Mr. Brightside

"Mr. Brightside"
A purple cameo of a woman on a black background
Single by The Killers
from the album Hot Fuss
B-side
Released September 29, 2003
Format
Recorded
Genre
Length 3:43
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) The Killers
The Killers singles chronology
"Mr. Brightside"
(2003)		 "Somebody Told Me"
(2004)
"Somebody Told Me"
(2004) Somebody Told Me2004
"Mr. Brightside" (reissue)
(2004) String Module Error: Match not found2004
"All These Things That I've Done"
(2004) All These Things That I've Done2004
Audio sample
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"Mr. Brightside" is the first single released by American rock band The Killers.[3] It was released as the band's debut single and is featured on their debut studio album Hot Fuss (2004). Written by band members Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, this was one of the first songs the Killers ever wrote.[4] It is written in the key of D-flat major. Two music videos were made for the song: the first, which is in black-and-white, features the band performing in an empty room. The second, filmed for the re-release, is based on the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!.

The song was originally released on September 29, 2003 and achieved minor success. It became more popular upon its re-release in 2004, peaking at number 10 in both the United States and the United Kingdom. It is The Killers' second best-selling song in the US, where it has sold over 3.5 million copies.[5] In the United Kingdom it is one of the top fifteen most downloaded rock tracks ever.[6]

"Mr. Brightside" was named "Song of the Decade" by UK radio stations Absolute Radio and XFM, and in April 2010 Last.fm revealed that it was the most listened to track since the launch of the online music service, with over 12.2 million plays.[7] In October 2010, it was voted ninth in the Greatest Guitar Riffs of the 21st Century so far by Total Guitar magazine.[8] Additionally, in 2010 Rolling Stone listed "Mr. Brightside" as the forty-eighth best song of the twenty-first century.[9]

Recording and production

Lyrically, "Mr. Brightside" depicts the jealousy and paranoia of a man who suspects his significant other is cheating on him. Guitarist Dave Keuning composed the music before meeting Flowers. Flowers then wrote lyrics and composed the chorus after hearing Keuning's ideas. Flowers credits the speed of the song's creation for the fact that it only has one verse. He says, "We went in and made demos pretty quickly after that, and it took a ton of time. That's also why there's not a second verse... I just didn't have any other lines and it ended up sticking."[10] Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. is credited with creating the fast-paced drum beat in the first twenty-two seconds.[11] The "calling a cab" section of the song has both a musical and textual similarity to the middle section of the song "Queen Bitch" from David Bowie's album Hunky Dory (1971).[12]

"Mr. Brightside" was mixed for its inclusion on Hot Fuss by Mark Needham, along with business partners Braden Merrick and Jeff Saltzman. The song was first created as a reference mix in just over half an hour "on an 8 input console, with no automation" according to Needham. Despite several subsequent remixes, the members of the Killers preferred the original one, which then made it onto the record. In recording the vocal effects, Saltzman used Echo Farm, sticking with the default vocal effects setting. Needham describes it, saying it "overdrives the vocal a bit and sets an 84 ms delay."[13]

History

In their first performance together as The Killers, Flowers and Keuning played Mr. Brightside as part of a two-song open-mic night set at Las Vegas' Cafe Roma. Of the performance, Flowers says "It was terrible, awful."[14] In November 2001, the group had recorded "Mr. Brightside" along with three other demos including "Desperate", "Replaceable", and "Under the Gun" at Mike Sak's Kill the Messenger Studio in Henderson, Nevada. They handed out a demo of the song for free during their shows in 2002. After signing with UK indie label Lizard King Records, the track was sent to radio as a buzz single and it received frequent spins by influential BBC Radio 1 DJ's Zane Lowe and Steve Lamacq as well as being play-listed by XFM. Just one week after its April release, MTV2 secured a deal to air the song for a week.[15]

