The song “Mr. Brightside” depicts the story of lead singer Brandon Flowers entering a bar in Las Vegas and seeing his then girlfriend cheating on him.

Sarcastic Positivity and Black Humor

Flowers cynically snarls that he’s “Mr. Brightside,” trying to see something positive in his girlfriend’s betrayal.The song itself has been described as “a power ballad on speed.” Flowers, perhaps indicating his flat anger at the betrayal, performs an uninteresting melody that really only serves to highlight both his displeasure with and his lack of respect for the person he once loved.

Flowers is self-assured to the point of cockiness when he notes that he took betrayal and turned it into a masterpiece, saying, “Who would have thought betrayal would sound so good?” Despite the song’s musical simplicity and strident tone, the numbers bear Flowers out. It’s been on the British charts for five consecutive years.

The Irony of a Breakup Song at Weddings

The Guardian noted with grim amusement that the song is popular at weddings despite its history as a song about the betrayal of infidelity. The Guardian also noted that the song became overplayed in its heyday, being heard everywhere.

The song’s reach is far beyond British shores, however. It’s a staple in the soundtracks of many American television shows, such as Mare of Easttown, The O.C., and The Masked Singer. Movie producers chose it for their soundtracks, as well, and these include “The Festival,” “The Holiday,” and “About Time.” Also amusingly grim is the fact that these three films are romances of one sort or another. The song’s lasting impact is that it’s relevant both as a recognition of betrayal and the enduring power of hope. That hope underlies the song’s cynicism and Flowers’s near single-note performance.

Flowers says that a chance meeting between him and a fellow who handed him a ticket to an impromptu concert changed his entire outlook on music. The impromptu concert involved a bunch of people dancing together and singing Oasis’s “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” For some reason that he cannot explain, Flowers says that he was shaken by the experience and also the randomness of it. He changed the way that he and The Killers wrote songs. “Mr. Brightside” was intended to be a response to the Oasis hit. Noah Gallagher of Oasis said that his song was about not regretting what you did yesterday, and Flowers seems to have built upon that, seasoning “Mr. Brightside” with ferocious sarcasm. “Mr. Brightside” is the debut song for The Killers, coming out in 2003.

Lyrics

Coming out of my cage
And I’ve been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I’m falling asleep
And she’s calling a cab
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Now they’re going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it’s all in my head
But she’s touching his chest now
He takes off her dress now
Let me go
And I just can’t look, it’s killing me
And taking control

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it’s just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
‘Cause I’m Mr. Brightside

I’m coming out of my cage
And I’ve been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
(It was only a kiss), it was only a kiss
Now I’m falling asleep
And she’s calling a cab
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Now they’re going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it’s all in my head
But she’s touching his chest now
He takes off her dress now
Let me go
‘Cause I just can’t look, it’s killing me
And taking control

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibi
But it’s just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
‘Cause I’m Mr. Brightside

I never
I never
I never
I never

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Brandon Flowers / Dave Brent Keuning / Mark August Stoermer / Ronnie Jr. Vannucci

Mr. Brightside lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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