Mr Brightside overtakes Wonderwall in UK charts battle (Picture: YouTube/TheKillersMusic)
For two decades the iconic opening chords of The Killers’ Mr Brightside have pulled countless Brits to the dance floor.
Now the song is celebrating an unconventional milestone.
Destiny is calling for Las Vegas band The Killers after beating Oasis’ Wonderwall’s record as the longest-running and most successful single in the UK Chart’s historyto not actually reach the coveted number one spot.
It seems unbelievable that the indie rock anthem, which has been a mainstay of UK playlists for years, hasn’t topped the charts. But when the hit tune was reissued in the summer of 2004, it peaked at number 10 and never surpassed it.
Nevertheless, since its debut Mr Brightside has taken up near-permanent residence in the charts. Now it is celebrating a record-breaking 408 weeks, or just shy of eight years, in the top 100. Yes, you read that right.
The jaw-dropping figure translates to 5.57million sales and streams also dubbing it the third biggest song of all time in the UK.
It shows no signs of coming to a halt in popularity. The British public are opting to stream (and boogie along) to the iconic song 1.8 million times a week, according to the Official Charts Company.
While last year marked its most popular year yet with 79.97m plays, 2024 could outpace it with combined sales and streams up 23% year-on-year.
Mr Brightside has celebrated countless landmark moments, from its biggest week after The Killers performance in Glastonbury in July 2019 to its biggest year of pure sales in 2012.
The hype has led to Killers frontman Brandon Flowers – who wrote the tune aged 20 alongside bandmate Dave Keuning – accepting an Official Top 10 Award in celebration.
‘It’s funny, I almost don’t feel so much of a part of it anymore. It’s just this thing that exists in the world, and it’s amazing that I had something to do with it, but I almost feel a little bit removed from it because it’s so big.’ Brandon, now 42, said about the song’s enduring legacy.
Brandon Flowers in the Mr Brightside music video (Picture: Island Records)
Brandon has stated that he’s grateful for the outpouring of adoration (Picture: The Killers/Instagram)
‘It was an amazing thing to see that transcendence. It doesn’t matter how old, young or what sex you are,’ the rock singer added.
Brandon also recalled the moment he knew the song was bigger than just himself: When he played it on the Glastonbury stage in 2004 and thousands of Brits sang along at the top of their lungs.
He reminisced: ‘When we played that song something had obviously happened. A change had happened. Something shifted in the way that the audience physically responded, and it set us off on this path to become the live band that we are now.’
The Killers in 2017 (Picture: Getty)
The song has certainly carved out several iconic, and occasionally bizarre, moments of its own.
From Brandon washing his hands while singing it during the pandemic to an entire pub chanting the anthem during a funeral – there’s no scenario in which Mr. Brightside isn’t appropriate.
Killers’ fans will have the chance to see the band live once more in the near future as they embark on a tour across the UK and Ireland in the summer of 2024.
The tour marks 20 years since their debut album Hot Fuss.
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