Photo from www.alternativenation.com
With the concert of The Killers on the 26th of September at the Smart Araneta Coliseum fast approaching, I am reminded of my three most favorite songs from The Killers.
Here they are:
1. “Somebody Told Me” – This song is so immensely catchy and fun, to begin with. I particularly like the swirling effects of the synthesizers in the intro which proved to be a nice touch. The sophistication behind the lyrics is praiseworthy and it showed very early on the superior songwriting skills of the members of the band.
“Somebody Told Me” proved to be such a resounding success for The Killers that it helped boost the appeal of the band for the different kinds of music aficionados. And it turned a lot of heads to take serious notice of them.
I can still remember that soon after I had seen its music video played on Channel V, that it wasn’t long before I would hear “Somebody Told Me” being played constantly in numerous radio stations and in the other two music channels at the time here in the Philippines.
“Somebody Told Me” was the mega hit that effectively established The Killers as one of the best new bands to debut in that year. But for me, they were one of the best bands ever to debut in more than a decade.
2. “Smile Like You Mean It” – Even with the change of mood–being less upbeat and more on the forlorn side–this song still resonated well with listeners. “Smile Like You Mean It” would strand the string of popular hits for The Killers from their major label debut ‘Hot Fuss.’
“Smile Like You Mean It” is a gem of a song!
I find this song to be introspective in so many levels because front man Brandon Flowers is singing about something that no one can avoid–that is, growing up. And when one gets older and looks back, it dawns on him that indeed time has passed him by and just maybe, there have been a few regrets along the way.
Musically, what first got my attention with “Smile Like You Mean It” was the guitar work. It reminded me of an old Smiths song. I honestly think if “Smile Like You Mean It” came out in the 80’s, it would still have done well. You could include “Smile Like You Mean It” in any 80’s mix tape and play it in a public place and more likely than not, the crowd will not be able to tell that this song was released in the early 2000’s… given that they had never heard of The Killers before that.
Again, this really goes back to show just how capable The Killers are as musicians that they have certain songs that can fit in a different decade.
3. “Mr. Brightside” – If ever there was a Rock song in the early 2000’s that perfectly captured the feeling of being betrayed because of a two-timing girlfriend, then this is your song.
Aside from the real emotions that pierce through the song, it was front man Brandon Flowers’ narrative style of singing that is so convincing that most listeners can’t help but wonder if he may have been singing about his ex-girlfriend?
This isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill song about getting your heart broken. The song “Mr. Brightside” has more substance in it and a deeper meaning was explored. Front man Brandon Flowers was able to convey a myriad of emotions so strong from jealousy to sadness to acceptance, that listeners are able to relate through every ache and pain he was reliving.