#HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR BRIGHTSIDE

[papierfliegerchen]

[vibinglikethat]

🗣️ IT STARTED OUT WITH A KISS

HOW DID IT END UP LIKE THIS?

(IT WAS ONLY A KISS)

IT WAS ONLY A KISS

[that-bi-fan]

anyway

[maxsix]

It's the 20th anniversary of Mr Brightside by The Killers. I need everyone to listen to my favourite cover of it: by Megadeath's Dirk Verbeuren. I affectionately call it MegaKill and it is now the definitive version for me. The achievements this song achieved is insane to me. It's spent like 7 years on the charts and sold 7 million copies. Not the album. Just this song by itself. Insane.

[letlizsayfuck]

I just know that Mr. Brightside was on the official P&E workout playlist

[pressure-machine]

"I never said The Killers were the best band of the last fifteen years, that'd be be crazy arrogant. Top three though, I'll stand by that."

[conditionaljewel]

Happy Birthday Mr Brightside, you beautiful banger of a song you

[bestofpeterick]

Cheat Sheet!

This is the handy dandy guide to all the moments that will be/could be in the running. If a link is to a youtube video it will be timestamped unless it's near the beginning/the entire video. Timestamps will also be noted.

True Blue Magic

Mr Brightside Kisses

Stumph and Sons Riff

Pete slapping Patrick's ass on stage

Stump Club President Shirt

Half-doomed/Semi-sweet "Sometimes it was Patrick" Genius Annotation

Pete kneeling at Patrick's feet

Patrick death-glare at an interviewer touching Pete (the whole first minute or so)

Pete "If I could marry a dude" (Timestamped 15:42)

Love Lockdown cover "this is for you Pete"

Quarantine livestream in the same room

Tie tug "I never get a break from him"

Retiring to Arizona together

EDIT: youtube link found! thank you grandtreeangel <3 November 26, 2007 show in Glendale Arizona. Pete tells Patrick they should "set up show and retire here" to which Patrick laughs and says "retire from what?" Pete continues overlapping with him "Let's just get hitched and move out to Arizona." He then introduces the next song in the set as "This is a love story about Patrick Stump". The song is I'm Like a Lawyer...(Me and You)

"Mon petit chou"/"Mille fois je t'aime"

from March 12, 2014 in Paris Pete: "Tu es belle mon petit chou" (you are my beautiful little cabbage) Patrick: "Mille fois je t'aime" (I love you a million times (literal)/I love you so much) Pete: "Um...anyways so"

 "That was no dream" Patrick covered in syrup promo video

I dreamt him Q&A answer

Singapore slide riff

 "the man of my daydreams or nightmares"

"[Headfirst slide] is about the moment you see someone… and know you'll follow them anywhere across the world, possibly across the stage"

Teddy bear riff

 Saturday/"More than an hour"

 Grand Theft Autumn lean ritual

 "Now I only waste it dreaming of you" (timestamped 1:30)

 Zane Lowe thigh touch (timestamped 34:48)

during Pete and Patrick's interview on Apple Music with Zane Lowe Patrick starts to get flustered and upset discussing their distance over the hiatus especially after Pete jokingly asks "Wait we weren't friends?" Pete then puts his hand on Patrick's thigh and Patrick calms down.

 "He's kinda my other half"

"happy birthday patrick still glad i lost my virginity to you" tweet

“Patrick’s clingy girlfriend” tweet

"Not MY Pete" riff

Joe: You guys should get married. Patrick: We are :) (timestamped 1:20)

"I would totally do Patrick Stump"

[melittarilow]

Since we're thinking about Mr. Brightside today (happy birthday baby girl you look so good!), y'all know these bitches wrote a sequel, right?

Okay, the word the band uses is "companion," not "sequel," but still!

I'm so struck by revisiting the first song you ever wrote a decade later, not replacing it but getting to tell that story again, incorporating all the artistic growth you've done since you were 20. And the songs show that out! Mr. Brightside is so desperately present that we can't see anything other than The Moment Itself and all the big feelings swirling around, while Miss Atomic Bomb has this grand sweeping retrospective feel, the way when you look back on a breakup years later you see it in context of the whole relationship. Ugh. Anyway. Yearning for neon lights and the desert tonight I guess.

