The Killers: A Retrospective, 2001-2023

The Killers A Retrospective: 2001-2023

Overview: The Killers formed in Las Vegas in 2001. The alternative-rock band has sold more than 28 million records worldwide. Their song “Mr. Brightside” is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Digital Era, 2000-2019. Their 2004 album Hot Fuss is in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of the 21st Century. The Players: Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards, bass, guitar: 2001-present) Dave Keuning (guitar, backing vocals: 2001-present) Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion, guitar: 2002-present) Mark Stoermer (bass, backing vocals, guitar: 2002-) Matt Norcross (drums: 2001-02) Brian Havens (drusm: 2002) Dell Neal (bass, backing vocals: 2001-02) Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Killers Top 20 Songs TheKillersMusic.om (official site) Facebook Wikipedia

Awards:

Compilations: DH Direct Hits (covers 2003-2013, released 2013) RD Rebel Diamonds (covers 2003-2023, released 2023) Immediately below is a list of the top songs by the Killers as ranked by the DMDB. The codes beside the songs indicate which of the above albums the songs appear on. In addition, you can scroll farther down the page to see a snapshot of the Killers’ individual albums with the singles from each indicated. The songs are again followed by the codes, but also for those songs that charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts. Top 20 Songs: DMDB Top 1%: 1. Mr. Brightside (2003) DH, RD DMDB Top 5%: 2. Somebody Told Me (2004) DH, RD 3. When You Were Young (2006) DH, RD 4. All These Things That I’ve Done (2004) DH, RD 5. Human (2008) DH, RD DMDB Top 10%: 6. Read My Mind (2006) DH, RD 7. Caution (2020) RD DMDB Top 20%: 8. The Man (2017) RD 9. Spaceman (2008) DH, RD 10. Smile Like You Mean It (2004) DH 11. Runaways (2012) DH, RD Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 12. Shot at the Night (2013) DH 13. Boy (2022) RD 14. Bones (2006) 15. Run for Cover (2017) 16. My Own Soul’s Warning (2020) RD 17. I’ll Be Home for Christmas (with Ned Humphrey Hansen, 2016) 18. Tranquilize (with Lou Reed, 2007) 19. Shadowplay (2007) 20. Quiet Town (2021) RD

Hot Fuss (2004): Mr. Brightside (9/29/03, 10 BB, 10 RR, 11 A40, 3 MR, 10 UK, 5 CN, 29 AU, 6 DF) DH, RD Somebody Told Me (3/15/04, 51 BB, 21 RR, 17 A403 MR, 3 UK, 17 AU, 11 DF) DH, RD All These Things That I’ve Done (8/30/04, 74 BB, 45 RR, 10 MR, 18 UK, 42 AU, 1 DF) DH, RD Smile Like You Mean It (4/2/05, 15 MR, 11 UK, 47 AU, 31 DF) DH Jenny Was a Friend of Mine RD Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

Sam’s Town (2006): When You Were Young (7/29/06, 14 BB, 31 RR, 15 A40, 16 AA, 30 AR, 1 MR, 2 UK, 10 AU, 15 DF) DH, RD Bones (11/25/06, 21 MR, 15 UK, 22 AU, 29 DF) Read My Mind (1/20/07, 62 BB, 43 RR, 25 A40, 1 AA, 8 MR, 15 UK, 39 CN, 32 AU, 25 DF) DH, RD For Reasons Unknown (6/25/07, 53 UK, 33 DF) DH

Sawdust (2007): Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town (2/28/05, --) Romeo and Juliet (6/25/07, 86 UK, 98 AU) Shadowplay (10/8/07, 68 BB, 19 MR, 49 CN, 35 DF) Tranquilize (with Lou Reed) (10/12/07, 13 UK, 59 CN, 84 AU, 33 DF)

Day & Age (2008): Human (9/22/08, 32 BB, 35 RR, 3 AA, 6 MR, 3 UK, 9 CN, 28 AU, 17 DF) DH, RD Spaceman (11/4/08, 67 BB, 17 AA, 8 MR, 40 UK, 47 CN, 62 AU) DH, RD A Dustland Fairytale (5/9/09, 36 MR) DH, RD The World We Live In (5/18/09, --)

Battle Born (2012): Runaways (7/17/12, 78 BB, 11 AA, 7 MR, 18 UK, 37 CN, 67 AU) DH, RD Miss Atomic Bomb (10/23/12, 23 MR) DH Here with Me (12/16/12, 88 CN) The Way It Was DH Be Still RD

