Official Charts Pop Gem #63: The Killers – Mr Brightside

The breakthrough hit that brought Brandon Flowers into our lives in 2004 is crowned an American classic.

Every week we ask for your Pop Gems – those songs that people know and love but could maybe do with another spell in the sun .

To celebrate the 4th of July, the USA's big day, we searched for American Classics – tunes by your favourite Stateside stars and, to gove us a bit more to play with, songs about America or Americans.

You started spreading the news and nominated your favourite star-spangled songs for the Pop Gem treatment.

You suggested some of the all-time American greats, –whether they were just acts who came from the USA or just songs about those 50 fabulous states, we didn’t care. A good tune is a good tune. We finally got it down to 12:

In the end, we had to pick someone and that someone was in fact a group of someones – The Killers.

Watch the video for Mr Brightside before we explain exactly why our eager eyes fell upon Brandon and the boys.

Why it had to be the Killers

Brandon Flowers was the face that launched a thousand wonky attempts at putting on guyliner and his band The Killers were the indie boys who charmed the mainstream.

Suddenly, we were wearing ties just about everywhere we went, and growing our hair into that indie haircut Brandon had in the original version of the Mr Brightside video (see below).

Their debut album Hot Fuss was the album no self-respecting pop lover dared to be without. The band’s songs have always touched on the fragility of the American dream, but have acknowledged their British influences. What better way to mark the USA’s independence than give the Pop Gem honour to these all-American greats?

Here’s that alternative version of the video we mentioned earlier. It’s not really as good as the one where Brandon’s got plenty of eyeliner on the go, but his hair is very nice and there’s lots of guitar close-ups, if that’s your thing.

The song

Mr Brightside is the ultimate anthem to FOMO (fear of missing out). At one occasion or another, we’ve all been that person on their own while all the fun happens close by (Erm, some of us on quite a few occasions, really – Angst Ed) and this song takes that to the next level.

As Brandon broods and wails about what is probably happening between a woman he loves and some other guy, the tune is more euphoric than mournful. Mr Brightside is more uplifting than you might expect, heartbreakingly bittersweet.

It reached Number 10 in June 2004, the band’s second Top 40 hit. Despite its legendary status, Mr Brightside would be surpassed by Somebody Told Me as the album Hot Fuss’s biggest chart hit, peaking at Number 3, but on the sales front, it's no contest – Mr Brightside is the Killers' bestselling single, shifting over 820,000 copies. It returned to the Top 40 in 2013 thanks to its use on an ad campaign..

Mr Brightside is the UK’s 12 most downloaded rock track of all time. 

The Killers’ chart story

Mr Brightside was the Killers’ first top 10 single, and there’d be three more to follow: Somebody Told Me (Number 3 in 2007), When You Were Young (2 in 2006) and Human (Number 2 in 2008). Altogether Brandon and the boys had 13 Top 40 hits on the Official Singles Chart. Four of the band’s six albums went to Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart: Hot Fuss (2004), Sam’s Town (2006), Day & Age (2008) and Battle Born (2012).

Brandon flirted with solo success in 2010, releasing single Crossfire, which peaked at Number 8 and album Flamingo, which was a chart-topper!

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Video playlist

Check out all 12 of our finalists. Which American Classic would you have gone for?

Pop Gem Hall Of Fame

Today's Pop Gem is the latest in a long line of amazing pop songs that have been inducted into our Pop Gem Hall Of Fame. Take a look at all the tracks who've received the honour so far

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