Despite "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" by The Darkness being the bookmakers' favourite to become the 2003 Christmas number one in the UK, "Mad World" upset the odds and took the title on 21 December 2003. It remained at number one on the UK Singles Chart for three consecutive weeks. The song's success in the UK did not, however, translate to the United States, where it reached number 30 on the "Billboard" Modern Rock Tracks chart in the issue dated 27 March 2004.