Direct Hits The Killers

Recorded: 2003-2013 Released: November 11, 2013 Peak: 20 US, 6 UK, 25 CN, 10 AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.75 UK Genre: alternative rock Rating: 3.859 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks: (1) Mr. Brightside (2) Somebody Told Me (3) Smile Like You Mean It (4) All These Things That I’ve Done (5) When We Were Young (6) Read My Mind (7) For Reasons Unknown (8) Human (9) Spaceman (10) A Dustland Fairytale (11) Runaways (12) Miss Atomic Bomb (13) The Way It Was (14) Shot at the Night (15) Just Another Girl Total Running Time: 61:13 Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Shot at the Night (9/17/13, 22 AA, 20 MR, 23 UK, 90 CN, 33 DF) DH Just Another Girl (11/25/13, --) DH About the Album: This collection gathers the best-known material from the Killers’ first four studio albums and adds two new tracks.

Wonderful Wonderful (2017): The Man (6/14/17, 31 A40, 1 AA, 2 MR, 63 UK, 65 AU, 31 DF) RD Run for Cover (7/28/17, 20 AA, 5 MR, 100 UK) Wonderful Wonderful (8/24/17, --) Rut (12/9/17, --)

Imploding the Mirage (2020): Caution (3/12/20, 26 AC, 16 A40, 2 AA, 35 AR, 1 MR, 95 UK, 3 CN) RD My Own Soul’s Warning (6/27/20, 4 AA, 7 MR) RD Dying Breed (8/14/20, --) RD C’est La Vie (2/27/21, 18 AA)

Pressure Machine (2021): Quiet Town (8/12/21, 6 AA) RD Runaway Horses (with Phoebe Bridgers) (8/27/21, --) Pressure Machine (10/10/21, --) RD

Rebel Diamonds The Killers

Recorded: 2003-2023 Released: December 8, 2023 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: alternative rock

Tracks: (1) Jenny Was a Friend of Mine (2) Mr. Brightside (3) All These Things That I’ve Done (4) Somebody Told Me (5) When You Were Young (6) Read My Mind (7) Human (8) Spaceman (9) A Dustland Fairytale (10) Be Still (11) Runaways (12) The Man (13) Caution (14) My Own Soul’s Warning (15) Dying Breed (16) Pressure Machine (17) Quiet Town (18) Boy (19) Your Side of Town (20) Spirit Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Boy (8/13/22, 29 A40, 1 AA, 1 MR) RD Your Side of Town (8/25/23, 6 MR) RD Spirit RD About the Album: The second compilation from the Killers offers a full career retrospective of the band’s 20+ year career. While it is nice to have snapshots of their entire career in one collection, the set also short changes the band’s second decade. Nine of the first eleven songs were already featured on Direct Hits. It would be nice to see a collection focused exclusively on the Killers post-Direct Hits days. There are three new songs here.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Killers Dave’s Music Database: Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists Wikipedia page for Direct Hits Wikipedia page for Rebel Diamonds First posted 12/8/2023.

