What does Madness mean?

Muse: Madness Meaning

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Album cover for Madness album cover

Madness Lyrics

I, I can't get these memories out of my mind
And some kind of madness
Is starting to evolve, mmmm
And I, I tried so hard to let you go
But some kind of madness
Is swallowing me whole, yeah
I have finally seen the light
And I have finally...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous01
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    Sep 9th 2013 !⃝

    This song is about a man's (i'll use a male figure since the singer is a male) inability to appreciate and see the true love he had for the woman he was with before they ended their relationship. Most of the inability to appreciate or feel the love was massked by fighting about stupid things, the desire to prove the other person wrong, and the growing frustration due to an inability to see eye to eye.

    Now that they have been broken up for some time, the enger and frustration have subsided, and he is beginning to remember the good, pleasant things. Those memories are sticking.

    He says that he tried hard to let her go, but some kind a madness is swallowing him whole. By that, he means: as the enger and frustration are leaving him, the void left by the absence of those feelings is filled with the love he has for her, which is causing a huge shift in his perspective on things. That's why he says that when he looks back at all the crazy fights they had, like some kind a madness was taking control. In other words, he can't even believe he was arguing with her because, again, love is replacing anger and frustration and it's hard to bring back the memories of anger vividly enough to eliminate the returning feelings of love and clearly remember and justify the reasons for all the arguments and unhappiness. Therefore, he feels he didn't have control over his own actions.

    But now, with frustration beging gone, he is seeing things much more clearly. That is why he says he has finally seen the light. She, on the other hand may have known, even in the midst of furious fighting and unhappiness, that he would come to this realization one day. That is why he says, he finally realized what she means.

    Then he begins to show confusion. He says, "now, I need to know is this real love." This means that, at this point, he does not trust his feelings. He knows the grass is always greener on the other side. When he is with her, they fight, they're unhappy, and want to separate. But when they're not together, he feels the love and the need to be with her.

    And the final portion of the song, he's reaching the conclusions and seeing through the confusion. He demonstrates that by saying that he's finally seen the "end." He knows he can live happily with her until the end, but he does not expect her to care because he understands he may have reached that conclusion too late.

    However, he wants her to know that he realized he made a mistake. He understands he needed to love her and show her the love while he was with her, while it counted the most. That is why he shouts: "I have finally realized I NEED TO LOVE."

    With this final realization, he begs her to come back. He is desperate and only she can rescue him. The fact that he says, "come to me, just in a dream, come on and rescue me" indicates to me that he's in pain so strong, a dream of her coming back would serve as a morphine pill taking away the pain for at least the duration of the dream. MADNESS!

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 13th 2013 !⃝

    I believe the song is about two individuals in a relationship and one of the parties is so caught up in their mind that they don't relize the other person is in love with them and wants them to simply love them back.
    They fight about things that are not real, but machinations in the mind triggered by simple events because one of the partners has a past of infidelity and the other is so used to being hurt they fight the true love they are being given.
    "Finally I have seen the light...I realize what you need" are indicative of awareness. In closing, "I need love" is the actualization of the awareness. And the letting go of the madness in their mind. If kristine D. could only understand.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Sep 5th 2012 !⃝

    The music video of 'Madness' by Muse is epic. Strong videos attach a strong meaning to the song that help in understanding the auter's vision for us, the listeners. The light coordinates and adds to the delineating while at the same time, tunes one in to the mood of the video.

    Madness is an aspect of every relationship, which observers hardly witness and cannot imagine the person in question to ever act a certain way. It is a very private business, the skeleton in everyone's closet… no one should know the way they acted, the last they were mad.

    The sexual tension is portrayed beautifully through body language. The expression of anger comes across really well. What the fight was, why it happened is not known and doesn't matter.

    The man and woman are in a period of transition but at the same time end up back where they started. The circle continues. The issue, as with many fights, is not discussed. And things continue as before.

    The SWAT team looking for something or rioting is an outward depiction of the characters' mental states. Just as there is no reconciliation of the protagonists after the fight, there is also no confrontation that the SWAT team has, the train just moves on.

    There just seems a nostalgia, maybe even a wish for something, anything to happen. But it doesn't. There is no breakage in the inertia of the relationship and the circle continues.

  4. anonymous
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    Jun 7th 2019 !⃝

    This song...regardless of the video...is about a man who is sexually addicted to one woman and in love with another woman. He finally realizes the one he is sexually addicted to does not give a damn about him. "I finally realize what you mean" and the final realization of what she needs is Not Him. His addiction to the other woman caused the woman who truly loved him and who he finally realized he needed to love is gone. The last verse is him begging to get her back..."I'm expecting you to care" and she doesn't so now he dreams of her to rescue him from the madness ie addiction of the other woman that messed up his mind so bad but he finally realized what she was all about.

  5. anonymous
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    Apr 9th 2017 !⃝

    its a truly nature human being emotion in a song...MB doesnt fake it...he said what he feel this time...

  6. LennonBellamy
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    May 17th 2015 !⃝

    I believe this expresses the relationship between Mr. Bellamy and his Creator or God! He seems to be in great inner conflict with living in this World and not becoming of this World. Knowledge, avarice, and domination is power on this Earth, but Love is power in God's Dominion. Open your eyes; Love is all we need.

  7. anonymous
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    Apr 1st 2014 !⃝

    It is a widely excepted thought that this song is about a relationship, but I think it could have other meanings. Notice how Bellamy uses the repeated phrase "some kind of madness." This line is also used in Rod Serling's "The Monsters Are Due on Maple St.", which was televised play. It was about how humans are their own worst enemy. He's talking about how we "NEED TO LOVE." He's saying we need to "realize what we need." He pointing directly to this world's corruption. It's a subtle call of action to the listener. Even though the verbs are in past tense and first-person, he is still asking the listener to recognize the world around him and act upon it.

  8. anonymous
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    Oct 31st 2013 !⃝

    I don't think this song is about a couple. I think it's about a Political leader who is leading a Totalitarian Government. He is pushing peoples lives into madness. Then after awhile he realizes what he did wrong in the line "And I have finally realized, what you need" He then corrects his actions. The music video is just an analogy.

  9. anonymous
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    Apr 7th 2013 !⃝

    It is about his relationship with the creator-remember the U2 influence and multiple meanings at once.

  10. anonymous
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    Apr 2nd 2013 !⃝

    Madness is about doing the same things and expecting different results. A troubled couple keeps holding on once they've "realized" they love each other... but their actions never change and they end up in a eroding pattern that consumes their lives.

    I wish TJB could know I've realized what I did wrong and could see I have changed my ways....

  11. anonymous
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    Nov 21st 2012 !⃝

    this is obviously about an iffy relationship. Kind of like maroon 5's One More Night, stating how sexual things can keep someone from getting away from a bad relationship.
    (BTW MUSE...YOU ROCK!! HEART THE 2ND LAW!!
    :3)

  12. anonymous
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    Nov 21st 2012 !⃝

    its about an iffy relationship

  13. anonymous
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    Oct 20th 2012 !⃝

    I can tell you this...I am living every word after 29 years...So very sad.


    I suffer too my friend, you are not alone.

  14. anonymous
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    Oct 10th 2012 !⃝

    I can tell you this...I am living every word after 29 years...So very sad.


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