Gary Jules Aguirre Jr. (born March 19, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter,
known primarily for his cover version of the
Tears for Fears song "
Mad World", which he recorded with his friend
Michael Andrews for the film ''
Donnie Darko''. It became the
UK Christmas number-one single of 2003.
Early life
Gary Jules was born in
Fresno, California
Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...
to Marie and
Gary Aguirre. His family is descendant from Oklahoma, Ireland, France, Mexico and Spain. He attended
The Bishop's School in
La Jolla, California
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...
.
Songs
Jules recorded a cover of the song "
Mad World" by
Tears for Fears for the 2001 film ''
Donnie Darko'' and released it as a single in December 2003. This timing allowed it to become the
Christmas Number One single in the UK for that year.
He sang the cover on stage as a guest in a duet with French singer composer
Mylène Farmer during her "
Timeless" 2013 tour.
The cover also featured as background music in various television programs such as drama ''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'', as well as individual episodes of ''
Without a Trace'', ''
The O.C.'', ''
Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...
'', ''
Jericho
Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017.
F ...
'', ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
'' and ''
Riverdale''.
The cover was used in the trailer for the 2010 film, ''
The Crazies,'' and the
Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps' 2010 Production, "Mad World".
In 2016, a piano cover influenced by Jules's version was released by artist
Jennifer Ann and used in a commercial for Lloyd's Bank, which featured a horse galloping through different stages in people's lives.
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his dynamic vocal performances that combine his theatrical training with modern and classic genres. Lambert rose to fame in 2009 after ...
sang a cover of "Mad World" that was heavily influenced by Jules's version at two different points in his ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' competition, as well as during the American Idols Live! 2009 tour. Following its appearance on the popular television show, Jules's cover of the song rose to No. 11 on the
iTunes Store.
Electronic music produce
Phutureprimitiveremixed the Gary Jules version of "Mad World" and released it as a
mp3in 2011 with an accompanyin
video
The song "Something Else" was featured on the Season 5 episode "
My Fallen Idol" of the NBC show ''
Scrubs''.
The song "Gone Daddy" is based upon an experience that led to Jules relocating his family from
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
to North Carolina. A neighbor was gunned down one night in Los Angeles and while the police were investigating the shooting, Jules approached one of the officers, explained that his child was napping, and asked if the officer knew when they would be finished. The officer said he did not know, but that the family could leave Los Angeles if they didn't like it. Jules took the advice to heart and relocated shortly thereafter.
Jules's song "Wichita" was inspired by a class he took at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
regarding Native American history. During the class he read a story about Native Americans following herds of bison around the nation to survive.
Jules was a surprise guest on a series of Parisian concerts of French singer
Mylène Farmer, called
Timeless 2013 (September 2013). In all the performances that take place in the
Palais omnisport de Bercy, Gary Jules sings his cover of Mad World joined by Mylène Farmer. They follow by the duet song "Les Mots" that Mylène Farmer originally released in 2001 with
Seal. So far Gary Jules is also part of the tour, as he was also performing during the concerts in
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
.
Career
Music videos
* "Mad World" Directed by
Michel Gondry (2004)
* "Broke Window"
* "Beautiful". Stop animation by Tony Clavelli. (2009)
Television placements
*CBS ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' ("
Mad World", Season 1, episode 1-''Pilot''. Aired October 6, 2000.)
*The WB ''
Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...
'' ("
Mad World", Season 2, episode 11-''Visage''. Aired January 14, 2003.)
*NBC ''
Third Watch'' ("
Mad World", Season 4, episode 15-''Collateral Damage: Part 2''. Aired February 10, 2003.)
*CBS ''
Without A Trace'' ("
Mad World", Season 2, episode 1-''The Bus''. Aired September 25, 2003.)
*ABC
''Alias'' ("Something Else", Season 3, episode 3-''Reunion''. Aired October 12, 2003.)
*CBS ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' ("
Mad World", Season 6, episode 2-''Room Service''. Aired September 29, 2005.)
*CBS ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' ("
Mad World", Season 6, episode 14-''Killer''. Aired February 2, 2006.)
*NBC
''Scrubs'' ("Something Else", Season 5, episode 21-''My Fallen Idol''. Aired May 2, 2006.)
*CBS ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' ("
Mad World", Season 6, episode 24-''Way To Go''. Aired May 18, 2006.)
*ABC ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' ("Falling Awake", Season 3, episode 12-''Six Days: Part 2''. Aired January 4, 2007.)
*CBS
''Jericho'' ("
Mad World", Season 1, episode 17-''One Man's Terrorist''. Aired April 4, 2007.)
*ABC
''Brothers & Sisters'' ("Falling Awake", Season 1, episode 21-''Grapes of Wrath''. Aired May 6, 2007.)
*TV3 ''Colors en sèrie'' (Spain) ("
Mad World"'', Negre: El túnel al final de la llum''.2007)
*A&E
''The Cleaner'' ("
Mad World", Season 1, episode 6-''To Catch a Fed''. Aired August 26, 2008.)