Post-Punk Revival: Top 50 Albums

Post-Punk Revival: The Top 50 Albums

The post-punk revival was a movement which primarily took place in the first decade of the 21st century. It was a return of indie rock that was inspired by the garage rock of the 1960s as well as the new wave and post-punk music of the late 1970s and early 1980s. This list was created by aggregating 11 lists focused on the best albums of the post-punk revival. Other albums not featured on those lists, but by artists featured on those lists were also factored in. In addition, albums by artists mentioned as prominent in the movement who did not have albums on one of the lists were included. Only albums released between 2000 and 2010 were considered. Finally, all qualifying albums were then ranked according to their overall status in Dave’s Music Database. Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here. Spotify Podcast: Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode The Post-Punk Revival, 2000-2010 based on this list. Premiere: March 16, 2022 at 7pm CST. Every Tuesday at 7pm CST a new based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database debuts. 1. The Strokes Is This It (2001) 2. The White Stripes Elephant (2003) 3. Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) 4. The White Stripes White Blood Cells (2001) 5. Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (2004) 6. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver (2007) 7. The Killers Hot Fuss (2004) 8. Kings of Leon Only by the Night (2008) 9. The Libertines Up the Bracket (2002) 10. Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights (2002) 11. The National High Violet (2010) 12. Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell (2003) 13. The Black Keys Brothers (2010) 14. Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007) 15. TV on the Radio Return to Cookie Mountain (2006) 16. Bloc Party Silent Alarm (2007) 17. Modest Mouse Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) 18. LCD Soundsystem This Is Happening (2010) 19. The Shins Chutes Too Narrow (2003) 20. The National Boxer (2007) 21. Kaiser Chiefs Employment (2005) 22. The Strokes Room on Fire (2003) 23. TV on the Radio Dear Science (2008) 24. The White Stripes Get Behind Me Satan (2005) 25. The Killers Sam’s Town (2006) 26. The Vines Highly Evolved (2002) 27. The White Stripes Icky Thump (2007) 28. LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem (2005) 29. Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica (2000) 30. Franz Ferdinand You Could Have It So Much Better (2005) 31. Kings of Leon Come Around Sundown (2010) 32. The Bravery The Bravery (2005) 33. The Shins Wincing the Night Away (2007) 34. The Hives Veni Vidi Vicious (2000) 35. The Libertines The Libertines (2004) 36. The Hold Steady Heaven Is Whenever (2010) 37. Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007) 38. The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America (2006) 39. Interpol Antics (2004) 40. The Strokes First Impressions of Earth (2006) 41. The Shins Oh, Inverted World (2001) 42. The Strokes The Modern Age (EP, 2001) 43. Spoon Kill the Moonlight (2002) 44. Kings of Leon Youth & Young Manhood (2003) 45. Editors The Back Room (2005) 46. The Futureheads The Futureheads (2004) 47. Franz Ferdinand Tonight (2009) 48. The Rapture Echoes (2003) 49. The Walkmen Bows + Arrows (2004) 50. The National Alligator (2005) Resources and Related Links: Wikipedia: “Post-Punk Revival” Dave’s Music Database: other best-of-genre lists First posted 3/9/2022; last updated 3/16/2022.

The Killers charted with “Mr. Brightside”

Mr. Brightside The Killers

Writer(s): Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (see lyrics here) Released: September 29, 2003 First Charted: June 26, 2004 Peak: 10 US, 10 RR, 11 A40, 3 AR, 10 UK, 5 CN, 29 AU, 6 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 4.8 UK, 10.54 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.5 radio, 467.0 video, 1797.97 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Killers “crawled out of Vegas armed with glitzy beats and faux Bowie accents.” RS’09 “Merging Duran Duran makeup, New Order hi-hats, and Bruce Springsteen-ian grandiosity, they gave rock fans a non-geriatric arena-ready alternative to the world’s Nickelbacks this decade.” PF The group might have just been another of the pack of the new millennium’s wave of new dance-rock, but “‘Mr. Brightside’ made them famous.” RS’09 “Preening and posturing and fusing high drama, power pop, and rock gravitas into one perfectly transcendent song.” LR “In a stroke of genius they never quite equaled, these Las Vegas rockers married the infectious grooves of the then-trendy dance-rock scene to a surging melody straight out of the U2/ Coldplay handbook.” MX They brought along “a story line that sums up the first two seasons of Gossip Girl.” RS’09 The Killers’ lead singer Brandon Flowers had a girlfriend who cheated on him and the band’s guitarist, Dave Keuning, extracted revenge with this song about her. Flowers told Q magazine about discovering her unfaithfulness. “I was asleep and I knew something was wrong. I have these instincts. I went to the Crown and Anchor [a Vegas pub] and my girlfriend was there with another guy.” PF However, Flowers’ anguish proved to have a “bright side.” The song didn’t just give The Killers their biggest hit, but one thoroughly embraced by fans. UK radio station XFM wrapped the decade with a listener poll to determine the top 1000 songs of all time and “Mr. Brightside” topped the list. While such a lofty position showed the weaknesses of turning an “all time” poll over to voters, it still showed just how much fans cherished the song. Resources: DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry for The Killers MX Atlanta Metromix (11/24/09). “Best songs of the decade” FL FasterLouder.com.au (1/5/2010). “The Killers #1 on ‘Top 1,000 Songs of All Time’” LR LowResolution.blogspot.com (1/4/2010). “Retrospecticus: 100 Favorite Songs of the Decade” PF Pitchfork.com (8/19/09) The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s RS’09 Rolling Stone (12/9/09). “Songs of the Decade.” Related Links: Last updated 7/24/2023.

