mr-brightside

8 Reasons Why The Killers’ ‘Mr. Brightside’ Will Never, Ever Die

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Back in 2003, The Killers created a humble little track and called it ‘Mr. Brightside’. Little did they know that they were creating an undying banger that never fails to get the dancefloor lit.

According to very official and super-well researched science, ‘Mr. Brightside’ is fucking great. It’s given us nearly 15 years of good times and it just keeps delivering. We are forever indebted to lead singer Brandon Flowers and guitarist Dave Keuning for writing this absolute tune!

Now, because we are an inquisitive bunch who enjoy spending inordinate amounts of time on things that don’t necessarily require our attention, we are going to look very closely at exactly why ‘Mr. Brightside’ WILL NEVER DIE AND DON’T EVEN TRY TO TELL ME OTHERWISE, YOU BLASPHEMOUS SOUL.

Shame on you!

Anyway, back to the point. ‘Mr. Brightside’ will 4eva bang because it’s wonderful, and we love it, and love means eternity. This is the general consensus:

“But why will ‘Mr. Brightside’ be in our hearts for all time?” you ask. WELL, let me break it down into some key reasons so that we can all accept this undeniable truth and finally know, “how did it end up like this?”

1. Let’s start with the goddamn beginning

Picture this: You’re at a party. The DF is scarce of people. The drinks are lukewarm. The smoke machine is inactive. The mood is dead.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, you hear it. “What’s that?” you ask. It’s the holy goddamn guitar riff signalling that none other than MR. goddamn BRIGHTSIDE is here to turn this party from zero to a hundred REAL quick.

Don’t even try to tell me that the sound of those opening bars doesn’t do things to your soul.

2. Dat accessible melody, yo

So basically the whole song consists of mostly one note. Literally it’s pretty much just that tonic note that most people can hit, making it the perfect formula for vocal performances and/or shouting along in unison.

It’s like The Killers were doing us a solid because they know we aren’t all vocally gifted, so they were like “ya know what, let’s give these kids one note to really nail and that’s more than enough”.

And it is more than enough! Plus the monotony really accentuates the obsessive fixation experienced by our narrator, but more on that LATER.

3. How about those lyrics, amirite?

Is there any better opening line than “I’m coming out of my cage and I’ve been doing just fine”? No. There is not. It’s unparalleled perfection and a true inspiration to us all.

Fun fact: It was only during the writing process for this incredibly well-researched piece that I discovered this apparently “famous” implied rhyme:

“Now they’re going to bed and my stomach is sick
And it’s all in my head, but she’s touching his…

…CHEST NOWWWW”

Yea, so wow, I guess that knowing ‘Mr. Brightside’ so well can mean you totally miss a dick joke.

4. Look, we are kinda basic

A simple, but undeniably poignant reason for why an inordinately large portion of the global population worships this song.

For further proof, refer to the diagram below:

5. CHOking ON your ALLLLLLLLibis

If you ‘sing’ that line like Cameron Diaz in that scene from The Holiday where she is a drunk bitch shouting along to this holy track, then you’re not alone.

She gives a stellar performance of ‘Mr. Brightside’ and then, low and behold, an irrationally tanned Jude Law shows up at her door in the middle of the night bc THAT’s the magic of this song. It makes GREAT things happen.

Don’t fight it.

6. That. Second. Verse!!

Instead of overloading us with a whole new set of lyrics, The Killers just reaaaalllllly lean into the riled-up jealous lover narrative they unfold at the beginning… by repeating the SAME DAMN VERSE all over again. Our narrator is trapped in a cycle of insecurity and angst, and we are along for the ride. Happy to be here tbh.

But of course we all know that on the second time around we are required to be extra emphatic when we shout “JUST. FINE.” It’s the rules of ‘Mr. Brightside’ and it’s non-negotiable.

7. We are actually all ‘Mr. Brightside’

Denial and angsty shouting is our beat.

The song really gets across that desperate insistence that everything is fine, when in fact everything is not fine. And if that’s not something to relate to then I don’t know what is.

We are all ‘Mr. Brightside’. ‘Mr. Brightside’ is us. Everything is fine.

8. In conclusion this song is a fucking jam, ok?????

Enough said.