The Killers - Mr. Brightside - Lyrics Meaning

The song Mr. Brightside appeared on The Killers 2004 full length album Hot Fuss. Mr. Brightside peaked at number 10 on the US charts as well as in the UK. The song was written by lead guitarist Dave Keuning about Killers front man Brandon Flowers finding his girlfriend with another man at the Crown and Anchor pub in Flowers' hometown of Las Vegas. Flowers recalled that he woke up in the middle of the night with a strange feeling that something was terribly wrong. He dressed himself and went to the club where he subsequently found his cheating lover.

The song goes through the ebb and flows of emotions Flowers feels as evidenced by the lyrical undertone that he is being eaten up with jealousy but is searching for a way to cope. He almost mockingly calls himself Mr. Brightside as a way to try and make light of the situation that certainly has his heart torn into pieces. He vividly plays out the adulterous relationship in his head imagining the cheating couple in the heat of romance. The song is a vivid reminder that innocent relationships that start out with only a kiss as the lyrics state, can end up with the person feeling like they are in a cage.