[wlwdisasterr]

"happy birthday mr brightside"

enough about the passage of time thank you very much

[demigodoreo]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. BRIGHTSIDE

[thesunsethour]

my official ranking of (basically) every song by The Killers

(excluding remix versions and non-officially released covers. i treat live versions as separate entities to their studio counterparts)

(only the first 20 or so aren’t good. almost every song here is an absolute banger)

158. Goatsucker (objectively odd song, don’t think it was ever officially released)

157. Enterlude (wasn’t needed on the sam’s town album)

156. Exitlude (read above)

155. Get Trashed (”why is the beat made of sandpaper?” - my brother)

154. Who Let You Go? (repetitive)

153. Where The White Boys Dance (dull)

152. Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town (too country)

151. West Hills III (prefer the first version)

150. Mr Brightside - Original Demo (only so low because it’s in direct comparison to the actual Mr Brightside)

149. The Getting By IV (the killers released 5 versions of the getting by. this is the least best)

148. Replaceable (again, not sure if this was ever officially released)

147. I’ll Be Home For Christmas (feat. Ned Humphrey Hansen) (very emotional but very long)

146. Waiting For Love (sounds flat)

145. C’est La Vie (not tonally linked to the rest of the album)

144. Change Your Mind (probably the weakest song, lyrically, on Hot Fuss)

143. Under The Gun (now we’re reaching songs that are good. great bridge)

142. All The Pretty Faces (nice harmonies)

141. The Getting By V

140. Christmas in L.A. (feat Dawes) (this should be higher up but god the killers have so many good songs)

139. Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf (mention of the name Jennifer which I take to be the same Jenny as in JWAFOM)

138. Sweet Talk (people should listen to the sawdust album more)

137. The Ballad Of Michael Valentine (unfortunately this reminds me of P!ATD)

136. On Top (brandon’s voice sounds so young on Hot Fuss it’s mad)

135. I Feel It In My Bones (feat. Ryan Pardey) (more fun christmas charity song)

134. The Cowboy’s Christmas Ball (SO country it’s actually funny. bop)

133. Show You How (experimental)

132. ¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe! (feat. Wild Light and Mariachi El Bronx) (also featuring brandon speaking spanish! kinda)

131. Dirt Sledding (feat. Ryan Pardey and Richard Dreyfuss) (the killers have banger christmas tunes)

130. Move Away (”take your skin off when you listen to me” is an incredible line)

129. Ultraviolet (Light My Way) (U2 cover) (minus points because it made me think of bono)

128. A White Demon Love Song (this was on the twilight soundtrack)

127. Believe Me Natalie (mommy issues)

126. Four Winds (Bright Eyes Cover) (thumbs up from me)

125. Mona Lisas and Mad Matters (Elton John Cover) (bonus points for elton john)

124. Hotel California (Eagles cover) (banger)

123. Oh Yeah, By The Way (again, not sure if ever officially released)

122. Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself? (fab guitar)

121. Questions With The Captain (bonkers)

120. A Great Big Sled (feat. Toni Halliday) (please listen to this for the HO HO HO’S. very funny)

119. My List (i love the pre-chorus of this song)

118. A Crippling Blow (cool vocals)

117. Joy Ride (the lyrics of the verses are fucking brilliant. chorus less so)

116. Peace Of Mind (slow and beautiful)

115. Why Do I Keep Counting? (daddy issues)

114. Goodnight, Travel Well (lyrics mention “flesh and bone” which is a song on the next album. insert coincidence, i think not! meme)