*CW
''90210'' ("Greetings from the Side", Season 1, episode 9-''Secrets and Lies''. Aired November 4, 2008.)
*NBC
''Friday Night Lights'' ("Beautiful", Season 3, episode 13-''Tomorrow Blues''. Aired January 14, 2009.)
*NBC
''Life'' ("Been A Long Time", Episode 215-I Heart Mom. Aired February 18, 2009)
*FX- ''
Nip/Tuck'' ("
Mad World", Season 6, episode 2 ''Enigma'' Aired October 21, 2009.)
*CW ''
Life Unexpected'' ("Falling Awake", Season 1, episode 1-''Pilot''. Aired January 18, 2010.)
*ABC
''Private Practice'' ("The Old Days Are Gone", Season 3, episode 12-''Best Laid Plans''. Aired January 21, 2010.)
*ABC ''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'' ("
Mad World" – 23 episodes as Franco)
*FOX
''So You Think You Can Dance?'' ("
Mad World" (alternate version) (Season 7, week 7. Aired July 28, 2010.)
*ID ''
Investigation Discovery'' Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets ("
Mad World (2011)
*SYFY
''Being Human'' ("
Mad World", Season 1, Episode 9 Aired March 2011.)
*SYFY
''Helix'' ("
Mad World", Season 1, Episode 9 "Level X" Aired February 28, 2014.)
*SoHo (Australia)
''Wentworth'' ("
Mad World", Season 2, episode 9 "The Fixer" Aired May 20, 2014.)
*FOX ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
'' ("
Mad World", Season 15, Episode 16 "Saturated Fat Guy" Aired March 19, 2017.)
Movie placements
*''
Digging to China'' – "Greetings from the Side" (1997)
*''
Donnie Darko'' (2001) ("
Mad World")
*
''Catch and Release'' – "Pills" (2006)
*''Lost Islands'' – "
Mad World" (2008)
*''
Fireflies in the Garden'' – "Greetings from the Side" (2008)
*''
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'' – "
Mad World" (2009)
*
I Will Follow You into The Dark – "
Mad World" (2010)
*''Bez naslova'', Serbian movie – "
Mad World "(2011)
*''Mad World'' – "
Mad World "(2010)
Trailers
*Xbox 360 ''
Gears of War''- "
Mad World" (2006)
*
''The Cleaner'' – "
Mad World" (2008)
*
''The Crazies'' – "
Mad World" (2009)
Documentaries
*''
Michel Gondry 2: More Videos (Before and After DVD 1)'' (2009)
**appears in the "
Mad World" segment
*Joseph Aguirre's ''Next Year Country'' (2009)
**soundtrack music
Theater
The playwright
Stephen Adly Guirgis refers to Gary Jules in his play ''The Little Flower of East Orange''. This show, directed by
Philip Seymour Hoffman and starring
Ellen Burstyn, premiered at the Public Theater in New York on April 6, 2008. The songs "Goodnight Billie" and "Little Greenie" were featured in the production. Specifically, in Act 1, Scene 3, the character Nadine plays "Little Greenie" and says "Okay...One time, I was gonna kill myself, but then I played this Gary Jules song like twenty-seven times." In the acknowledgments section of the Faber & Faber, Inc. published version of the play, Guirgis writes, "SPECIAL THANKS TO GARY JULES FOR THE MUSIC."
Discography
Albums
*''
Greetings from the Side'' (1998)
*''
Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets'' (2001) - U.S. No. 144
[ Billboard ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
*''
Gary Jules'' (2006)
*''Bird'' (2008)
EPs
*''Live at Lime Presents Gary Jules'' (2009)
*''Daytrotter Session'' (2009)
Singles
Collaborations
*
Michael Andrews – ''
Donnie Darko'' (2001)
**Track 17 "Mad World" and Track 18 "Mad World (Alternate Mix)" (featured)
*
Jim Bianco – ''
Handsome Devil'' (2004)
**Track 6 "Tennessee Wedding" (background vocals)
*Esquimaux – ''perfecto!'' (2005)
**Track 12 "Honey & Dear" (featured)
*
Jim Bianco – ''
Sing'' (2008)
**Track 2 "Sing" and Track 6 "If Your Mama Knew" (background vocals)
*
Angel Taylor – ''Love Travels'' (2009)
**guitar, mandolin, background vocals
*
Mylène Farmer – ''
Timeless 2013'' (2013)
**Track 8 "Mad World" and Track 9 "Les mots" (live duets with Mylène Farmer)
*Equal - 'Lost in the Evening" (feat Gary Jules) (2013)
**vocals
References
External links
Official Website*
Gary Jules collectionat the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
's live music archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jules, Gary
Musicians from Fresno, California
Singers from San Diego
Living people
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
American male singer-songwriters
American rock singers
American rock songwriters
American acoustic guitarists
American male guitarists
Writers from Fresno, California
Ivor Novello Award winners
Singer-songwriters from California
Guitarists from California
20th-century American guitarists
1969 births
A&M Records artists
Sanctuary Records artists
The Bishop's School alumni