Line by Line Meaning
All around me are familiar faces
I see the same people every day
Worn out places
These people and places are tired and overused
Worn out faces
The people I see look exhausted and drained
Bright and early for their daily races
Everyone is up and going about their usual routines
Going nowhere
Despite their busy lives, they aren't really achieving anything
Going nowhere
This line is repeated to emphasize the point
And their tears are filling up their glasses
They're so unhappy they are crying into their drinks
No expression
People are emotionless and indifferent
No tomorrow
There's no hope for the future, no prospects to look forward to
No tomorrow
Again repeated to emphasize the point
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
I want to block out the world and numb my pain
No tomorrow
The previous line is repeated to show how deep this feeling runs
And I find it kind of funny
I'm amused by the absurdity of it all
I find it kind of sad
But I'm also incredibly sad about it
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
Even my darkest thoughts are preferable to reality
I find it hard to tell you
It's difficult to articulate this complex feeling
'Cos I find it hard to take
Because it's so overwhelming
When people run in circles
Everyone is stuck in this never-ending cycle
It's a very, very
This is definitely
Mad World
A crazy and chaotic place to live
Mad World
Repeating this phrase for emphasis and impact
Mad World
Gradually this phrase is becoming more and more desperate
Mad World
The final line suggests the situation is now hopelessly out of control
Contributed by Taylor H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@macbeavers6938
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles, it's a very, very
Mad world, mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday, happy birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
"Hello, teacher! Tell me, what's my lesson?"
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles, it's a very, very
Mad world, mad world
@Anderson22901
Mad World
Lyrics
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places
Worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere
Going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses.
No expression
No expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tommorow
No tommorow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen
Sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No-one knew me
No-one knew me
Hello teacher tell me
What's my lesson
Look right through me
Look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
@jerryhaydel5172
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places
Worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere
Going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses.
No expression
No expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tommorow
No tommorow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen
Sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No-one knew me
No-one knew me
Hello teacher tell me
What's my lesson
Look right through me
Look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
Mad World
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Halogeon World
Mad World
@macbeavers6938
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles, it's a very, very
Mad world, mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday, happy birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
"Hello, teacher! Tell me, what's my lesson?"
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles, it's a very, very
Mad world, mad world
@ekramer1030
This is one of my favorite songs, and this version is just unbelievably good.
@97strakman
There arent words to describe how amazing this is
@brandonogc8936
There is one word - SUPERNATURAL
@afnanali752
🇪🇺💙💜💚💛
@Lordvany19
So beautiful, this is an epic cover. Whenever I feel blue I like to put this on, it usually fits my mood. Life, being the Hell it is, or as my Rabbis say the challenge, wears me down like my heart upon a never ceasing millstone, ever grinding as I suffer. This helps like a balm upon my soul putting me at ease with it's ephemeral touch soft as an Angel's Touch.
@paulfroselliii3437
This cover adds so much richness and depth to the song, and really brings out the emotions of it.
@djhopkins3443
This version has a deeper meaning and emotion to it - the singers of this version sing it very proudly! :-) great tune
@winchesterschwester
what a wonderful version of this song! love it
@bomel5007
Gw denger lagu ini dari tahun 2008 sampe saat ini masih aja semua moment dulu terngiang dan buat adem pikiran .... Jiwa lebih sejuk. I am gregorian holic.... Lagu ini di cover gregorian dapet banget hayalannya... Suasana kebayang di pikiran bahwa dunia ini gila...