Crossfire (Brandon Flowers song)
Encyclopedia
"Crossfire" is the debut solo single from singer-songwriter
and frontman of The Killers, Brandon Flowers
. Written by Flowers himself, and produced by Brendan O'Brien, it is the first single from his debut solo album, Flamingo.
Show on BBC Radio 1
, where Flowers also gave an interview.
A 10" picture disc vinyl was released in the US on 3 August 2010, featuring an acoustic version of On the Floor titled 'On the Floor 2.0' on the B-side.
On the week of the 23rd of August Brandon Flowers was officially the most played artist on the BBC, despite only having one song available for airplay. Crossfire was on both the A playlist for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. On September 6 "Crossfire" was #1 on the NME
Chart and has remained so through September 27.
The music video for "Crossfire" debuted on Flowers' Vevo
YouTube
channel on July 8, 2010. It was directed by Nash Edgerton
and stars actress Charlize Theron
, rescuing an abused Flowers from various fictional confrontational situations in slow motion. The video was nominated for NME
's Best Music Video Of 2010. It has more than 10 million views as of October 2011.
Promo CD
10" picture disc
gave the song two-and-a-half stars, saying it "sounds like a Killers B side — standard-issue Boss
-meets-Bono
dance rock, with Flowers serving up so much meteorological-metaphor fury, you'll want to call FEMA." Of the track, Billboard
said "Flowers simply follows the pop direction that his band has taken of late," and that "Flowers may sound a little too eager to assign an epic quality to his first effort as a solo artist, but 'Crossfire' still hints at a promising direction for Flamingo." USA Today
said of the song that "The Killers' frontman kicks off solo debut Flamingo with a soaring pop/rock anthem in the band's comfort zone." Flowers said that it is his son Ammon's favorite song on the album.
covered the song at The Sun's "Biz Sessions" in October 2010.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and frontman of The Killers, Brandon Flowers
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. He has also released a solo album titled Flamingo.-Early life:...
. Written by Flowers himself, and produced by Brendan O'Brien, it is the first single from his debut solo album, Flamingo.
Release and promotion
"Crossfire" first appeared when it was leaked online on June 11, 2010. On June 14, it was premiered in the UK on the Zane LoweZane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
Show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, where Flowers also gave an interview.
A 10" picture disc vinyl was released in the US on 3 August 2010, featuring an acoustic version of On the Floor titled 'On the Floor 2.0' on the B-side.
On the week of the 23rd of August Brandon Flowers was officially the most played artist on the BBC, despite only having one song available for airplay. Crossfire was on both the A playlist for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. On September 6 "Crossfire" was #1 on the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
Chart and has remained so through September 27.
The music video for "Crossfire" debuted on Flowers' Vevo
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel on July 8, 2010. It was directed by Nash Edgerton
Nash Edgerton
Nash Edgerton is an Australian film director and stuntman.-Life and career:Edgerton was born in Blacktown, New South Wales and is the brother of actor Joel Edgerton....
and stars actress Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
, rescuing an abused Flowers from various fictional confrontational situations in slow motion. The video was nominated for NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
's Best Music Video Of 2010. It has more than 10 million views as of October 2011.
Tracklist
iTunes download- "Crossfire" - 4:17
Promo CD
- "Crossfire" (radio version) - 3:59
- "Crossfire" (album version) - 4:17
- "Crossfire" (instrumental) - 4:17
10" picture disc
- "Crossfire" - 4:17
- "On the Floor 2.0" - 3:10
Critical
Reviews for the single were tepid. Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave the song two-and-a-half stars, saying it "sounds like a Killers B side — standard-issue Boss
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
-meets-Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
dance rock, with Flowers serving up so much meteorological-metaphor fury, you'll want to call FEMA." Of the track, Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
said "Flowers simply follows the pop direction that his band has taken of late," and that "Flowers may sound a little too eager to assign an epic quality to his first effort as a solo artist, but 'Crossfire' still hints at a promising direction for Flamingo." USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
said of the song that "The Killers' frontman kicks off solo debut Flamingo with a soaring pop/rock anthem in the band's comfort zone." Flowers said that it is his son Ammon's favorite song on the album.
Chart performance
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
6 |
| US Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
11 |
Influence
Fran HealyFrancis Healy
Francis "Fran" Healy is a Scottish musician. He is currently the lead singer and main songwriter of the Scottish band Travis, having written nearly all of the songs on their six studio albums. He is based in Berlin, Germany...
covered the song at The Sun's "Biz Sessions" in October 2010.