The Killers: Mr Brightside Meaning
Song Released: 2003
Mr Brightside Lyrics
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...
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I think the song is about how the narrater was with this girl, but then he cheated on her, and thought it wasn't a big deal ("It was only a kiss"), but it wasn't mutual and she leaves him for another guy, hence the jealousy. Because he later feels guilty and wants her back because he can't move on ("I just can't look, its killing me and taking control"), but he is reluctant to beg and bruise his pride - he doesn't want to admit he did something stupid.He then realises she means more to him than his pride, and he talks to her about it ("coming out of my cage") An explanation for "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" probs makes more sense, but I heard "Mr Brightside" before, so I stick my my interpretation :)
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I think this song is about a threesome. The guy is insecure about doing things like this, but he gets convinced into doing it (he comes out of his protective cage) the whole thing starts off with just a kiss and then before they know it they are having a threesome. Thats just how it sounds to me.
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I believe, as stated before, that the man this song is about invests a lot of emotions into women. Except I believe he lives a lifestyle where he "messes around" with a lot of girls rather than being "confined" to a relationship (I'm coming out of my cage, I want it all, etc.).
And what can happen occasionally and unexpectedly is that he would fall in love or gain strong feelings for one of them (it was only a kiss, how did it end up like this.)
So while the girl may or may not have other guys that she has feelings for, he can't help but imagine what she might be doing with other guys while they themselves are not together (now I'm sick to my stomach, it's all in my head).
He realizes that he must deal with these feelings if he can't have her exclusively to himself. But he has to deal with it for having these types of relations (its the price I pay), but he'll be ok with it because its how he likes to live and thus see the bright side of it(destiny is calling me, because I'm Mr. Brightside).
So if I want to put it in layman's terms, it's about a player who becomes jealous about one of his girls, can't do anything about it because the girl may really like another dude, but eventually realizes that he can go on with his life anyways and still be happy. -
The songs seems to me unnecessarily ambiguous. She's toughing his chest; he's taking off her dress. Which person is the narrator jealous of? The guy or the girl?
I reckon the first few lines ("I'm coming out of my cage ... I want it all") refer to really starting to give your all to a relationship. Opening up, making yourself vulnerable, because you have to, because you want this to be the real deal. With the narrator's growing vulnerability and dependence on the person he's in the relationship with, he become more and more jealous and suspects that he's being cheated on. Believing this will crush him, but he also sort of WANTS to believe it ("open up my eager eyes") because it will allow him to shun the genuinely close relationship, of which his is afraid, without it appearing to be his fault. -
My 2 cents. Calling himself "Mr. Brightside" is a sarcastic comment. He met a girl, he kissed her good night at her door step, and his whole ride home he's thinking that she's left her place to mess with other dudes. He gets home and starts falling asleep, but all he can think of is her getting in a cab to go see another dude. Then he imagines she slept with that guy and they shared a post coital cigarette. All of this doesn't happen in reality, but in the singers head and in ther end he calls himself "Mr. Brightside" sarcastically because obviously he isn't because he was thinking all this negative stuff after having such a great night with the girl in question.
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I am assuming this woman's career is prostitution, and his having a hard time not feeling jealous about the nature of her job. Kinda like "Leaving Las Vegas", Nicholas Cage, as a man who promised not to get jealous at his prostitute girlfriend's customers, but he struggled to keep his promise. I think this song portrayed that emotion very well.
I'm coming out of my cage
And Ive been doing just fine
(Been depressed over what is going on, and finally making an effort to trying to come to terms with it and making progress.... or so he thinks....)
Gotta gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
(But it seems, he will always make himself feel depress, because he "wants it all", he wants things to work out his way, her being with him only and quit her prostituting job)
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
(Thinking in his head about how it happened, he met her, kissed her, she was only suppose to be just a simple fling, and look where it got to now.)
