Mr. Brightside - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

"Mr. Brightside" is a song performed by Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

-based 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. The song is featured on the group's debut album Hot Fuss
Hot Fuss
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.-Background:...

and was written by 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:...

and Dave Keuning

Dave Keuning

David 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...

.

It was named "Song of the Decade" by UK radio stations Absolute Radio and XFM

Xfm

Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...

, and in April 2010 Last.fm

Last.fm

Last.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....

revealed that it was the most listened to track since the launch of the online music service, with over 7.66 million plays scrobbled. In October 2010, it was voted at 9 in the Greatest Guitar Riffs of the 21st Century so far by Total Guitar

Total Guitar

Total Guitar is a monthly magazine based in the United Kingdom. The magazine is the best selling guitar magazine in Europe.The magazine is owned by Future Publishing, who publish many other magazines ranging from drums and video games to mountain bikes and knitting magazines.Total Guitar regularly...

magazine

History

Lyrically "Mr. Brightside" depicts the jealousy and paranoia of a man who suspects his partner is cheating on him; the song is inspired by an unfaithful ex girlfriend of front man Brandon Flowers. It's structure is rather unusual for a pop song, discarding the standard verse-chorus-bridge style for a da capo al coda structure.

Dave Keuning composed the verses to the song before meeting Flowers, Flowers wrote lyrics and composed the chorus after hearing Dave's ideas. In November 2001 they recorded Mr. Brightside along with three other demo's including "Desperate", "Replaceable" and "Under the Gun" at Mike Sak's Kill The Messenger Studio in Henderson, Nevada

Henderson, Nevada

-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...

, they handed out this demo

The Killers Demo

The Killers Demo was the debut demo by American rock band The Killers. Recorded in Late 2001 and produced by the band, it was given away for free by the band themselves at shows in 2002, the demo was recorded prior to Ronnie Vannucci Jr...

for free during their shows in 2002. It became a popular song within the Las Vegas music scene with one reviewer calling it a "feel good anthem, that ranks as one of the best local tracks in a long time." . After being signed by UK indie label Lizard King Records

Lizard King Records

Lizard King Records is a New York and London-based independent label. Lizard King's distribution goes through ADA in America and Pinnacle in the UK.-Artists:Current*Surefire*Greater Good*Me*OxzanaFormer*Clear Static*Drive-by Argument*Santogold...

the track was sent to radio as a buzz single, it got frequent spins by influential 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...

DJ's Zane Lowe

Zane 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...

and Steve Lamacq

Steve Lamacq

Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...

aswell as being playlisted by XFM

Xfm

, in a glowing review 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...

magazine said the song was filled with "Ambition, sex and noise". .

The earliest demo of the song can be found on YouTube, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci were not members of the band when this demo was recorded. Bass is played by Dave Keuning and drums by Matt Norcross. a later demo featuring all band members can also be found as well as the first official version.

A remix of the song by Stuart Price

Stuart Price

Stuart Price is a three time Grammy-winning British electronic musician, songwriter, and record producer whose remixing and production skills are in demand by artists including New Order, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Take That, Missy Elliott, Scissor Sisters, The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Brandon...

was featured on The Killers' 2007 B-side and Rarities Compilation Sawdust
Sawdust (album)
Sawdust is an album of B-sides, rarities, covers and remixes by the Las Vegas rock band The Killers. The album was released in various markets between November 9 and November 13, 2007, when it was released in the United States...

. During the tour for Brandon Flowers' solo record, he performed the remix version with Stuart Price during his show at Brixton Academy and has since performed it on his tour as the show closer, again in the remix form.

Music video

There are two videos for this song: the first version also known as the UK version was filmed in April 2004 on Staten Island, New York, the first video was directed by Brad Palmer and Brian Palmer under their studio surround. Later on in the year the label decided to create a more mainstream video for the US market: the second video also known as the US version was filmed in Los Angeles, California during November 2004. It stars Flowers, Izabella Miko

Izabella Miko

Izabella Anna Mikołajczak , better known as Izabella Miko, is a Polish-born actress, dancer, and environmentalist.-Life and career:...

, and Eric Roberts

Eric Roberts

Eric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...

in a love triangle

Love triangle

A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...

, taking place within the context of a burlesque show. Directed by Sophie Muller

Sophie Muller

Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...

, it was apparently inspired by the 2001

2001 in film

The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...

film Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...

.

The American version won an MTV VMA in 2005 for Best New Artist in a Video.
The photos that are featured on the inner sleeve of the album "Hot Fuss" were shot on set during the filming of the UK version music video and were inspired by the black and white look of that video.

