Why Is MR. BRIGHTSIDE Still On The Charts?

I'd like to thank Skillshare for sponsoring this video the first 500 people to click the link in the description will get two months of Skillshare premium free sometime within the last 15 years you've probably found yourself belting out to the killer's mr. Brightside [Music] [Applause] [Music] the adored any anthem assisted The Killers in becoming one of the most successful rock bands of the 21st century all the while still managing to hold its own in 2018 it only ever peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart but get this since its reissue in 2004 it's rarely ever left those very same charts appearing in the top 100 singles every year since in fact the track is spending its 204th week on the chart as I speak so what is it about mr. Brightside that has listeners returning a decade and a half later let's take a look at the legacy of mr. Brightside [Music] in 2001 Brandon Flowers was fired from the keyboard-driven synth-pop band blush response after attending an oasis concert flowers had a revelation he felt he was meant to be in a rock band and his search for band mates began he came across an ad posted in a Las Vegas newspaper by David Kunak a guitarist who had just arrived in Vegas the year before the pair met up and immediately bonded over musical influences and began writing their very own tracks but when the pair heard the strokes his debut is this it the young killers felt a little discouraged they thought the album was flawless and it led them to scrapping everything they had written except for one song mr. Brightside Cooney already had the riff for mr. Brightside completed before meeting flowers and flowers had just exited a relationship where he discovered his partner was being unfaithful when the pair began collaborating the rest of the song just fell into place its lyrics wound up being fairly simple it has no 2nd verse because flowers just didn't have anything more to say they'd play their first show at an open mic night performing the brand new track initially they weren't too pleased with it but then again they didn't have a drummer at the time when they had a friend play a backbeat to the track it sent shivers down their spines its earlier stages carried The Strokes his signature home recorded sound and fuzz guitar [Music] [Applause] [Music] now with a demo in hand the group continued to play smaller venues within the Vegas area and started work on a full album while rounding out the band with drummer Ronnie Vannucci jr. and mark Stoermer together they pinned down their sound something akin to British pop and indie rock shortly thereafter brandon merrick a rep firm Warner Brothers Records came across their demo online he offered to be the group's manager assisting in getting the young group signed to a major label Merrick took the band to San Francisco to rerecord their demo and had them place showcases for labels ultimately they weren't signed but they did catch the attention of Alex Gilbert an A&R rep from the UK Gilbert brought the demo to Blizzard King Records in London and the indie label signed the group before even meeting them mr. Brightside premiered in August of 2003 initially it was only a minor success but the single generated enough positive buzz for American labels to begin taking an interest in the band Island Def Jam picked them up prior to releasing their debut and released somebody told me as their first single [Music] it performed fairly well but it wasn't until the re-release of mr. Brightside as a single that things started to change for the killers they began taking off in the UK and with to smash hits under their belt it ensured their debut album Hot Fuss was a monster success since its release the album has been certified seven times platinum in the UK spending more weeks on the chart than any other album that decade the album also saw five Grammy Award nominations with mr. Brightside nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a duo or group meanwhile back at home mr. Brightside didn't enter the Billboard Hot 100 until February of the following year and took nearly another five months for it to peak at number 10 making it somewhat of a sleeper hit in 2005 it was the sixth most downloaded song on iTunes it's now the twelfth most downloaded rock track in the UK ever mr. Brightside is the most streamed song of any track released before 2010 averaging nearly a million plays per week across all major streaming platforms pitchfork Rolling Stone vh1 and countless others have called it one of the best songs of the decade not bad for a bands for a song The Killers have never not played the song live and that's not a hyperbole it's the truth they've literally never played a gig without playing mr. Brightside flowers himself isn't bored of singing it and somehow it has stood the test of time while its popularity is showing no signs of dwindling I think the song has persisted for a number of reasons the opening guitar riff is iconic it's instantly recognizable you know the song as soon as it starts also its simplicity has made it really easy to sing and loudly at that because it's melody isn't all too varied everyone can sing along but the glam rock staple prods us with two contrasting emotions nostalgia and hope the emotions in the song were written at a time when flowers wounds were still very fresh from a failed relationship the lyrics venture through a narrators heart break something I think every generation goes through at one point or another it's a reflection of the narrator's own denial anger and depression but it quickly turns into a hopeful message of Upton's accepting that the relationship has run its course that it's now time to move forward and look on the bright side thank you for watching ladies and gents this episode was brought to you by Skillshare it's an online learning community for creators with more than 20,000 classes on things ranging for music production to graphic design photography animation they have courses on pretty much everything and you'll be hard-pressed not to find something of interest to you I'm constantly learning to tighten up my writing with these videos and skill sure has been valuable in helping me get there a premium membership starts at about ten dollars a month which gives you unlimited access to all courses but the first 500 people to use the link in the description will get two months of Skillshare premium free that's plenty of time to start learning a new skill or just pick up a new hobby if you enjoyed the video please give it a like rating subscribe to learn more about the music you love if you'd like to support the channel and earn rewards for doing so please consider heading over to my patreon page rewards include joining the middle a discord where you can chat with me about music and future videos you can get your name in the credits video commentaries and a lot more tell me why do you think mr. Brightside is still popping up on today's charts let me know what you think in the comments below and that's it for me again thanks for watching and keep listening

Channel: Middle 8

Views: 1,623,685

Keywords: The Killers, mr brightside, the killers hot fuss, the killers mr brightside, the killers somebody told me, mr brightside karaoke, the killers album, mr brightside album, mr brightside meme, what is mr brightside about, mr brightside meaning, why mr brightside will never die, mr brightside the best song, how mr brightside broke britain, mr brightside still on the charts, mr brightside lyrics, coming out of my cage, how long mr brightside in the charts, mr brightside charts

Id: Jqkzu1UVEm0

Length: 7min 15sec (435 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 13 2018