It was only a kiss: An ode to Mr Brightside

A younger Brandon Flowers in Mr Brightside’s music video.

The Killers’ Mr. Brightside is both infamous, energetic and timeless. Despite it being the first track the band wrote, many call it their most famous track – one which defines both The Killers’ sound and fame. NME has ranked it as the fifth best track of 2004 and between 1996-2011, and we can see why.

If any British university students are reading this, we all know that this song is basically an anthem for our night out, including Warwick University, my academic home (shout out to the midweek mayhem that is Pop!). Honestly, I don’t even remember ever learning the words to this song, yet you hear it in a club and feel like you have to scream your lungs out to give it the appreciation it deserves. Were we all born to know the words to Mr Brightside and belt out I’M COMING OUT OF MY CAGE AND I’VE BEEN DOING JUST FINE as soon as we hear it?!

Therefore, this epic song has a special place in all our hearts. Whether it is the catchy lyrics, the scandalous subject matter, or the provocative music video, there is just something about it which we go absolutely mental for! Actually, the colourful and seductive music video is the US re-release – but it is the one we think of!

The song’s scandalous plotline has an origin story more shocking than the song’s actual content. The song is inspired by a tale of deceit experienced by frontman Brandon Flowers: he himself was cheated on by his girlfriend. Upon approaching his girlfriend in the Crown & Anchor Pub in Las Vegas, Brandon discovered that she was unfaithful, and was absolutely heartbroken. Hence, apart from the revelation that Brandon is in fact Mr Brightside, we soon realise that the emotions within the song are real and were still raw at the time of the writing; this is probably the main reason why this song has struck the chords of many fans and general listeners, even today.

So there you have it. 14 years after its release, Mr Brightside has never been more loved. With university starting back in the UK around now, prepared to hear this epic track all over the country as we escape from the mundane and the stressful, and more importantly, have a bloody good time. Here’s to Mr Brightside!

From Sophia, with Love x

(P.S. Go on, have another listen…)