What does Mr Brightside mean?

The Killers: Mr Brightside Meaning

Album cover for Mr Brightside album cover

Song Released: 2003


Mr Brightside Lyrics

I'm coming out of my cage
And I’ve been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

Now I’m falling asleep
And she’s calling a...

  1. Jellybean
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    Nov 28th 2005 !⃝

    I know this goes against most of what's been said so far but I'm not saying that there's only one meaning. My personal experience of the song made me think that it's about a guy who is having an affair with someone who is already going out with someone else. It was just a kiss and now they're having a full blown affair, and although he's in the wrong because he's cheating, he is still jealous. He knows she goes home to the other guy and he even sees them together but he can't say anything and the pain turns him into something awful (saints into the sea) and also someone more mature (destiny opening up his eager eyes). In the end destiny has opened his eyes to a life lesson: you can love someone but you can't always be with them.

  2. SpoonerFisch
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    Nov 27th 2005 !⃝

    I think this song is about pure jealously. It's self explainitory.

    I'm coming out of my cage
    And I’ve been doing just fine
    Gotta gotta gotta be down
    Because I want it all [[He wants her all to himself]]
    It started out with a kiss [[he liked her when they kissed]]
    How did it end up like this [[she's with someone else]]
    It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss [[That's what started him to fall in love with her]]
    Now I’m falling asleep
    And she’s calling a cab [[as he's sleeping, thinking of her, she's with the other guy just leaving after their night together]]
    While he’s having a smoke [[he's satisfied]]
    And she’s taking a drag [[she took a puff off his cigarette]]
    Now they’re going to bed [[they're going to sleep together]]
    And my stomach is sick [[it makes him sick thinking about it]]
    And it’s all in my head [[he's remembering what he had though about them together]]
    but she’s touching his—chest
    Now, he takes off her dress
    Now, let me go

    I just can’t look its killing me
    And taking control [[he's heart broken]]
    Jealousy, turning saints into the sea [[Jealousy is taking over]]
    Swimming through sick lullabies [[remembering his ideas of them together]]
    Choking on your alibis
    But it’s just the price I pay [[he thinks he derserves to lose her]]
    Destiny is calling me
    Open up my eager eyes [[he wants her]]
    ‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside

    In the video, the girl obviously secretly loves him back, but keeps going back to the old ugly guy.. when Brandon Flowers is sweet to her and loves her.. and he's so hot.

  3. Jules
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    Nov 22nd 2005 !⃝

    My god, some of you are obsessed with rape and murder. This was the first song that flowers wrote, so it has nothing to do with Midnight Show. It is about the way that jealousy makes you feel, his ex cheated and he could not confront the person, so the jealousy just tore him up. He said in an interview that it bothered him that much, he was physically sick. So sorry guys, no rape, murder, killing Jenny or getting out of jail.

  4. anonymous
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    Nov 16th 2005 !⃝

    I think this song is about a couple. The guy, who I am going to name Adam just to clarify things, cheated on his girl, who I will name Serena. "It started out with a kiss it was only a kiss" I think Adam kissed another girl, who I will name Jessica, the couple broke up because of it and Serena moves on to find another love. Adam then gets jealous that she has moved on and he is still hung up on what he did. Adam calls himself Mr. Brightside because he wants to get over it but can't so he looks for the "bright side" of the situation.

    Just a theory but that is what comes to mind when I hear this song.

  5. The_Toad
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    Nov 15th 2005 !⃝

    After reading all the interpretations it could be a synthesis of the jail/jealousy thing.

    "I'm coming out of my cage" (Coming out of prison)

    "It started out with a kiss
    How did it end up like this
    It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss" (He liked this girl, possibly Jenny, and he ended up raping & killing her)

    " Now I’m falling asleep..." (He is reliving the trauma he felt in Midnight Show; imagining/dreaming of Jenny & her partner)

    "Open up my eager eyes
    ‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside " (He wakes up & realises everything is OK, he's killed Jenny & feels no remorse, so he is Mr Brightside)

    "I never...
    I never...
    I never... " (Repeating seems to indicate he is unsure; he is trying to convince himself everthing is fine perhaps)

    No idea if this is right. I wish Flowers would post the real meaning on the site or write a book of the explanations or something; I'd buy it!