Reception

In one of the song's first reviews, The Washington Post stated that the song is "dashing through the tune as if it were a power ballad on speed, Flowers and company had the capacity crowd pulsing along with glee." [16] "Mr. Brightside" became a popular song within the Las Vegas music scene with one reviewer calling it a "feel-good anthem that ranks as one of the best local tracks in a long time."[17] In a glowing review, NME said the song was filled with "ambition, sex, and noise".[18] In an overwhelmingly positive review by Rolling Stone, the song was described as having "swelled with anthemic majesty".[19]

Chart performance

"Mr. Brightside" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 40 on February 12, 2005,[20] and peaked at No. 10 on June 11,[21] thus making it a sleeper hit. Two weeks after its peak at No. 10 on the Billboard charts, The Killers released their debut album Hot Fuss.[22] The song reached 3.5 million in sales 2016.[23]

In 2005, "Mr. Brightside" was the sixth most downloaded song on iTunes.[24] To this day "Mr. Brightside" still has the highest popularity rating that iTunes offers, even after being available for purchase for over ten years. Additionally, sales of Hot Fuss album reached over 5 million sales by 2006.[25] The online music streaming service Last.fm reported in 2010 that "Mr. Brightside" was the most downloaded song on the website.[26] By July 2014, the song sold more than 820,000 copies in the United Kingdom,[27] making it the UK's No. 12 most downloaded rock track of all time.[6] In the list of songs which have spent the most weeks on the UK Singles Chart "Mr. Brightside" is currently in first place, with 202 weeks in the Top 100. As of 2017, it had charted on the UK Singles Chart in 11 of the last 13 years.[28] including a 35-week run peaking at number 49 in 2016-2017.[29] It has been the UK's most streamed pre-2010 song, and continued to be purchased for download hundreds of times a week by 2017.[30] In March 2018, the song reached the milestone of staying in the Top 100 of the UK single chart for 200 weeks.[31] Explanations have included the song's popularity at parties, its popularity on streaming services, and the continued presence of The Killers as a popular live band in the UK.[29][31]

Music videos

There are two videos for this song: the first version (also known as the UK version) was filmed in April 2004 on Staten Island, New York, and was directed by Brad and Brian Palmer under their studio Surround. Later on in the year the label decided to create a more mainstream video for the US market: the second video (also known as the US version) was filmed in Los Angeles, California during November 2004. Directed by Sophie Muller, the video stars Flowers, Izabella Miko, and Eric Roberts in a love triangle, occurring within the context of a burlesque show.

The US version won an MTV VMA in 2005 for Best New Artist in a Video, beating other nominees such as John Legend, Ciara, The Game, and My Chemical Romance.[32] The photos that are featured on the inner sleeve of the album Hot Fuss were shot on set during the filming of the UK version music video and were inspired by the black and white look of that video.

Releases and cover versions

In 2005, Jacques Lu Cont released a remix of the song. This version was received to negative review, with Michael Paoletta saying that this version "depletes the song of its energy and intensity." That same year, this song as well as two others by the Killers (Smile Like You Mean It and Somebody Told Me) reached the Billboard Top 20 single chart [33][34]

An early demo of the song featured Dave Keuning on bass and Matt Norcross on drums, before Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci were members of the band. The original demo was officially released on the 2013 compilation album Direct Hits.

A remix of the song by Stuart Price was featured on The Killers' 2007 B-side and rarities compilation, Sawdust. This version was over twice the length of the original, with the 2004 release having been 3:45, while Price's version is 8:48.[35][36] During the tour for Brandon Flowers's solo record, he performed the remix version with Stuart Price during his show at Brixton Academy and has since performed it on his tour as the show closer, again in the remix form. On The Killers' 2012 album Battle Born, they released "Miss Atomic Bomb", which is considered a companion song to "Mr. Brightside" lyrically.