113. Joel The Lump Of Coal (feat. Jimmy Kimmel) (surprisingly emotional for a children’s christmas song)

112. Daddy’s Eyes (class vocals)

111. Zombie Hands (banger halloween song)

110. Spaceship Adventure (written for a kid’s show. still a bop)

109. The Getting By III

108. Joseph, Better You Than Me (feat. Elton John and Neil Tennant) (bonus points for elton john again)

107. Midnight Show (many Flowerisms in this song. Flowerisms = typical brandon flowers lyrics that i love)

106. The Getting By (why are there so many versions of this one song)

105. A Matter Of Time (worst song on Battle Born but still incredible)

104. When The Dreams Run Dry (i love the format of the verses)

103. Tidal Wave (great vocals again)

102. Running Towards A Place (i feel like i should apologise to Imploding The Mirage for the whole album being ranked quite low but theres just so many good songs)

101. Money On Straight (the word shit is uttered in this song, scandalous)

100. West Hills II (doesn’t hold a candle to the proper version of this song)

99. The Getting By II (feat. Lucius) ( i think this is the last version of TGB)

98. Blowback (i once thought this was a metaphor for a blowjob. its not)

97. Caution - Wasatch Style (not as good as Caution on its own)

96. Fire In Bone (I FELT UNKNOWN!!!!!!!!)

95. My God (feat. Weyes Blood) (brilliant chorus)

94. The World We Live In (this SHOULD be higher only for the live version is so so so so so so so much better)

93. Neon Tiger (i love the way brandon says reDEEM)

92. Blowback - Acoustic ( i love the piano at the end)

91. Imploding The Mirage (banger ending)

90. Boy (only released a few weeks ago and already a new favourite of mine. SO MANY flowerisms)

89. Shadowplay (Joy Division Cover) (again, this would be ranked higher but the live version is vastly superior)

88. Sam’s Town Live From Abbey Road 2006 (i hadn’t listened to this version before compiling this list and its lovely)

87. Boots (brilliant vibes, almost haunting)

86. Runaway Horses II (not as good as the first version)

85. Dustland (feat. Bruce Springsteen) ( @arcmonkeys may kill me for ranking a song with bruce springsteen so low but alas. there are better versions of ADF)

84. Dying Breed (incredible bridge)

83. Don’t Shoot Me Santa (feat. Ryan Pardey) (NO ONE ELSE is doing christmas songs like the killers. NO ONE)

82. Land Of The Free (beautiful & haunting protest song about gun violence and white supremacy in the US)

81. My Own Soul’s Warning (BUT MAN, I THOUGHT I COULD FLY)

80. Pressure Machine (feeling small from the vastness of the universe, brandon? same.)

79. Life To Come (just really beautiful)

78. Have All The Songs Been Written? (spoiler alert: no! flowers goes on to write two more albums and another is in the works)

77. Run For Cover (such a 2017 song)

76. The Man (brilliant to hear live but not my favourite on the WW album)

75, Out Of My Mind (bonus points for a paul mccartney mention)

74. Forget About What I Said (franz ferdinand vibes)

73. Bones (overflowing with flowerisms!!)

72. Just Another Girl (diana agron is in the music video. bonus points)

71. Smile Like You Mean It (you can tell how high the quality of the killers’ music is when a song this good is still quite far down)

70. Everything Will Be Alright (underrated as hell. this song got me through lockdown a couple years ago)

69. Andy, You’re A Star (brandon flowers wrote a song from the perspective of a gay teenager and yet somehow this song is still more gay)

68. Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll (not as good as the Sawdust version)

