Hot Fuss
Encyclopedia
Hot Fuss is the debut studio album
by Las Vegas based American rock
band The Killers, released on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004 in the United States.
at Eden Studios in London.
The album includes two parts of a Murder Trilogy. "Midnight Show" is part two and "Jenny Was A Friend of Mine" is the final part. The first part, "Leave The Bourbon on The Shelf", appears on The Killers' B-sides and rarities compilation Sawdust
.
The album is mainly influenced by 80s New Wave music
and post-punk
bands such as New Order
, The Cure
, Morrissey
both with and without The Smiths
, Duran Duran
and The Cars
, other influences include David Bowie
, U2
, Oasis
, Smashing Pumpkins and Lou Reed
.
.
The album was The Killers' first number 1 album of three. The album reached number 7 on the US Billboard 200
chart. To date it has sold an estimated more than 7 million copies worldwide. United States
sales are more than 3 million copies. Hot Fuss has sold more than 2 million copies in the UK and been certified 6x Platinum. It was also certified Platinum or multi-Platinum in Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. Hot Fuss produced multiple critically acclaimed singles including the multi-Platinum selling Mr. Brightside
.
The magazine Rolling Stone
ranked Hot Fuss as the 43rd-best album in their "100 Best Albums of the Decade" list.
}
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Las Vegas based American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Killers, released on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004 in the United States.
Background
The band recorded the album between February and November 2003 at Cornerstone Studios; Berkeley, California with Mark Needham and Jeff Saltzman and in Las Vegas with the help of Corlene Byrd, many of the tracks were originally recorded as demos which the band decided to keep as they felt they had spontaneity. They did, however, have some remixed by Alan MoulderAlan Moulder
Alan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...
at Eden Studios in London.
The album includes two parts of a Murder Trilogy. "Midnight Show" is part two and "Jenny Was A Friend of Mine" is the final part. The first part, "Leave The Bourbon on The Shelf", appears on The Killers' B-sides and rarities compilation Sawdust
Sawdust
Sawdust is a by-product of cutting lumber with a saw, composed of fine particles of wood. It can present a hazard in manufacturing industries, especially in terms of its flammability....
.
The album is mainly influenced by 80s New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
bands such as New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
both with and without The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
and The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
, other influences include David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Smashing Pumpkins and Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
.
Release and reception
Hot Fuss was released on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004 in the United States. Towards the end of 2005, The Killers also released the album on 7" vinyl in a box set of 11 discs. On side A of each disc is the album track and on the B-side are non-album tracks. It is also one of the five most recent albums listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
.
The album was The Killers' first number 1 album of three. The album reached number 7 on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart. To date it has sold an estimated more than 7 million copies worldwide. United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sales are more than 3 million copies. Hot Fuss has sold more than 2 million copies in the UK and been certified 6x Platinum. It was also certified Platinum or multi-Platinum in Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. Hot Fuss produced multiple critically acclaimed singles including the multi-Platinum selling Mr. Brightside
Mr. Brightside
"Mr. Brightside" is a song performed by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. The song is featured on the group's debut album Hot Fuss and was written by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning....
.
The magazine Rolling Stone
Rolling 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...
ranked Hot Fuss as the 43rd-best album in their "100 Best Albums of the Decade" list.
Track listing
UK edition
"Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" replaces "Change Your Mind" as Track 8 on the UK and Australian editions of Hot Fuss.European edition
"Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" & video of "Somebody Told Me" as bonus tracks.Limited edition
Features the original US release tracklist and three bonus tracks:iTunes Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
Limited Edition 7" boxset bonus tracks
Each track is found on the b-side of the corresponding track from the album. Also note, "All These Things That I've Done" is edited by fading out about 30 seconds before the track finishes.Japan Limited Tour Edition - Bonus DVD
- Somebody Told Me (Video)
- Mr Brightside (Original Video)
- Mr Brightside (New Video)
- All These Things That I've Done (Video)
UK Special Edition - Bonus DVD
- Smile Like You Mean It
- All These Things I've Done
- Somebody Told Me [Glastonbury 2005]
- Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine [Glastonbury 2005]
- Mr Brightside [Glastonbury 2005]
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina Albums Chart | 1 |
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 60 |
| Belgium Walloon Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
1 |
| Belgium Flanders Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
1 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
4 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 46 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 15 |
| French Albums Chart | 8 |
| German Albums Chart | 47 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
1 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 5 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 35 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
7 |
Sales and certifications
| Region | Provider | Certification | Sales/Shipments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | CAPIF | Gold | 20,000+ |
| Australia | ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
3× Platinum | 210,000+ |
| Belgium | IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
Gold | 15,000+ |
| Canada | CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
3× Platinum | 300,000+ |
| Europe | IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
Platinum | 1,000,000+ |
| France | SNEP | Gold | 100,000+ |
| Germany | IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
Gold | 100,000+ |
| Ireland | IRMA Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
7× Platinum | 105,000+ |
| New Zealand | RIANZ | Platinum | 15,000+ |
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
6× Platinum | 1,800,000+ |
| United States | RIAA | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000+ |
}
End of decade chart positions
In the United Kingdom Hot Fuss was the 26th best selling album of the decade, it also spent more weeks on the UK Album Chart than any other album, in total spending 173 weeks in the Top 75| Chart (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 26 |
| Australia ARIA Albums Chart | 97 |
| US Billboard 200 | 131 |
Awards and Accolades
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Shortlist Music Prize Shortlist Music Prize The Shortlist Music Prize, stylized as , was an annual music award for the best album released in the United States that had sold fewer than 500,000 copies at the time of nomination... |
Shortlist Music Prize | Nominated |
| 2005 | BRIT Awards Brit Awards The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust... |
Best International Album | Nominated |
| 2005 | Grammy Awards | Best Rock Album | Nominated |
| 2005 | Meteor Ireland Music Awards | Best International Album | Nominated |
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q Q (magazine) Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology... |
UK | 250 Best Albums of Q's Lifetime 1986-2010 | 2011 | 17 |
| Drowned in Sound Drowned in Sound DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:... |
UK | Best Albums of the Year | 2004 | 2 |
| Rolling Stone Rolling 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... |
US | Top 100 Albums of the 2000s | 2009 | 43 |
| The A.V. Club The A.V. Club The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its... |
US | Top 100 Albums of the 2000s | 2009 | 41 |
| The Daily Mail | UK | Top 50 Best Albums of the Noughties | 2009 | 3 |
Musicians
- Brandon FlowersBrandon FlowersBrandon 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:...
— lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Dave KeuningDave KeuningDavid Brent Keuning better known as Dave Keuning is a founding member of the American alternative rock band The Killers. He is the band's lead guitarist and backup vocalist.-Personal life:Keuning was born and brought up in Pella, Iowa...
— guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Mark StoermerMark StoermerMark Stoermer is an American musician, best known for being the bassist for alternative rock band The Killers, in 2011 he released his debut solo album Another Life.-Personal life:...
— bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Ronnie Vannucci — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Crew
- Brandon Flowers - Writer / Composer / Producer
- Dave Keuning - Writer / Composer / Producer
- Mark Stoermer - Writer / Composer / Producer
- Ronnie Vannucci - Writer / Composer / Producer
- Sweet InspirationsSweet InspirationsThe Sweet Inspirations were founded by Cissy Houston , mother of Whitney Houston, and sister of Lee Warrick...
- Gospel Choir - Jeff Saltzman — Producer / Engineer
- Corlene Byrd — Engineer
- Alan MoulderAlan MoulderAlan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...
— Mixing - Mark Needham — Mixing