Human (The Killers song)

"Human"
Single cover
Single by The Killers
from the album Day & Age
B-side "A Crippling Blow"
Released September 22, 2008
Format
Recorded 2008
Genre
Length 4:09
Label Island
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Killers singles chronology
"Don't Shoot Me Santa"
(2007)		 "Human"
(2008)		 "Spaceman"
(2008)

"Don't Shoot Me Santa"
(2007)		 "Human"
(2008)		 "Spaceman"
(2008)

"Human" is a song by American rock band the Killers. Written and produced by the band members and co-produced by Stuart Price, it was released as the first single from their third studio album Day & Age (2008).[1]

"Human" has received generally positive feedback from music critics, praising the composition, the musical influences, and the production. It became the third song by the band to enter the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart. It was their first top ten hit in the Netherlands (peaking at number 2). The song was released on a 7-inch picture disc throughout the world on various dates in November, with a B-side entitled "A Crippling Blow".

Background

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine's Smoking Section, Brandon Flowers described "Human" as "Johnny Cash meets the Pet Shop Boys". Flowers stated that the song was created with Stuart Price during their work with him on the Sawdust album, and has changed very little since then. He confessed to not putting it on Sawdust as "it was too good".[2]

The cover art for the single is a portrait of the band's guitarist Dave Keuning, and is one of the four portraits drawn by Paul Normansell for the album.

The earliest digital release of the song was missing a hi-hat section at the beginning of the song.

Reception

The song received positive reviews from contemporary critics. An interview in The Observer newspaper stated that the track "is a cross between New Order and Bruce Springsteen - that should please fans of 'Mr. Brightside'." Chris Williams of Billboard gave a positive review, echoing The Observer's description of "merging a Boss-like melody over a New Order-injected rave-up." He also praised the song for "stretching the soundscape of alternative rock, which has increasingly become difficult to differentiate between mainstream rock. With this amazing, heart-warming, soul-crushing song the Killers may have altered music history, or perhaps the history of mankind itself. Never has such a scrumptious buffet of postmodernism, 19th century Hungarian ethics , and falling rose petals been so beautifully presented."[3] Music Radar complimented the song in their review of Day & Age, saying "A gentle, phased, clicky guitar riff opens this gorgeous nod to the gentle side of '80s new wave."[4] Caryn Ganz with Rolling Stone gave the tune three-and-a-half stars, calling it "delicious."[5] "Human" was voted the Best Song of 2008 by the readers of Rolling Stone.[6]

In 2010, a vote by listeners to UK radio station XFM polled the song at #97 in their poll of the Top 1,000 Songs of All Time.[7] In December 2009 it was voted the 25th Best Song of the Decade by listeners of UK music station Absolute Radio.[8] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 144 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[9]

Lyrics

There was confusion and debate over the line "Are we human, or are we dancer?" in the song's chorus due to its grammar.[10] Debate raged across the Internet over whether the lyric said "dancer", "dancers" or "denser", a misunderstanding which elicited conflicting interpretations of the song's meaning.[11][12] On the band's official website, the biography section states that Flowers is singing "Are we human, or are we dancer?" and also says that the lyric was inspired by a disparaging comment made by Hunter S. Thompson, who stated that America was "raising a generation of dancers".[13][14] From an interview:

Flowers is irritated that people don't quite seem to get the lyric, and that fans were unhappy with the song's dance beat. "It's supposed to be a dance song, it goes with the chorus," he says. "If you can't put that together, you're an idiot. I just don't get why there's a confusion about it."

— Rolling Stone[15]

In 2014, it was voted the "weirdest lyric of all time" by a Blinkbox survey.[16]

Chart performance

In the US "Human" debuted at number 13 on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, and peaked at number 6.[17] It is the band's sixth top ten hit on the chart. The song debuted and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the chart week of October 18, 2008,[18] giving the Killers their third top 40 hit there. It reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and in 2012, BBC Radio 1 announced that it was the 39th most downloaded song of all time in the country.[19]

On the Canadian Hot 100, the song debuted at number nine.[20] It debuted at number 34 on the New Zealand RIANZ chart,[21] and entered at number four on the Norway Top 20 before reaching number one.[22] "Human" reached the top ten on the Irish Singles Chart and in Sweden.[23][24] The song debuted at number 48 on the Australian Aria Charts and peaked at number 28.[25]

Music video

The music video for "Human" was released in mid-October 2008 and directed by Danny Drysdale.[26] It features the band performing the song in Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. The portraits of the band drawn for the album by Paul Normansell are shown in the video, such as when the band members hold the portraits in front of their faces.[27] Various animals are also shown throughout the video, such as a white tiger, an eagle, and a cougar. It's been noted to have heavy similarities to Pink Floyd's Live at Pompeii concert film, such as the band playing the song in a desert landscape amongst various amplifiers and other stage equipment and mostly in much of the camera angles. The video ends with the band watching the sun setting in the desert, which turns into the album cover, also drawn by Paul Normansell.[28]

Media

The song was used for the Spanish television station Telecinco for the "ad" of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final. The motto was "Una final no se juega; una final se gana" (A final is not played; a final is won).[29]

On November 25, 2008, the song was available as downloadable content for the game Guitar Hero World Tour.

