The Killers have been presented with two Guinness World Records for their hit song ‘Mr Brightside‘.
As of July 4, the track has spent a total of 416 weeks on UK singles chart – the longest by a group – as well as the most cumulative weeks on UK singles chart with one song. In total, that amounts to almost eight years.
‘Mr Brightside’ was the band’s debut single from Hot Fuss and was released first in September 2003 before being re-released in 2004.
Speaking to Guinness World Records about the achievement, the band said they’ll never tire of playing the song.
Frontman Brandon Flowers told them: “It’s infectious still to us, I know some people can’t wrap their head around it but you’ll see the response [when you see it live].
“It’s tough not to be touched by it or be excited by it and there’s going to be people tonight who’ve never seen it live, there’ll be some people who’ve seen it 45 times. And we just don’t get tired of it.”
Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. added: “We start it and then we enjoy the ride and then one of us has to stop it, it’s one of those kind of songs.
“It’s a highly reciprocal thing that happens and we enjoy the ride just as much as they do.”
Guitarist Dave Keuning added: “I think we imagined it but until we got the whole thing started, you never know. There’s no guarantees.”
Speaking about the landmark achievement, Guinness World Records Adjudicator Will Munford, said: “‘Mr Brightside’ has filled countless dancefloors and been responsible for many end-of-night singalongs since the mid-2000s.
“It was an honour to present The Killers with two Guinness World Records titles for the song, it is a testament to its ability to be loved across generations and stand the test of time as one of the all-time classics.”
Back in May, ‘Mr Brightside’ officially broke a huge singles record in the UK as reported by the Official Charts.
The legendary track took over from Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ to become the UK’s official biggest single of all time yet to reach Number One.
According to figures from the Official Charts Company, it has been shown that with UK sales and streams of 5.57million – including 1.066million sales and 530,340,000 streams – the song is now the UK’s most successful song of all time yet to reach Number One.
It was also declared the third biggest song of all time in the UK when sales and streams are combined.
On average, it is being streamed in the UK around 1.8million times per week, and there’s no sign of it slowing, either. For example, 2023 marked the track’s biggest year of streams to date (79.97m plays), and for 2024, it is accelerating further still with average combined weekly sales and streams of ‘Mr Brightside’ up 23 per cent year-on-year.
Before then, the biggest week for ‘Mr Brightside’ was in July 2019, it clocked up 17,700 chart units after The Killers’ headline Glastonbury set. As for pure sales, 2012 marked the peak, when it was bought and downloaded 125,200 times.
Last night (July 11), the song was also in the spotlight again after the band paused their performance in London to watch England win their semi-final game with the Netherlands.
10 songs into their performance, Brandon Flowers and co. paused the concert to watch the clashing Euros semi-finals with the O2 audience. After England secured the victory, red and white streamers were fired to raucous applause, and the band dove right into ‘Mr. Brightside’ to celebrate.
Tonight we played for England
! pic.twitter.com/bqvSas14Z5
— The Killers (@thekillers) July 10, 2024
The popularity of the song hasn’t always pleased everyone though. Back in June, it was reported that A DJ in Colchester has introduced a list of ‘fines’ for clubbers who ask him to play over-requested songs – with The Killers’ ‘Mr Brightside’ costing a whopping £1,000 per spin.
Speaking to The Daily Gazette, Colin Gingell-Good (aka DJ Pressplay) said he now displays “tongue-in-cheek” signs in front of his DJ booth at the Coda nightclub to deter people who “don’t take no for an answer”.
“The majority of people request songs they personally love,” he explained. “But it doesn’t always fit the vibe of the night or the crowd.”
Meanwhile, The Killers’ first night at the O2 Arena on July 8 scored them a four-star review, with Thomas Smith writing for NME: “The tone of the evening remains consistent: a balance of big hits and deep cuts from their entire discography. ‘Smile Like You Mean It’, ‘Spaceman’ and ‘Somebody Told Me’ are performed with bombast and urgency, as Flowers assumes the role of gracious host, reminding the audience that he and his band are in the service industry, gleefully here to facilitate the best of times.
“The smart staging – diamond-shaped lighting and a garishly-patterned casino carpet – complements the dazzling black number that Flowers sashays and flexes in.”
The Killers will kick off a Las Vegas residency in August to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ‘Hot Fuss’. You can find any remaining tickets here.
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