The Killers Hot Fuss released

Hot Fuss The Killers

Released: June 7, 2004 Peak: 7 US, 12 UK, 4 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 3.75 US, 2.4 UK, 7.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: post punk revival

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine (Brandon Flowers, Mark Stoermer) [4:04] Mr. Brightside (Flowers, Dave Keuning) [3:43] (9/29/03, 10 US, 10 RR, 3 MR, 11 A40, 10 UK, 5 CN, 29 AU) Smile Like You Mean It (Flowers, Stoermer) [3:54] (4/2/05, 15 MR, 11 UK, 47 AU) Somebody Told Me (Flowers, Keuning, Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr.) [3:17] (3/15/04, 51 US, 21 RR, 3 MR, 17 A40, 3 UK, 17 AU) All These Things That I’ve Done (Flowers) [5:01] (8/30/04, 74 US, 45 RR, 10 MR, 18 UK, 42 AU) Andy, You’re a Star (Flowers) [3:14] On Top (Flowers, Keuning, Stoermer, Vannucci) [4:18] Change Your Mind * (Flowers, Keuning) [3:11] Believe Me Natalie (Flowers, Vannucci) [5:05] Midnight Show (Flowers, Stoermer) [4:02] Everything Will Be Alright (Flowers) [5:45] * For the U.K. edition, “Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll” was substituted for “Change Your Mind.” Total Running Time: 45:39 The Players: Brandon Flowers (vocals, synthesizer) Dave Keuning (guitar) Mark Stoermer (bass) Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums)

Rating: 3.796 out of 5.00 (average of 31 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “There are so many garage rock/dance-rock tunes perfectly stylized and glamorous for the pop kids in the city and in the suburbs of new-millennium America. What’s nice about these the bands producing these songs is how they strive so desperately to individualize themselves. On a commercial level, they do quite well in delivering catchy pop hooks. When it comes to having actual talent, a select few actually do possess attention-worthy integrity.” MW Rolling Stone “reviewer Jenny Eliscu compared the band’s music to contemporaries The Rapture and Franz Ferdinand, stating that in comparison to those groups The Killers ‘[have] actual pop songs – in spades.’ Eliscu concluded, ‘This album is all Killers, no filler.’” WK This “Las Vegas foursome introduce a perfectly tailored new wave-induced art rock sound on their debut, Hot Fuss.” MW They “match postpunk guitars with a synthesizer overlay that recalls ‘80s New Wave without burying their sound in nostalgia.” RW The album is “one of the five most recent albums listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.” WK “They wooed MTV audiences and modern rock followers with the success of Somebody Told Me during summer 2004. This chunky-riffed single loaded with androgynous mystery and a dalliance with new romantic energy” RW focused on the theme of “sexual confusion” RW “captures the infectious delivery of the Killers as a band. Vocalist/keyboardist Brandon Flowers does his best Simon LeBon imitation; the sex appeal and the boyish charm are perfectly in place as the rest of the band accents his rich, red-hotness just so.” MW Mr. Brightside, about “voyeurism,” RW and Jenny Was a Friend of Mine “are equally as foxy as the album’s first single, affirming that a formula is indeed in motion. It’s hard to deny the sparkle of Depeche Mode beats and the sensual allure of Duran Duran. After 25 years, those sounds still hold up; by 2004, however, it’s an incredible task to pull this kind of thing off without selling yourself to the tastes of the masses. Interpol and the Walkmen have pulled it off; Franz Ferdinand and Hot Hot Heat have potential.” MW “Flowers and his mates are obviously canny students; the total effect is of a playacted obsession, but one made irresistible by their skillful, catchy songs.” RW However, “the dynamic doesn’t firmly hold together.” MW Mix “the painfully earnest line ‘I got soul but I’m not a soldier’ from All These Things That I’ve Done” RW with its “gospel/rock jaunt” MW and the song “doesn’t quit fit around the Cure-inspired synth reveries of Everything Will Be Alright and Believe Me Natalie.” MW Midnight Show, which, like ‘Jenny’ focuses on “murdered lovers” RW “does show promise,” MW even if it flagrantly “plucks from Duran Duran’s ‘Planet Earth’ and ‘Is There Something I Should Know?’” MW “In a mixed review, Entertainment Weekly wildly praised the song ‘Somebody Told Me’ while asking ‘As for the rest, isn’t it a little too early for a Strokes tribute band?’” WK “If there’s an occasional misstep,” RW “Hot Fuss is one of several recent releases that bring a diverting faux glamour to the mainstream rock scene.” RW The album “came at the right time because the pop kids needed something to savor the summer with, and ‘Somebody Told Me’ served that purpose. Now pull out your Duran Duran records and dance like no one is watching.” MW

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Killers MW MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide RW Rickey Wright, Amazon.com WK Wikipedia First posted 9/10/2009; last updated 3/5/2024.