In popular culture

In the movie The Holiday
The Holiday
The Holiday is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Distributed by Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios, it stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two lovelorn women from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, who temporarily exchange homes to...

, the character portrayed by Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...

is seen singing "Mr. Brightside" while she is dancing on her own. A remix of the track was used in the German film 'Keinohrhasen

Keinohrhasen

Keinohrhasen ,lit: No Ear Rabbits, is a 2007 German romantic comedy film, written, produced and directed by Til Schweiger...

' ('Rabbit Without Ears').

The Killers performed Mr. Brightside in The OC, season 2 episode 4, originally aired on Thursday December 2, 2004 on Fox

The song appears as a playable master track on Rock Band Unplugged
Rock Band Unplugged
Rock Band Unplugged is an expansion of the Rock Band series of music video games released for the PlayStation Portable. The game is developed by Backbone Entertainment in conjunction with Harmonix Music Systems and is distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts...

and as downloadable content

Downloadable content

Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...

for the Rock Band and Guitar Hero main series.

Cover versions

The song has been covered in a swing/jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

style by Paul Anka

Paul Anka

Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...

on his 2007 covers album Classic Songs, My Way
Classic Songs, My Way
Classic Songs, My Way is a 2007 album by Paul Anka. It follows the same formula of his previous album, 2005's Rock Swings.- Track listing :Original Writers/Performers appear in parenthesisDisc 1 - My Way# "Time After Time"...

. English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

pop-rock band McFly

McFly

McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...

covered the song as a B-side to their 2005 single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

, "I Wanna Hold You

I Wanna Hold You

"I Wanna Hold You" is the third single to be taken from McFly's second studio album, Wonderland. The single was released October 17, 2005 and peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart. It peaked at #13 in Ireland...

". Texan artist Playradioplay! covered the song on his 2007 EP The Frequency
The Frequency E.P.
The Frequency E.P. is an extended play album by PlayRadioPlay!. It debuted to the public on April 27, 2007 and at number 6 on Billboard's Electronic chart.- Track listing :#"Bad Cops, Bad Charities" – 4:15#"Compliment Each Other Like Colors" – 3:57...

as well. Many other artists have performed live covers of the song, including American rock band Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...

, and Scottish singer/songwriter Amy MacDonald

Amy Macdonald (singer)

Amy Macdonald is a Scottish recording artist. Macdonald rose to fame in 2007 with her debut album, This Is the Life and its fourth single, "This Is the Life". The single charted at number one in six different countries worldwide, and charted inside the top ten in another eleven countries worldwide...

. The song has also been covered by the Vitamin String Quartet, Boyce Avenue and on the UK television show Orange Unsigned Act by contestant Tommy Reilly

Tommy Reilly (Scottish musician)

Tommy Reilly is a Scottish singer–songwriter from Torrance, East Dunbartonshire. He gained recognition after winning the Channel 4 TV show Orange unsignedAct. Shortly after, Reilly's first single "Gimme A Call" reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart in its first week of release. Reilly...

. Additionally, a cappella versions have been produced by groups including Wheaton College

Wheaton College (Massachusetts)

Wheaton College is a four-year, private liberal arts college with an approximate student body of 1,550. Wheaton's residential campus is located in Norton, Massachusetts, between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1834 as a female seminary, it is one of the oldest...

's Gentlemen Caller's and Boston-based Overboard

Overboard (a cappella)

Overboard is a male a cappella group based in Boston, MA. The group's repertoire consists of a cappella covers of popular contemporary pop/rock artists, such as Train, The Script, and Rascal Flatts, and of a cappella standards, such as "Blue Moon", "In the Still of the Night" and "Stand by Me".-...

Track listings

Original 2003 UK CD Release

"Mr. Brightside"
"Smile Like You Mean It
Smile Like You Mean It
"Smile Like You Mean It" is a song by American rock band The Killers. The song is featured on their debut album Hot Fuss, and is the fourth single from it in the United Kingdom and the third single in United States. It was written by lead vocalist Brandon Flowers and bassist Mark Stoermer.It...

"
"On Top"
"Who Let You Go?"

Re-Release UK CD 1

"Mr. Brightside (radio edit)"
"Change Your Mind"

Re-Release UK CD 2

"Mr. Brightside (Album Version)"
"Somebody Told Me
Somebody Told Me
"Somebody Told Me" is the debut single by American rock band The Killers. The song is featured on the group's debut album Hot Fuss and was written by Dave Keuning, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., Mark Stoermer and Brandon Flowers....

