The iconic opening chords have been around for twenty years The murderers' Mr Brightside has attracted countless Brits to the dance floor.
Now the song celebrates an unconventional milestone.
Destiny calls out the Las Vegas band The Killers after the defeat OasisWonderwall's record as the longest-running and most successful single in UK Chart history doesn't quite reach the coveted number one spot.
It seems incredible that the indie rock anthem, which has been a mainstay of UK playlists for years, isn't topping the charts. But when the hit song was re-released in the summer of 2004, it peaked at number 10 and was never surpassed.
Nevertheless, Mr Brightside has occupied an almost permanent place in the charts since his debut. Now it's celebrating a record-breaking 408 weeks, or just under eight years, in the top 100. Yes, you read that right.
The staggering figure translates into 5.57 million sales and streams, also making it the third biggest song of all time in Britain.
There are no signs that its popularity will diminish. According to the Official Charts Company, British audiences choose to stream (and dance along to) the iconic song 1.8 million times a week.
While last year was the most popular year yet with 79.97 million plays, 2024 could surpass this year with combined revenue and streams up 23% year-over-year.
Mr Brightside has celebrated countless milestone moments, from the biggest week following The Killers' Glastonbury performance in July 2019 to the biggest year of pure sales in 2012.
The hype has led to Killers frontman Brandon Flowers – who wrote the song at the age of 20 with bandmate Dave Keuning – receiving an official Top 10 Award in celebration.
'It's funny, I almost don't feel so involved anymore. It's just this thing that exists in the world, and it's amazing that I had anything to do with it, but I almost feel a little bit removed from it because it's so big.” Brandon, now 42, said of the song's lasting legacy.
“It was amazing to see that transcendence. It doesn't matter how old, young or gender you are,” the rock singer added.
Brandon also remembered the moment he knew the song was bigger than just him: when he played it on the radio Glastonbury stage in 2004 and thousands of Britons sang along at the top of their lungs.
He reminisced, “When we played that song, obviously something had happened. A change had taken place. Something changed in the way the audience physically reacted, and it set us on the path to becoming the live band we are today.”
The song has certainly produced some iconic and sometimes bizarre moments of its own.
From Brandon washing his hands while singing it during the pandemic to a the entire pub sings the national anthem at a funeral – there is no scenario in which Mr. Brightside is not suitable.
Killers fans will get the chance to see the band live again in the near future as they embark on a tour of Britain and Ireland in the summer of 2024.
The tour marks twenty years since their debut album Hot Fuss.
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