Bring out the polished sceptre and the golden, bejewelled headwear. ‘Mr Brightside’ has officially been crowned the king of all bangers. The head honcho.
If we weren’t all convinced of that already, then The Killers’ secret set at Glastonbury this year confirmed it when the crowd almost drowned out the band (seriously, watch this).
But here’s the thing. The Killers are a veritable banger factory. A goldmine of tunes. A treasure trove. They’re great, okay? We all know this. So what we’ve done for you, Dear Reader, is we’ve had a big ol’ debate and put together a list of some of their other greatest tracks in no particular order. We’re good like that.
Somebody Told Me
According to Brandon Flowers ‘Somebody Told Me’ is about trying to meet someone in a club, and yeah, those spaceship-style synths definitely bring to mind mid-2000s parties and all the neon blue alcopops that came with them. That said, it is absolutely still as danceable as it was the first time around. There’s just no arguing with that intro.
Human
‘Are we human, or are we dancer?’ The eternal question springs up again. Technically ‘Human’ is examining our vices and virtues as people, which sounds like it could be dull in other hands. But let’s not forget we’re talking about the Killers here – those lads know how to craft a pop song. Moral crises have never been so catchy.
All These Things That I’ve Done
Let’s face it, ‘Hot Fuss’ is wall-to-wall bangers. Still, ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ is a standout. It teeters between stiff-upper-lip and cry-for-help, and that bridge can swerve between vulnerable and defiant on any given day. We defy anyone to resist the urge to sing along.
When You Were Young
The Killers’ obviously faced a lot of pressure to perform after ‘Hot Fuss’. S’all right though, because they immediately blew any second album doubts out of the water with ‘When You Were Young’. Right from the opening riff this is Flowers & co. at their best, and the joyfully nostalgic chorus just cements the fact.
Smile Like You Mean It
Another absolute classic off the lads’ debut, with a belter of a guitar part and all. Knew what they were doing early, didn’t they? Are we allowed to sing along to guitar solos now? We might do it anyway.
Change Your Mind
Brandon Flowers has made no secret of his bands’ anglophile influences, and this one’s a pretty clear case. ‘Change Your Mind’ is more New Romantics than New Wave, though, and we kind of want those synths to soundtrack all our tentative flirtations for the rest of time.
Runaways
If ‘Change You Mind’ is one of the Killers’ more British-inspired songs, then ‘Runaways’ is the other end of the scale. Despite the title ‘Runaways’ is more about sticking around than making a break for it – just imagine Brandon has grabbed you by the collar and is yelling at you to recognise a good thing when you have it (like when you hear an absolute banger, for example).
Read My Mind
Solidarity, dear reader. The Killers’ are big on it. ‘I don’t mind if you don’t mind, ‘cause I don’t shine if you don’t shine’ is a lovely lyric, isn’t it? We’re all in this together and that. Don’t mind us, we’ve just got something in our eye…
The World We Live In
All of the neon lights in Las Vegas have been condensed into this song. It makes us want to go and find a light-up dancefloor and a white rhinestone-studded suit, if we’re perfectly honest with you. We’d also have to have a serious think about the state of the world thanks to the lyrics here, but we’re sure we can multi-task.
Under the Gun
While it’s one of the band’s darker tracks, at its heart ‘Under the Gun’ still keeps the faith with the insistence that ‘heaven sends and heaven takes’. That said, the repeated ‘kill me now’ chorus is just the thing when you’ve said something stupid and kind of wish a cartoon anvil would fall on your head. We’ve all been there.
The Man
The Killer’s latest single is slick and shimmering, a musical disco ball throwing light all over the place. Oh, and a swaggering Brandon Flowers really wants you to know he’s ‘the man’. We’re inclined to agree. This is an officially certified banger.