The song has been covered in a swing/jazz style by Paul Anka on his 2007 covers album Classic Songs, My Way. Crossover rock-jazz artist ELEW created a piano version for his 2010 ELEW Rockjazz Vol. 1. English pop-punk band McFly covered the song as a B-side to their 2005 single, "I Wanna Hold You". Texan artist Playradioplay! covered the song on his 2007 EP The Frequency as well. An acoustic bluegrass cover was recorded for CMH Records' Bluegrass Tribute to The Killers.[37] Abi Sampa from The Voice UK recorded a mashup of Mr. Brightside and M.I.A.'s Paper Planes.[37] Many other artists have performed live covers of the song, including American rock band Fall Out Boy, Isa Raja on X Factor Indonesia and Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald.

The song has also been covered by the Vitamin String Quartet, Boyce Avenue and on the UK television show Orange Unsigned Act by contestant Tommy Reilly. Additionally, a cappella versions have been produced by groups including Wheaton College's Gentlemen Callers, MIT's Resonance[37] and Boston-based Overboard. Brandon Flowers performed the song during his solo tour in 2010. Indonesian hardcore band Thirteen also cover this song. The Wanted covered the song as part of a medley of The Killers songs during their summer 2013 live shows.[38]

Media use

"Mr. Brightside" appears on the soundtrack for the 2006 film The Holiday. The song is played by character Amanda Woods, portrayed by Cameron Diaz, on a CD player, in order to relieve stress and forget about her boyfriend's infidelity.[39] The song is also briefly featured in the 2013 film About Time.

The song has become a crowd favorite among Michigan Wolverines football fans at Michigan Stadium, where fans in excess of 100,000 sing along to the tune when it is played in the fourth quarter.[40][41] The 2017 football season saw the song being sung in unison by the student SuperFans at Alumni Stadium during Boston College Eagles football games.

British singer James Blunt has said that "Mr. Brightside" is his number one favorite song of all time.[42]

Track listings

Charts and certifications

Accolades

  • BPI Pop Gem Hall of Fame Inductee (2014)[27]
  • Vevo Certified Over 200 Million Views (2017)[73]
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Absolute Radio United Kingdom 100 Best Songs Of The Decade[74] 2009
1
Channel 4 United Kingdom Greatest Songs of The Noughties 2009
2
Complex United States The 100 Best Songs of the Complex Decade[75] 2012
74
KROQ United States Top Songs of 2005[76] 2005
3
NME United Kingdom Best Tracks of 2004[77] 2004
5
NME United Kingdom 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years[78] 2011
5
NME United Kingdom 100 Greatest Songs of NME's Lifetime 1952–2012 2012
83
Total Guitar United Kingdom Greatest Guitar Riffs of the 21st Century[8] 2010
9
Triple J Australia Hottest 100 of 2004 2004
13
Rolling Stone United States 100 Best Songs of the 2000s[2] 2009
48
Pitchfork Media United States The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s 2009
72
Pitchfork United States The Top 50 Singles of 2005 2005 18[79]
VH1 United States 100 Greatest Songs of the '00s[80] 2011
55
XFM United Kingdom Top 100 Songs of the Decade[81] 2009
1
XFM United Kingdom The Top 1,000 Songs Of All Time[82] 2010
1
NME United Kingdom The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time[83] 2014
116
Triple J Australia Triple J Hottest 100 of the Past 20 Years, 2013 2013
7
BPI United Kingdom Most Streamed Songs Released Before 2010[84] 2017
1

Awards

The song was nominated for a Grammy in 2006 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, but lost to a live version of "This Love" by Maroon 5.

