The one thing I love about music is that everyone has their own story to tell – the musician, the lyrics, the way the fans decipher them and also the way a song can also create a memory or a meaning to someone. That is what this new article is all about. Each fortnight, we will take a look at a different song and I will take you as a trip down memory lane as to what it means to me. Welcome to Music Memories.

Track: Mr Brightside
Artist: The Killers
Original Release Date: 29th September 2003

If someone asked me what one of the best songs was I would more then likely add Mr Brightside to that list because it is a track that has stood the test of time and it is one of those tracks that is such a powerful song that I dare you to listen to it and not sing along – see it is so difficult!

I love this song so much but it is also a track that I cannot listen to very often because it is over played but also, it brings back a very strong memory of being a teenager. This song came out when there was a lot of that emotion you get at that age when you are in ‘love’ with someone and this track came out when I was going through this with a guy that I really liked but annoyingly had a girlfriend.

This song was like an anthem to my feelings and I would play it loud on my headphones on repeat miming or singing my little heart out. It felt like all the feelings that I had of jealously and wishing it was me instead of the girlfriend was playing to me through the lyrics and it hit home like a brick.

This song comes off of one of the best albums and I used to listen to it so much as the one thing I loved about Hot Fuss were the lyrics were so good. Every time I listen to the album all these memories of being a teenager come back, all the memories of that guy come back and I get that weird feeling again, especially when Mr Brightside comes on. That song has played on dancefloors at university, at random clubs, airports, shops etc and if I ever sing along, i feel in some ways that my voice is always dedicated to that guy from school, who I will not say his real name but we will call him ‘Billie’ because I always thought he looked slightly like the lead singer of Green Day.

Facts About Mr Brightside

•  “Mr. Brightside” is the debut single of American rock band the Killers
•  It was one of the first songs the Killers ever wrote.
• It is the second most streamed song on Spotify from the 2000s
• Lyrically, “Mr. Brightside” depicts a true story of Flowers’ jealousy and paranoia when he walked into a bar in Las Vegas and found his girlfriend cheating on him
• As of April 2021, “Mr. Brightside” has spent 260 non-consecutive weeks, or five years, on the UK Singles Chart, the most out of any song.