  6. taggy87
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    Nov 4th 2005 !⃝

    Andy is out a a party.He sees Jenny with her new boyfriend, Michael. Andy knows Michael, they are friends. He doesn't know that Jenny and Michael are going out with each other. He tries to go back out with Jenny and then he sees them kiss and goes insane. He doesn't know what to do and he imagines what they are doing, so he tells people that Jenny is cheating on him and Jenny gets pissed off and she won't talk to him so he's paid the price

  7. anonymous
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    Nov 3rd 2005 !⃝

    I believe that the title Mr. Brightside is the guy being sarcastic. He says, I'm Mr. Brightside after talking about his thoughts the girl doing stuff with another guy. He is say that of course he would assume these things because he is sarcasticly, Mr. Brightside.

  8. anonymous
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    Oct 27th 2005 !⃝

    This song about a friend named Jenny is darker than it may seem at first. In actuality, Jenny was murdered, kidnapped, or wronged in someway. The lyrics of the song are words from the mouth of the speaker as he says them to police and investigators, who interrogate him to find out if he is the one behind the crime. All the evidence points to him, and he has only one thing to say to defend himself: "Jenny was a friend of mine".

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  9. Glitch
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    Oct 26th 2005 !⃝

    ARGH, the song is NOT about a f'nucking prostitute. The video sucks and is not true.

    Anyway, I think the song has to do with the murder trilogy ("Jenny was a friend of mine", "The Midnight Show", and the unreleased "Leave the bourbon on the shelf")

    Coming out of his cage refers to him getting out of jail for murdering his girlfriend, Jenny. Then the song just tell about the girl cheating on him.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  10. brian
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    Oct 15th 2005 !⃝

    This song is about a guy wanting a girl. He's out of his cage so he's himself and he needs to act cool because it wants it all. He's known this chick for some time now and it started with a kiss just a kiss. But he isn't sure and when his mind just runs off with itself and he sees her with someone else and their getting closer and closer it's killing him and it's just taking control. He's jealous, and this can make even the best of us go bad, he's trying to tell himself it doesn't matter, he doesn't want to deal with this situation but he feels it's destiny he's made for her. and He sees all this going on and he helpless to do anything so all he can do it just look on the brightside



    Boo-Yay The killers ROCK!!!!

  11. i_love_tom
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    Sep 17th 2005 !⃝

    I think in the song, he kissed the girl thinking nothing would happen, but after he kissed her he fell in love. She was a prostetute so he was mad.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. anonymous
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    Sep 17th 2005 !⃝

    I think song has the same storyline as the movie "Moulin Rouge" and The Cure didn't write the song.

    I was watching an interview with the band, and Brandon Flowers (the lead singer) said that Mr. Brightside was the first song he wrote.

  13. carlyandbrad
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    Aug 31st 2005 !⃝

    What is with you people thinking this is about murder? It is obviously a song about a guy and his girlfriend. The singer's girlfriend kissed another guy and now he doesn't trust her and keeps imagining her cheating on him and it's driving him crazy and bringing him down.

    I think in the song he is talking to himself trying to get over it so he can go back to who he really is "Mr. Brightside". I think that everything he actually talks about is all in his head. As much as I would like to write the entire song out for you all ....i wont. It's just a song about imagined infedelity and the effects that it has on people in relationships.

  14. anonymous
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    Aug 14th 2005 !⃝

    The video says it all. He's in love with a club dancer/prostitute. I knew that before the video was shown.

  15. anonymous
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    Aug 8th 2005 !⃝

    One of the people on the band wrote this song about Brandon Flowers's ex-girlfriend who cheated on him, I know that for a fact!




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