(Insider Remix)"
"Midnight Show (SBN Live Session)"

Re-Release UK Red 7"

"Mr. Brightside"
"Who Let You Go?"

Original 2003 UK 7" Single Release

"Mr. Brightside (A)" - there is a sound effect of shuffling cards.
"Smile Like You Mean It (B)"

US Promotional Release

"Mr. Brightside (single version)"

Australian Limited Edition Tour Single

"Mr. Brightside"
"Somebody Told Me (Josh Harris Remix)"
"Who Let You Go?"
"Mr. Brightside video"

European 2005 Single

"Mr. Brightside"
"Somebody Told Me (Insider Remix)"

European 2005 Maxi single
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...

"Mr. Brightside"
"Somebody Told Me (Insider Remix)"
"Mr. Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix)"

US 12"

"Mr. Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Remix)"
"Mr. Brightside (The Lindbergh Palace club Remix)"
"Mr. Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Dub)"
"Mr. Brightside (The Lindbergh Palace Radio Remix)"
"Mr. Brightside (The Lindbergh Palace Dub)"
"Mr. Brightside (Original Version Video)"

Chart performance and certifications

"Mr. Brightside" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #40 on February 12, 2005, and peaked at #10 on June 11, thus making it a sleeper hit.

In June 2004, "Mr.Brightside" peaked at Number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and has since become one of the longest chart sitters in the 21st Century, spending a total of Its last appearance was in January 2010, six years after its original UK release.

Charts

Chart (2004-05)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	29
German Singles Chart	60
Italian Singles Chart	40
New Zealand Singles Chart	15
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	10
UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	10
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks	3
U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...	5

End-of-year charts

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (2005)
!Position
|-
|US Billboard Hot 100
| style="text-align:center;"|16
|-
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

| style="text-align:center;"|180
|-

Certifications

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Country
! Certification
! Sales
|-
| Brazil

Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos

The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :...

| Gold
| 50,000+
|-
| New Zealand
| Gold
| 7,500+
|-
| United Kingdom

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...

| Silver
| 200,000+
|-
| United States

Recording Industry Association of America

The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

| 2× Platinum
| 2,000,000+
|-
|}

Accolades

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Publication
! Country
! Accolade
! Year
!align="center"|Rank
|-
| Absolute Radio
| United Kingdom
| 100 Best Songs Of The Decade
| 2009
| 1
|-
| Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

| United Kingdom
| Greatest Songs of The Noughties
| 2009
| 2
|-
| NME

NME

| United Kingdom
| Best Tracks of 2004
| 2004
| 5
|-
| NME
| United Kingdom
| 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years
| 2011
| 5
|-
| Total Guitar

Total Guitar

| United Kingdom
| Greatest Guitar Riffs of the 21st Century
| 2010
| 9
|-
| Triple J

Triple J

triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...

| Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

| Hottest 100 of 2004

Triple J Hottest 100, 2004

The 2004 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on 26 January 2005. It was the twelfth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....

| 2004
| 13
|-
| 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...

| United States
| 100 Greatest Songs Of The Decade
| 2009
| 48
|-
| Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

| United States
| The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000's
| 2009
| 72
|-
| VH1

VH1

VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

| United States
| 100 Greatest Songs of the '00s
| 2011
| 55
|-
| XFM

Xfm

| United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

| Top 100 Songs of the Decade
| 2009
| 1
|-
| XFM
| United Kingdom
| The Top 1,000 Songs Of All Time
| 2010
| 1
|}

Awards

The song was nominated for a Grammy in 2006 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal

Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal

The Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals was awarded between 1966 and 2011...

, but it lost to a live version of "This Love" by Maroon 5.

{| class="wikitable"
!align="left"|Year
!align="left"|Ceremony
!align="left"|Award
!align="left"|Result
|-
|align="left"|2005
|align="left"|Billboard Music Awards
|align="left"|Digital Song of the Year
|align="left"|Nominated
|-
|align="left" rowspan="4"|2005
|align="left" rowspan="4"|MTV Video Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...

MuchMusic Video Awards

The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....

TEC Awards

The TEC Awards is an annual program recognizing the achievements of audio professionals. The awards are given to honor technically innovative products as well as companies and individuals who have excelled in sound for television, film, recordings and concerts...

|align="left"|Outstanding Record Production Single or Track
|align="left"|Nominated
|-
|align="left"|2006
|align="left"|Grammy Awards
|align="left"|Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
|align="left"|Nominated
|-
|align="left"|2006
|align="left"|International Dance Music Awards
|align="left"|Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track
|align="left"|Nominated
|-
|}

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.