Friday Song: “Mr. Brightside”
A 2003/4 hit has become a modern classic
Written by Killers guitarist Dave Keuning, “Mr. Brightside” is about lead singer Brandon Flowers’ ex-girlfriend, who was discovered with another man at the Crown and Anchor pub in his hometown of Las Vegas. The band says the song was “born at the Crown and Anchor.”
The song was first released at the end of September 2003. It became more popular when re-released in 2004, peaking at #10 in both the US and UK. It is the Killers’ best-selling song in the US, and is the most-streamed song on Spotify from the 2000s.
The song details an imagination spiraling out of control after witnessing “just a kiss.” Ultimately, the singer decides discovering the infidelity may be all for the best. Seeing the bright side gives us the title.
Today’s version of the song is a cover performed by Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt at a Los Angeles club around Halloween of this year. It includes an extended guitar solo from Bettencourt, one of rock’s great guitarists. He even adds a little EVH at the end for good measure.
The guitar solo in the original is notable for how it sounds like Beethoven’s 9th. You can still hear that echo in this version.
Enjoy!