Now Im falling asleep
(Still reminiscing the past: It's late, he in bed, going to sleep and she’s leaving the room for one of her job)
And she's calling a cab
(Possibly for the "customer" to leave when his done with her)
While he's having a smoke
(His having a smoke while waiting for her)
And she's taking a drag
(I believe this is part where she takes a BIG inhale of cigerettes, to psyche herself to do her job, screwing this guy)
Now theyre going to bed
(After both of them are done with the cigs, then they are going to bed)
And my stomach is sick
(He starts imagining what they are doing in the other room)
And its all in my head
(Because he can't see what's going on, but they are so close by, he can't stop his mind from visualising what's going on, mentally torturing himself with it)
But she's touching his chest
Now, he takes off her dress
(Clearly what he was visualising)
Now, let me go
(He wants to be freed from these distressing thoughts)
I just can't look its killing me
(Mentally flinching from what his imagining in his mind)
And taking control
(Jealousy is taking control)
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
(Making him think ugly thoughts)
Swimming through sick lullabies
(The process of thinking sick thoughts in his head)
Choking on your alibis
(Choking on his excuses he tries to make to comfort and calm down himself)
But its just the price I pay
(The price he pays for loving a prostitute)
Destiny is calling me
(Feeling like it was destiny that cause this to happen to him, this unfortunate situation, which he feels was beyond his control, what he feels for her)
Open up my eager eyes
(Pleading for somebody or anything to “open his eyes” to any other way to make him feel less tortured about this whole situation)
Cause Im Mr Brightside
(Sarcastically saying his Mr Brightside, when clearly his not)
I never...
I never...
I never...
(He never thought such a thing would ever happen to him) -
Okay this song is about a guy who meets a girl. Well he thinks it's a girl. He he takes her to his apartment and they get into it but he didn't look hard enough he and then he realizes that it's a dude.
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The great thing about lyrics and in fact many art forms is they are open to interpretation, however although it has been stated, I will second the following: This song was not penned by The Cure!? Secondly it has been stated clearly and can easily be found online that this song was written by Dave (In the band) about Brandon's (Lead singer) ex girlfriend who cheated on him. Not that the facts really matter, we'll all continue to Taylor it to our own needs, wishes and experiences, and that is perfectly fine in my opinion.
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I think this song is about a man that is very much in love with another girl, but she happens to be some sort of a prostitute. Mr. Brightside gets very jealous even though her being around other guys is her job. "It was only a kiss" might refer to how increasingly jealous he is becoming over his girl merely kissing someone else. Anyway, I think Mr. Brightside is a great song and can have multiple interpretations.
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This is but a story of loss.
The protagonist fell very quickly in love with the young woman. And she probably at first showed some signs of interest or intrigue in him. This sent his heart and mind racing, imagining that while what they were having was, for the moment real and more excitement than he's ever had, that it's much more than just a short fling.
She moves on from him, and on to others. He is caught up on her, but choses not to remove himself from the situation. And so he watches and she continues to fling with others as she once did with him - making the same type of smiles, gestures and lovings as she once did for him. In fact, it was these things that made him feel special. Now he must share these things with other men who don't cherish it as much as he.
No wonder she is represented as a 19th century bordello whore in the video. The woman in the story, even if not a street prostitute, has obviously shown our protagonist that she's only in it for her gratification, and any expression of caring for him was but a ruse for her ends - much like a whore who for some cash will tell you all you want to hear about yourself.
As for calling himself "Mr. Brightside" and opening his "eagle eyes" in order to see this bright side... our protagonist is telling us he's forcing himself to see some good in the situation even if it's not to his liking. It is almost a sarcastic positive. -
I thought the song was something like this
I'm coming out of my cage (self restraint from loving her)
And I’ve been doing just fine
Gotta gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss (the guys girlfriend kissed someone else and liked the other person better)
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I’m falling asleep (falling asleep with her)
And she’s calling a cab (she slipped away from him while he was sleeping)
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Now they’re going to bed (she starts sleeping with the other guy)
And my stomach is sick (he knows that she is cheating on him)
And it’s all in my head (hes just thinking it but its not actually happening)
But she’s touching his—chest
Now, he takes off her dress (self explanitory)
Now, let me go (he wants to go but cant)
I just can’t look its killing me (hes watching them(??))
