The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” music video could have looked a lot different

It’s hard to believe it has been nearly 16 years since the Killers released their iconic music video for “Mr. Brightside.” As one of their biggest songs to date, frontman Brandon Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. recently spilled some of the details behind the video.

In a new interview for Vevo’s Watch This, the Killers members sat down to watch the legendary music video starring Eric Roberts, Izabella Miko and more.

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As one of the lead singles off of their 2004 album Hot Fuzz, “Mr. Brightside” has stood the test of time and continues to be a party anthem around the world. The song even caused a massive sing-along at Glastonbury, one of the world’s biggest music festivals, last year.

Nevertheless, it has been quite some time since the members of the Killers have watched the “Mr. Brightside” music video. For Vevo’s Watch This series, Flowers and Vannucci Jr. revealed some details about the video’s creation and the song’s origin.

“It’s a song about betrayal,” Flowers shares. “I was betrayed and I was able to turn it into a masterpiece.”

Although it’s a song about heartbreak and deception, “Mr. Brightside” has been a crowd-pleaser at the Killers shows for well over a decade. The story of betrayal that inspired the song is evident all throughout the video. In fact, it was the video shoot for “Mr. Brightside” that Flowers shared was one of the most daunting moments of the Killers’ early days.

“When you start a band, these kinds of scenarios are actually the furthest thing from your mind,” Flowers says. “It never felt natural to me to make a music video. It still doesn’t. It’s hard enough for us to finish a song in an album.”

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Flowers also revealed that the “Mr. Brightside” video we know now was almost something completely different. Before plans were made to shoot the video with a full production, the Killers shot a different video for the single months prior.

“We made like an indie version of the video months before on the East Coast,” he shares. “It wasn’t as much of a production.”

He also goes on to share that the released version of the “Mr. Brightside” video was the first time the Killers had worked with a full production and sound stage for a music video.

In the video, Flowers acts alongside Eric Roberts, the Academy Award-nominated actor known for his roles in The Dark Knight, Star 80 and more. For Flowers, filming the video’s checkers scene with Roberts was one of the more difficult aspects of the entire shoot.

“I would just axe the checkers scene,” Flowers says. “They wanted me to look pissed at Eric Roberts and I am not a professional actor, it was just horrible.”

You can watch the Killers’ full interview and the “Mr. Brightside” music video below.

Last week, the Killers released their new song “Fire In Bone.” The song is off of their forthcoming album, Imploding the Mirage, that will be released on May 29. Pre-orders for the album are available here. Imploding the Mirage follows up their 2017 album Wonderful, Wonderful.

What do you think about the “Mr. Brightside” video nearly 16 years later? Let us know in the comments below!

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