Year Ceremony Award Result
2005 Billboard Music Awards Digital Song of the Year Nominated
2005 MTV Video Music Awards Best Rock Video Nominated
Best Group Video Nominated
Best New Artist in a Video Won
Best Art Direction Nominated
2005 MuchMusic Video Awards People's Choice: Favorite International Group Nominated
Best International Video - Group Won
2005 TEC Awards Outstanding Record Production Single or Track Nominated
2006 Grammy Awards Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Nominated
2006 International Dance Music Awards Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track Nominated
2014 Official Charts Company Pop Gem Hall of Fame Inducted[27]

References

  1. ↑ Ferrar, Tim (April 6, 2014). "Rock Rewind: The Killers' "The Brightside"". MIMO. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "100 Best Songs of the 2000s". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  3. ↑ Graff, Gary. "Retro Rockets The Killers' Rock Act Takes off despite Labeling as 1980s Band: [Final Edition]." Proquest. N.p., 27 May 2005. Web. 27 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "The History Of 'Mr. Brightside' By The Killers, 10 Years Later". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  5. ↑ Paul Grein (January 9, 2013). "Week Ending Jan. 6, 2013: The First Top 10 Hit of 2013". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Alexandra Pollard. "'Sex On Fire' revealed as UK's most downloaded rock song ever". gigwise.com.
  7. ↑ "The Killers Mr Brightside is most played song". Belfast Telegraph. April 20, 2010.
  8. 1 2 "Celebrity News, Gossip and Photo Galleries - HuffPost Celebrity UK". Spinnermusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  9. ↑ Hermes, Will, Christian Hoard, Jody Rosen, and Rob Scheffield. "50 Best Songs of the 21st Century." Proquest. N.p., 7 January 2010. Web. 26 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Carley, Brennan (May 8, 2015). "Brandon Flowers Lists His 10 Favorite Brandon Flowers Songs." SPIN. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  11. ↑ Breckenfield, Ed. "Off the Record: The Killers' Ronnie Vannucci - "Hot Fuss"" Proquest. N.p., September 2005. Web. 26 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "NME Reviews - The Killers: Mr Brightside". NME. September 15, 2005. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Psychology of a Mix Engineer: An Interview With Mark Needham".
  14. ↑ "Q&A: Brandon Flowers".
  15. ↑ "Killers Head MW CD Talent Thrillers." Proquest. N.p., 24 April 2004. Web. 26 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "For a Moment, the Killers Killed." Proquest. N.p., June 2015. Web. 28 September 2016.
  17. ↑ Prevatt, Mike. "The Killers". Las Vegas CityLife. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011.
  18. ↑ "NME Track Reviews - The Killers : Mr Brightside". Nme.Com. 2003-10-08. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  19. ↑ Gitlin, Lauren. "The "Rolling Stone" Review: Live - The Killers." Proquest. N.p., 11 November 2004. Web. 27 September 2016.
  20. ↑ "The Billboard Hot 100 - Mr. Brightside". Billboard. 2005-02-19. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  21. ↑ "The Billboard Hot 100 - Mr. Brightside". Billboard. 2005-06-11. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  22. ↑ 2. "Albums 19.06.04: 6. The Killers." Proquest. N.p., 19 June 2004. Web. 26 September 2016.
  23. ↑ "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 06/06/2016" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2016.
  24. ↑ "IPOD'S TOP 10 DOWNLOADS: [2 STAR Edition]." Proquest. N.p., June 2005. Web. 27 September 2016.
  25. ↑ Waddell, Ray, and Brian Garrity. "The Killers." Proquest. N.p., 23 September 2006. Web. 26 September 2016.
  26. ↑ "The Killers' 'Mr Brightside' Most Played Song." Proquest. N.p., 20 April 2010. Web. 27 September 2016.
  27. 1 2 3 Myers, Justin (5 July 2014). "Official Charts Pop Gem #63: The Killers – Mr Brightside". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  28. ↑ Thompson, Stephen (June 4, 2017). "Mr. Brightside' Will Never Die, And Here's Why". NPR Music.
  29. 1 2 Westbrook, Caroline. "Mr Brightside by The Killers has been in the UK charts every year since 2004". Metro. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  30. ↑ "Why The Killers' Mr Brightside refuses to leave the Official Singles Chart Top 100". UK Official Chart Company. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  31. 1 2 Copsey, Rob (16 March 2018). "Why The Killers' Mr Brightside refuses to leave the Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  32. ↑ Bernard, Audrey. "Invigorating Diddy Hosts Amazing 2005 MTV Video Music Awards." Proquest. N.p., September 2005. Web. 27 September 2016.
  33. ↑ Sculley, Alan. "Killers on a Rampage ** Frontman Brandon Flowers Makes a Fuss over the Band's Debut Album: [MERGE Edition]." Proquest. N.p., 8 June 2005. Web. 27 September 2016.
  34. ↑ Paoella, Michael. "Music: "Billboard" Picks - Singles: Dance - The Killers." Billboard - International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment 5 Mar. 2005: n. pag. Print.