67. Caution (sad las vegas vibes baby! but upbeat this time!)

66. The Rising Tide (any mention of neon lights is a win for me)

65. Lightning Fields (feat. k.d. lang) (best song on ITM by a country mile)

64. I Can’t Stay (better live but still great)

63. Prize Fighter (i mean this with so much affection: the lyrics of this song are so stupid <3)

62. Carry Me Home (the morning dove sings with two broken wings...)

61. From Here On Out (jam)

60. Here With Me (we’re on a Battle Born roll at the moment)

59. In The Car Outside (INCREDIBLE lyricism)

58. Somebody Told Me (has a bisexual aperitif or whatever damon albarn said)

57. Rut (I’M NOT LIKE HER YOU’RE NOT LIKE THEM!!!)

56. Deadlines and Commitments (extremely underrated)

55. Quiet Town (so sad and haunting)

54. Bling (Confession Of A King) (perfect lyrics but far better live)

53. Runaway Horses (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) (bonus points for phoebe bridgers)

52. In Another Life (basically perfect from start to finish)

51. Uncle Jonny (banger)

50. Sam’s Town (once again, only ranked so low because the live version is so superior)

49. Some Kind Of Love (brandon sings with his kids at the end and its so precious)

48. Shot At The Night (oh god, our home has long been outgrown...)

47. Flesh And Bone (love the talking at the end)

46. Heart Of A Girl (daddy kink)

45. I Can’t Stay Live From The Royal Albert Hall (the encore at the end is so beautiful)

44. Somebody Told Me Live From The Royal Albert Hall (the whisper voice at the start of the second chorus oh yeah baby)

43. Be Still (slow and poetic and beautiful)

42. Battle Born (UP AGAINST THE WALL!!!!!!!)

41. Human (VERY iconic)

40. Human Live From The Royal Albert Hall (brandon flowers screams LONDONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN and it changed lives)

39. Mr Brightside (how can a modern day classic be down so low? because the killers are just THAT good, alright?)

38. Cody (brandon flowers is such a good storyteller)

37. Losing Touch (BUT YOU MADE YOUR WAY BACK HOME!!)

36. This Is Your Life (acab)

35. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits cover) (this cover is better than the original and i will never stand down from this opinion)

34. Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll - Sawdust Version (the superior version. also bonus points for the beatles refrence)

33. Runaways (”like a stumbling ghost i haunt these halls” is one of my favourite lyrics of all time)

32. Smile Lime You Mean It Live From The Royal Albert Hall (just a million times better than the studio version)

31. Sleepwalker (IT DOESN’T COME FROM WITHOUT, IT COMES FROM WITHIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

30. Miss Atomic Bomb (worthy sequel to Mr Brightside)

29. When You Were Young (full of flowerisms + he doesn’t look a thing like jesus)

28. Losing Touch Live From The Royal Albert Hall (far prefer the pitched down instrumentals and the outro is fantastic)

27. Desperate Things (this song being so highly ranked must put me on an FBI list. but songs about murder are brilliant!)

26. A Dustland Fairytale (just incredible storytelling)

25. This River Is Wild (flowerisms + the way he says “i SHAKE a little”

24. Tranquilize (feat. Lou Reed) (all around fucking brilliant song. cain & abel reference, creepy children’s chorus, wonderful harmonies)

23. For Reasons Unknown (such emotive lyrics its stunning)

22. This Is Your Life Live From The Royal Albert Hall (you gotta be stronger than the story!!!! oh god, the narrative)

21. Tyson v Douglas (WW is such an underrated album this song is a banger)

20. Terrible Thing (possibly their saddest song... “barbed wire town of barbed wire dreams”...)

19. The Way It Was (i will fight anyone who says BB isn’t a strong album)

18. Shadowplay (Joy Division cover) Live From The Royal Albert Hall (WAITING FOR YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU)

17. All These Things That I’ve Done (flowerisms + the iconic “i got soul but i’m not a soldier”)

16. Mr Brightside Live From The Royal Albert Hall (better live)

15. Wonderful Wonderful (when i saw the killers live for the first time they started with this and i ascended into heaven)

14. The Calling (bonus points for woody harrelson)

13. West Hills (every single line in this song is perfect)

12. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine (first song on their first album and already SO good)

11. Read My Mind (probably the best song in the world, actually. flowerisms galore!)

10. Spaceman (just fucking incredible lyrics)

9. The World We Live In Live From The Royal Albert Hall (DAVID BRENT KEUNING ON GUITARS EVERYONE !!!!!!)

8. Bling (Confession Of A King) Live From The Royal Albert Hall (WHEN I OFFER YOU SURVIVAL, YOU SAY ITS HARD ENOUGH TO LIVE)

7. A Dustland Fairytale Live From The Royal Albert Hall (it feels so personal, so beautiful, and brandon’s voice sounds so much better live)

6. Spaceman Live From The Royal Albert Hall (call and answer bitches!!)

5. All These Things That I’ve Done Live From The Royal Albert Hall (I GOT SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL BUT IM NOT A SOLDIER)

4. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine Live From The Royal Albert Hall (LONDON. I SAID LOOOONDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN WHAT YOU GOT? 1 2 3 HA!)

