How The Killers made Mr Brightside, one of the most enduring rock songs of all time

do little pep bands go around the stadium to play Lets go blue in pockets around the stadium anymore? or am i dating myself?

"It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss."  Famous last words from Mel Tucker?

"Most enduring"?

Quite a claim for a song from the 2000s, especially when people still sing along with songs from 60s, 70s and 80s at sporting events.

as an old fart, i've been grumbling about this song since the start...but round about last year i finally got it.  the kids, ya know?  they love it, they love singing along, and it at least keeps them in the stadium to the start of the fourth quarter on the days we're beating the hell out of hawaii or east carolina or michigan state (ha!).  it's basically OURS, and it started in an organic way, like the folding chairs thing.  i finally see it as...charming? i guess?

but "one of the most enduring rock songs of all time?"  no FREAKING WAY.  GET A GRIP.

there, i feel better.

One of the most enduring rock songs of all time? Really?

I assume it's a thing at Michigan games just because it's become a thing. Way cool to have all those people singing together and that they keep going after play resumes. But the song itself -- nothing special to my ear. I honestly never heard it until last year's B10 championship. Listened to the Killers version recently and meh.

Guess I'm a codger because I think they ought to play some Dylan or Stones instead. Imagine 115,000 leaning into Like a Rolling Stone or Tumblin' Dice!

Okay, commence rolling on the floor laughter.

I'm old school.  I love the Michigan Marching Band and all of its classics - Temptation, Hawaiian War Chant, etc.   And, I prefer it when the MMB "does their thing" to get the stadium rocking - instead of piped in music.

This is a different time - and, there is something special about being a student - going to games - supporting your team - etc.   From a "team" perspective, I LOVE that the team really gets into opponents traditions - such as "Jump Around" in Madison.  It's an energy - focus - determination - and "fun" experience for those on the roster who bust their behinds prepping for and playing in the games.

As for Mr. Brightside - my view is - it's pretty cool.  The music ends and the acapella begins - those verses - everyone singing - it may be a unique setting in college football.   If not unique, it's certainly rare.

The students get into it and have fun.  I get into it too - I stand and sing the entire song.

The game day experience should be fun - it should begin with the players and students - and, provide ample opportunity for fans to enjoy it too.  It seems to me that Mr. Brightside affords that opportunity.

I prefer they lose the dj and just play the 1995 Jock Jams cd on repeat all game 🤷

Man, I love it when the song comes on in the stadium. I don't get to make many games, so maybe it's not as exciting every time if you go to all games, but it's the highlight of my stadium experience. It brings that best part of a concert experience of bonding with other fans singing a capella to a football game. Until we sing all game long like the do in soccer matches across the world, this is the next best communal approach.

With the song itself--it feels so Michigan. Emo. Passionate. Sometimes losing, but always striving. It's great that it's not about football but also has great lines to belt like "destiny is calling me" which fits in the ethos and temporality of college football careers/games

To the Mr. Brightside haters, you're wrong. The song is awesome, and the crowd loves it; it's always awesome when the crowd keeps singing when the music goes out. 

Those complaining about it are ignoring the 5 other sing-along songs they play every game.  They play Livin on a Prayer and cut it every game too.  

I enjoy Mr Brightside - and, wonder if the DJ could find room for "Happy" by Pharrell Williams - a lyric and a verse.

"Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof" - this certainly describes the Big House.

"Uh, bring me down
Can't nothing, bring me down
My level's too high to bring me down
Can't nothing, bring me down, I said

Bring me down, can't nothing
Bring me down
My level's too high to bring me down
Can't nothing, bring me down, I said"

Always thought that this was a British band, but they're from Las Vegas. Also, I don't know what I was doing during that era (besides raising kids) but I listened to a bunch of their other hits and not one of them rang a bell. 

Can you imagine if there were message boards in the 1950's.  Would older Michigan fans would be complaining about the MMB playing a song with these lyrics?  (FWIW, Ms. Piggy singing it is the ultimate version). 

You came, I was alone, I should have known
You were temptation
You smiled, luring me on, my heart was gone
And you were temptation
It would be thrilling if you were willing
And, if it can never be, pity me

For you were born to be kissed I can't resist
You are temptation and I am yours
Here is my heart take it and say that we'll never part
I'm just a slave, only a slave
To you, temptation, I'm your slave

I like the song fine, it's a good listen. As far as playing it at UM games, whatever. Someone else noted that it became a thing organically and that's neat. 

You know, these guys are no Bikini Kill or Raincoats... They're not bad.

I was against it at first - old man and all. But then I realized I was wrong. It's Michigan's thing and it works, and students seem to love it. 