Versions

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[71] Platinum 15,000^
Germany (BVMI)[72] Platinum 300,000^
Italy (FIMI)[73] Gold 15,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[74] Gold 7,500*
Sweden (GLF)[75] Gold 10,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[76] Platinum 804,000[77]
United States (RIAA)[78] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Awards

Year Ceremony Award Result
2009 MuchMusic Video Awards Best International Video - Group Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "The Killers' new album details revealed - exclusive". NME. September 15, 2008. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  2. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Larry (October 31, 2008). "Killers on New Single: "It's Pet Shop Boys Meets Johnny Cash"". Spin. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Human-The Killers". Billboard. 2008-10-04. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  4. ↑ "The Killers: Day and Age". Music Radar. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  5. ↑ Ganz, Caryn (2008-10-16), "Human". Rolling Stone. (1063):80
  6. ↑ Rolling Stone. "Readers' Rock List: Best Songs Of 2008 : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  7. ↑ "The Top 1,000 Songs Of All Time". XFM. 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  8. ↑ "Human by The Killers". Song of the Decade. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  9. ↑ "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". NME.COM.
  10. ↑ "Brandon Flowers Wound Up Over Misquoting of Killers' "Human"". Rolling Stone. November 19, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2008.
  11. ↑ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (September 25, 2008), "Does the Killers' 'Human' have the silliest lyric of the week?" EW.com . Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  12. ↑ Spence, Darren (January 16, 2009), "Chart Choice". Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  13. ↑ "The Killers official website @ islandrecords.com". Island Records. 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  14. ↑ "Killers' Brandon Flowers stands behind 'Human' chorus..." 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
  15. ↑ Hiatt, Brian (2008-12-25), "The Killers Inside". Rolling Stone (1068/1069):78-81
  16. ↑ Gibsone, Harriet (1 August 2014). "What are the weirdest lyrics of all time". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "Weekly Chart Highlights". Radio & Records. 2008-09-29. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  18. 1 2 "The Killers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  19. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/downloads
  20. ↑ "The Killers - Human - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  21. 1 2 "Charts.nz – The Killers – Human". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  22. 1 2 "The Killers - Human (Song)". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved on December 4, 2008.
  23. ↑ "Search the Charts Archived 2010-01-05 at the Wayback Machine.". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved on December 4, 2008. NB: User needs to enter "Killers" in "Search by Artist" and click "search".
  24. ↑ "The Killers - Human (Song)
  25. 1 2 "Australian-charts.com – The Killers – Human". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  26. ↑ Human Music Video. Universal Music Group. 2008-10-22. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-28. or from Universal Music Group direct
  27. ↑ Music Video at 1:55, 1:59 and 2:03
  28. ↑ Music Video at 4:08 and https://web.archive.org/web/20090427092211/http://www.paulnormansell.com/page7.htm. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ↑ "Spanish ad of the 2010 Final Fifa".
  30. ↑ "80s Re:Covered - TheSongs". Archived from the original on 2015-12-08.
  31. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Killers – Human" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Killers – Human" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Killers – Human" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Brazil" (PDF). ABPD. October 6, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  35. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  36. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 20097 into search. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  37. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – The Killers – Human". Tracklisten. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  38. ↑ "The Killers: Human" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Killers – Human". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 1, 2009". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  42. ↑ "The Killers – Human Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – The Killers – Human". Top Digital Download. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  44. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  45. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Killers" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  46. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Killers – Human" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  47. ↑ Billboard https://www.webcitation.org/6VSozzAOj?url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/search/charts?f%5B0%5D=ts_chart_artistname%3AThe%20Killers&f%5B1%5D=ss_chart_search_title%3A%2AHuman%2A&f%5B2%5D=itm_field_chart_id%3A806&f%5B3%5D=ss_bb_type%3Achart_item&type=1&artist=The%20Killers&title=Human. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  48. ↑ Romanian Top 100 Archived 2009-03-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on February 26, 2009.
  49. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  50. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200904 into search.
  51. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – The Killers – Human" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Killers – Human". Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Killers – Human". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  55. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  56. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  57. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  58. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  59. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  60. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  61. ↑ "Charts Plus Year-end 2008" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  62. ↑ "Single Jahrescharts 2008" (in German). MTV Germany. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  63. ↑ "Single Jahrescharts 2009" (in German). MTV Germany. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  64. ↑ "Éves összesített listák - MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 (súlyozott)" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  65. ↑ "Classifiche annuali dei cd, dvd, compilation più venduti e digital download più scaricati online nel 2009" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. January 19, 2010. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2015. Download the attached file by clicking Scarica l'allegato.
  66. ↑ "2009 Year End Swiss Singles Chart". Hung Medien. Swiss Music Charts. 2009. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  67. ↑ "Charts Plus Year-end 2009" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  68. ↑ "Year End Charts - Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  69. ↑ "Pop Rock" (in Spanish). Record Report. 2009-02-21. Archived from the original on 2009-01-19.
  70. ↑ Radio 1 Chart of the Decade, as presented by Nihal on Tuesday 29th December 2009
  71. ↑ "Danish single certifications – The Killers – Human". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved January 10, 2015. Click on næste to go to page if certification is from the official website.
  72. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Killers; 'Human')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  73. ↑ "Italian single certifications – The Killers – Human" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  74. ↑ "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". Radioscope. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  75. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2009" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  76. ↑ "British single certifications – The Killers – Human". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 10, 2015. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Human in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  77. ↑ White, Jack (7 July 2017). "The Killers' Official Top 10 biggest singles revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  78. ↑ "American single certifications – The Killers – Human". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 10, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 

  • "The Killers". Universal Music. Retrieved 2009-05-01. (has music video, needs Flash)
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