THERE ARE “HIT” songs and there are “big” songs. Hit songs are popular for a while and resonate most with the young-adult music listeners of the era. Big songs — like “Shout,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Don’t Stop Believin’,” to name a few — stick around for generations, transcend music trends, become part of our pop culture lexicon, and are must-plays at parties, clubs and public celebrations. Big songs light up a room and get everyone from your nephew to your great-grandma singing along.
The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” is a big song. Written by guitarist Dave Keuning with Brandon Flowers, the group’s lead vocalist/keyboardist, the 2003 modern-rock track has sold several million copies, been streamed hundreds of millions of times, topped numerous readers’ polls, appeared in multiple films and been adopted by several sports franchises as an unofficial anthem to play during games.
But even though “Mr. Brightside” may be a phenomenon, it was hardly a and 2021’s .