I'm not old...this is my millennial music. However, this song sucks for a football game. 110k people singing Seal "Kissed from a Rose" could be cool to hear, but would also be a terrible choice. They should have done a fan poll. 

To the Mr. Brightside haters... dont come. Odds are if you hate the song/tradition, youre sitting in your seat all quiet all game. Sell your season tickets to someone who genuinely cares about the atmosphere of being at The Big House on saturdays, not someone who is there for legacy reasons.

The thing with this song is that it seems bigger in terms of its reputation now than it was when it came out. It was a hit, but not even the biggest rock song of that year. It was also too far on the blatantly commercial side to really have any 'indie cred' at a time when that certainly mattered. It feels a bit like as if someone decided that 3 a.m. by Matchbox 20 is a rock anthem for the ages.

When people say 'the kids' like it, it's a funny thing because today's Michigan students were either babies or toddlers when this song came out. So if they like it, they like it because they picked it up at a later stage and not as current music but as a 'classic'. I wonder how many current Michigan students first heard this song in Michigan Stadium. I have a suspicion it'd be a significant number.

But there's also a certain self-fulfilling logic to it. If the 30-40 something decision makers think this song is great and they wanna play it in the stadium and the folks in the crowd of that age group love it, then that becomes a 'thing' and younger people will embrace it because it's such a thing. I mean that's ultimately what happened with Sweet Caroline, a song that I'm sure made quite a lot of people cringe at the time of its release.

idk man, whatever you guys can sing your hearts out about getting cucked.  i figured out i can just go to the bathroom while that stupid song is playing

Mr. Brightside and Sweet Caroline both suck ass. The former is whiny and self-pitying and the latter is cheesy schmaltzy treacle.

I would prefer the MMB just play Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1 

It's become a stadium tradition, and I love stadium traditions. I like the song too, so maybe I'm a bit biased, but my stance on traditions stands.

The album this song is on came out when I was a sophomore in high school, so that's definitely part of the reason why I love that it became a tradition at the games (and the tradition started when I was in grad school at UofM, so even more fun to have been a student when it started). But I think there's definitely something to the idea that the lyrics and overall emotion of the song fit with where we were as a program/fanbase when the tradition started. Just think about it:

The song is about being jealous that your girlfriend is cheating on you with another guy and being devastated by it. First of all, who can't relate to the general idea of longing for someone and seeing them with someone else. Second of all, that was us as a program. We kept seeing our 'girl', the big ten championship, with some other guy. And it was ESPECIALLY devastating that it was mostly MSU and OSU we kept seeing her with. The guys we would absolutely least want to see her with.

And even though the lyrics of the song say "I'm Mr Brightside", implying that the main character is still trying to be positive and look on the brightside, the tone and emotion of the song absolutely imply that he is not seeing any silver lining in this situation. AKA, the main character of the song is definitely in BPONE. Again, that was US! That was how we were feeling every football season. Thinking that our destiny is the Big Ten championship, and it's been calling to us, but we just can't seem to reach it.

Now, that may seem like a whole lot of words about some emo song that doesn't have anything to do with football. And you might want to reply with something like "Sir, this is a Wendy's" in some joking manner. But it really does seem to me that we gravitated to that song as a fanbase because of the emotional state we were in at the time. Obviously we've left that behind, but if the students still love singing along to it during games, then we should definitely keep doing it.

Here's some good music theory on this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuCAFvcrtVc

I am frankly a music moron, but I was able to follow some of this - really interesting stuff about why this song pops!

I like the song, but I liked the whole thing better when it was kind of a spontaneous thing that happened- now it’s turned into any other college football stadium thing just like everyone else has- like the jump around in Wisconsin. 

God damn, this is the most MGoBlog thing to ever complain about.

Here's some good music theory on this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuCAFvcrtVc

I am frankly a music moron, but I was able to follow some of this - really interesting stuff about why Mr Brightside pops!

I find the hate for this "tradition" to be very amusing.  I did not know there were so many lawns to get off of, especially when you have thousands of people happily singing along during the games.

“ one of the most enduring rock songs of all time”….

yeah, no.

Yeah, we should dump that for something traditional with a real connection to Michigan football. Can you see the whole stadium singing  "I want to go back to Michigan, to old Ann Arbor town"? Or better yet, to our pre-Victors fight song, "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"? In four-part harmony...with feeling. (Extra credit to those recognizing the last reference.)

Personally, I think Sabotage would be a way better song.  Every time I hear Mr Brightside I always think of the SNL skit where wives bring their husbands to the playground for play dates with other husbands and they end up singing Mr Brightside together.  

It's the defiant sing-along of 110,000 people after the music stops that makes this song so much fun. The next play has started but we don't care. You can't stop us.  @ 0:40:

https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1705650826599940350