3. When You Were Young Live From The Royal Albert Hall (SING ME A LULLABY, COME ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN)

2. Sam’s Town (Acoustic) Live From The Royal Albert Hall (the best change from studio to live. slow, soft and quiet and beautiful before the tempo builds up to absolute jam. I SEE SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM’S TOOOOOOOOOOOOWN NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW)

1. Read My Mind Live From The Royal Albert Hall (the perfect version of the perfect song)

bless you, thank you. this better not crash my tumblr

[aweirdofangirl]

One of my favorite memories of all time happened when I went to the fair with my older cousin and his friends, and as we were leaving, they started screaming the lyrics to mr brightside. It was so embarrassing and annoying but also exhilarating, and I felt so alive and human. So happy birthday song. Thanks for that.

[n7viper]

happy twentieth birthday mr brightside holy shit

[writtenbyhutchcraft]

howdy! TK themed asks: 4. 12. 16. 21. 55. 👀

Howdy! Thanks for the asks :)

4. What is your favorite music video?

This is difficult because I love them all, haha. But my top 3 are Miss Atomic Bomb (for The Mr Brightside references and animated Brandon), Just Another Girl (for all the genius easter eggs and because I want all the Brandon outfits Diane Agron wears in it) and The Man (for Brandon's acting and because he just looks great in it haha).

12. What is your favorite album art?

The Wonderful Wonderful album cover :) I joined the fandom in that era and I remember at that time when the album was being promoted and at the tour, the album art was everywhere. So I just have an attachment to it because it reminds me of that time in my life, getting out of high school and seeing TK live for the first time. I also love the symbolism of it and how it captures the themes that run through the album perfectly.

16. Top 5 Brandon looks?

Not in any particular order: The gold suit from the WW tour (because it's dear to my heart <3), Flamingo era suspenders, the iconic D&A feather jacket, the Battle Born leather jacket (or every outfit from the BB tour honestly) and literally every look from the TDE era <3 Also honourable mention to the dragon suit from the WW tour because that one is also special to me, as he wore it at my first ever TK show.

21. Do you agree with a lot of Brandiva’s past remarks?

This is an interesting one haha! Honestly I think a lot of the time he was just saying what other people were too afraid to say when it came to certain celebrities, like with Kanye and stuff. I kind of like the level of outspoken that he was in TDE era, where he would just speak his mind and correct people on Twitter and stuff, lol. But I do think that a lot of the stuff he said in the Sam's Town about other indie bands came from a place of insecurity when he was younger, and he's admitted that himself (and he even wrote The Man about that). So he said a lot of stuff he probably didn't mean back then. I'm glad he feels more confident in himself now and doesn't really feel the need to trash talk other bands anymore, although Brandiva was iconic and entertaining lol.

55. Favorite Christmas single?

I love them all so much, but if I did a top 5, it would look like this:

Dirt Sledding - Probably my favourite! I love the Elvis vibes lol, and the music video is so cute and funny (Long hair Brandon my beloved <3) Also it's just so fun to sing along to, especially the 'shiny Rolex on my wrist' part haha.

Boots - it's just such a comforting song, like the audio equivalent of sitting next to a roaring fire in winter... Also it feels like a Flamingo song, and Flamingo is my comfort album <3

I Feel It In My Bones - This song is so Battle Born, and BB is one of my two absolute favourite TK albums, so I love it!

Don't Shoot Me Santa - This is just an iconic song lol, also the music video always makes me laugh so much even though I've seen it a million times, it's hilarious.

Happy Birthday Guadalupe - This song is just really fun, and also romantic <3 I just love the chorus too, when Brandon sings 'We are living in a difficult time' I'm like... yes. Also the part when he sings 'Put your feet up baby, it's Christmas time' is so comforting to me for some reason too haha.