And taking control
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea (hes very jealous of that person)
Swimming through sick lullabies (all the lies she tells him of where she's been)
Choking on your alibis (very sad I guess)
But it’s just the price I pay (karma (?))
Destiny is calling me (destiny tells him to go and make her like him more)
Open up my eager eyes (opens his eyes to more possibilities)
‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside (he looks on the bright side)
I never...
I never...
I never... (he never thought that this would happen) -
Well he says 'it was only a kiss'
and then he goes on imagining all the things
that his girlfriend and that other guy she kissed did,
but it was only a kiss. Its because when someone cheats, people tend to imagine things -
Ok this is what I think. His girlfriend is a prostitute and he knows what she's doing, but everything he says in the song is about his dream after he says "now I'm falling asleep" until he says "open up my eager eyes".
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Well, I like to look at the music video for a reference to analize this song. If you watch, he seems to be looknig at the one girl (pale, white, puffy hair, and shher green dress. obviously the main girl) for most of the shots. and she seems to watch him from the corner of her eye. Every time he seems to look at her she goes and gets a guy to kiss and be lovey with. She seems ot be trying to get his attention or make him angry. but there are also the scenes where it cuts to him(the lead singer) and her alone. They seem to be having a love moment in these scenes.
This is what I make of it all:
i believe that that the girl I described above portrays jealousy. The green and paleness and how she always seems to have to be with one of the other guys. She strives to make the lead singer jealous as it seems.
i see everything as this:
the lead girl (jealousy) and the boy were or are together. He knows what she is doing with other men, but he doesn't say anything. jealousy believes that he doesn't care for her enough, so she is trying to make him jealous by flirting and kissing other men. before, his anger has gotten the boy into trouble, that's how the lyrics start.
I'm coming out of my cage (coming out of his restraint, what is keeping him locked up and angry with her)
And I’ve been doing just fine (hes doing well with everythnig)
Gotta gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all (he wants to be good with everything if he wants her back just for him. becase that is what he wants)
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this (it started out with her kissing 1 other guy, and him not saying anythnig. now it has turned into her going after every other man)
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I’m falling asleep (hes remembering what he saw)
And she’s calling a cab
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Now they’re going to bed (he was watchin her and this other man do these things, but she didn't know it. I always saw this as him watching them through a window or something)
And my stomach is sick
And it’s all in my head (hes just remembering it, it isn't really happening)
But she’s touching his—chest
Now, he takes off her dress
Now, let me go (he wants to be let free from the memory, the torture of watching her do that)
I just can’t look its killing me
And taking control (its taking over him and its ripping him apoart inside)
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea (hes jealous of the other men who are getting her affection, but he used to be a good man)
Swimming through sick lullabies (remembering everything that happend like a lullaby in his head)
Choking on your alibis (shes messing up all of her alibis for those nights. She is getting her story mixed up)
But it’s just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me (it is what he has to pay if he wants her, he has to go through this to get what he wants)
Open up my eager eyes
‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside (mr. brightside is like his diguise. He really isn't happy, but he shows that he is fine ot hide his emotion.)
I find it very helpfull if you watch his and her facial expressions throughout the video. at times he looks as if he is trying to convince himself that thinga arent so bad. This is just what I have pieced together. I think that there are some things missing and parts that are important to the meaning, but I can't decipher them. good luck for others wishing to though!! -
The main person whoever it may be is in love with a girl who maybe loves him back or maybe doesn't but for some reason she can't be with him and is with another man. In the video we see Brandon and a woman kissing but her also with a man who he gets angry with. It's possible this man and the other have a fight over the girl.
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