  35. ↑ Carlsson, V. (2008, August 28). The Killers-Mr. Brightside (LYRICS). Retrieved September 25, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/
  36. ↑ Reen, C. (2011, March 8). The Killers-Mr. Brightside (Thin White Duke Remix). Retrieved September 25, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/
  37. 1 2 3 "The Killers' Mr. Brightside: 10 of the Weirdest Covers".
  38. ↑ "The Killers medley - The Wanted in Scarborough".
  39. ↑ "The Holiday's Soundtrack on IMDb". Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  40. ↑ James, Jordan (October 8, 2017). "Watch: Michigan Stadium sings 'Mr. Brightside' in rainstorm". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  41. ↑ Champion, Brandon (October 9, 2017). "Michigan students sing 'Mr. Brightside' as rain blasts the Big House". MLive.com. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Charts: My List-James Blunt." Proquest. N.p., 23 March 2006. Web. 26 September 2016.
  43. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – The Killers – Mr. Brightside". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  44. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Killers – Mr. Brightside" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  45. ↑ "Brazil" (PDF). ABPD. October 6, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  46. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Killers – Mr. Brightside". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  47. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 36, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
  48. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – The Killers – Mr. Brightside". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  49. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Killers – Mr. Brightside" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  50. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Killers – Mr. Brightside". Top 40 Singles.
  51. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  52. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  53. ↑ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  54. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
  55. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  56. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  57. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  58. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  59. ↑ "The Killers Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  60. ↑ "Charts Plus Year end 2007" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  61. ↑ "Charts Plus Year end 2008" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  62. ↑ "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  63. ↑ "Charts Plus Year end 2012" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  64. ↑ "Charts Plus Year end 2013" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  65. ↑ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  66. ↑ "Associação Brasileira de Produtores de Disco". ABPD. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  67. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Mr. Brightside')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  68. ↑ "Italian single certifications – The Killers – Mr. Brightside" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  69. ↑ New Zealand RIANZ Gold Certification Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  70. ↑
  71. ↑ Hanley, James (March 20, 2018). "'Mr Brightside has become an anthem for a generation': The Killers on the indie classic's lasting success". Music Week. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  72. ↑ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  73. ↑ "Mr. Brightside - The Killers". VEVO.
  74. ↑ "Mr Brightside by The Killers". Song of the Decade. Archived from the original on 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  75. ↑ "The Killers "Mr. Brightside" (2004) - The 100 Best Songs of The Complex Decade - Complex". Complex. 18 April 2012.
  76. ↑ "KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2005 Countdown List".
  77. ↑ "Rocklist.net...NME End Of Year Lists 2008". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. 1992-05-09. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  78. ↑ "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". Nme.Com. 1997-04-30. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  79. ↑ "Top 50 Singles of 2005 | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  80. ↑ Anderson, Kyle (September 29, 2011). "U2, Rihanna, Amy Winehouse, Foo Fighters fill out VH1's '100 Greatest Songs of the '00s'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  81. ↑ "Presents The Top 1,000 Songs Of All Time... The Book". Xfm. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  82. ↑ "artists | xlists | Photo". Xfm. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  83. ↑ "Pictures of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time - 200-101 - NME.COM". NME.COM.
  84. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39952980
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