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 that this song is about a guy (boyfriend or not) sees this girl and a guy kissing. He tries to convince himself that it ended there, but his imagination has him picturing the girl and guy doing other things, thus making him jealous just thinking about the idea. "mr. brightside" is a sarcastic title he gives himself because he is suspects the worst.
~CeCe -
I really don't think this song is about murder and it is NOT part of the murder trilogy. The trilogy is Jenny was a friend of mine(hot fuss), Midnight show(hot fuss), and Leave the bourbon on the shelf(sawdust). Also, it is NOT written by the cure whatever you say, username! This was the first song that the killers wrote and was made when there were only two people in the band.
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People have taken the song too literally.
There is a strong subliminal psychiatric theme
Refers to the behavioral/emotional disturbances of someone with a paranoid schizophrenic disorder.
"Cage" is metaphorical for the the mental torture/anguish and in "coming out" the protagonist is transiently released from this. During this window period he gains insight into life
elements of self denial of the disease "how did it end up like this" are soon forgotten amidst lustful imagination and a fall back into the life that led to his demise "gotta be down".
The female is a personification of paranoia. It has seduced him slowly , coming to get him by "calling a cab" ; she has changed his personality "turning saints into the sea".
The other male is the protagonist's alter-ego - one that is intrigued and welcoming of the auditory hallucinations and paranoia, not wanting to reject (but rather accepting) this state of abnormality.
The protagonist however is a realist; recognising the disease but uncontrollably accepts it has taken over is life. This is dramatised by the love scene which he observes (his symptoms) despite his disgust.
The voices continue however "swimming through sick lullabies" and the overwhelming rule of his unconscious is "the price I pay".
Mr Brightside is an ironic referral to his depressive personality and what he sees when he commits suicide "destiny is calling me" -
I think he is reflecting on a relationship that he had. Hes coming out of his cage because he wants more. The relationship he is looking back on I think he was with a women and she was cheating on him, and he has a gut feeling it was going on. Then, he catches her, he sees him taking off her clothes, she's touching his chest, watches her call a cab etc. He feels sick and doesn't want to look, ...Its killing me and taking control..." It seems that he is very hurt and jealous and we they talked about it she chokes on her alibis. But that's what you have to pay in a relationship, destiny wants more and he has to move on. I think the part about eager eyes and being Mr. Brightside is sarcasm to help deal with the pain. I feel bad for him.
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I can't actually believe that a lot of you can't see/work out that the title "mr brightside" is ironic. The song is about a PESSIMISTIC guy that imagines his girlfriend cheating on him. Its a declaration of his own paranoia, and the hate that he will never be "mr brightside"; he will always see the bad, or think the worst. He will never be happy as he destroys his relationships by presuming that everyone is cheating on him.
I can't work out if the "kiss" at the beginning is him having kissed a girl and then the paranoia kicks in, or him having seen his girlfriend kiss someone else, and he is desperately trying to convince himself it was "only a kiss". These sound like HER words to him, trying to reassure him that it didn't mean anything, but he assumes the worst. I like to think the second. -
Okay. It's about a guy who is il love with a girl and he kisses her and it all goes down the drain.
He tells her that he loves her, telling her his secret. (Coming out of my cage)He is coming out of his cage by being out in the open with his love, and if feels good. (And I've been doing just fine). "Gotta gotta be down Becaues I want it all" Means that he loves her and wants her but she doesn't love him so he feels sad. He kissed her but she didn't return the feelings (It was only a kiss, how did it end up like this) and ends up leaving because he offended her. He decides to go to bed.(Now I'm falling asleep) And she is leaving him (And she's calling a cab). The cab driver shares his cigarett with the girl and they hook up (while he's having a smoke, and she's taking a drag, now they're going to bed) He feels sick at the thought but its only his imagination and he knows it (And my stocmach is sick And it's all in my head). But even though he knows its just his imagination he can't stop dwelling on the thought. (But She's touching his chest Now, he takes off her dress). He just wants to forget about it (Now, let me go). But he can't forget and continues to dwell on it and he is quite distressed (I just can't look its killing me and taking controll)He feels jealous of anybody who might be with her and he feels as if he has lost some of his innocence and is going into the unknown (Jealousy, turning saints into the sea)
"Swimming through sick lullabies choking on your alibis" refers to how cheating is sick and lies don't come out well. He is paying the price for taking a risk and telling her that he loves her (But it's just the price I pay), but he has to move on (Destiny is calling me). And he opens his eys to return to the real world and get away from his imagination (Open up my eager eyes). The "Mr. Brightside" I think could be two things. It could be sarcastic, because he is obviously thinking of the worst case scenario, or it could be that he is leaving that behind and looking toward the future and things probably aren't as bad as he thinks. The "I never" part could be that he didn't think he did anything wrong, or that he never got anywhere. So, essentially, its a song about a guy who professes love to a girl who did not love him back. He kisses her and she gets offended and leaves in a cab. The boy imagines her hooking up with the cab driver, and later decides that he needs to move on. -
I think it's about someone who is naive in a relationship and is just 'coming out of his cage', it is up to the girl he loves to teach him about jealousy as he has a fanatical dreamy view of love-hence 'mr brightside', it is up to the girl to 'open up his eager eyes' while his 'stomach is sick' from thinking about her infidelity after they have broken up-i.e 'he takes off her dress now'
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This song is much deeper than you would think. By lyrics alone, it appears to be about some guy in love with a girl who is in love with someone else. BUT, the second music video (of three) plays this song out in a Moulin Rouge setting. This video makes everything clear.
The setting for this video is in what otherwise could be known as a "whore-house" (my apologies for any offenses and lack of political correctness). The infamous "girl" is one of these--we'll call them 'girls'--who work here. The main singer is the guy who supposedly isn't having any luck with this girl. When in all actuality they both are in love with each other. The other guy sang about in the song is actually the many men she is paid to "please". The master of this business catches the girl and lead singer of The Killers kissing and this accounts for the lyrics: "it was only a kiss...it was only a kiss". It ends up with The Lead Singer giving up on her and walking away; leaving her with her mess of a life. -
I think that this song is about jealousy in a relationship, whether or not the singer has any reason to be jealous-"it's all in my head". The cure did not write this song. Dave Keuning, the lead guitarist for the killers, started to write it, and Brandon Flowers finished it. Also, if you take a look at the other video of this, you would know that it was a tribute to Moulin Rouge, Brandon's favorite movie. The song has nothing to do with prostitutes, only distrust in a relationship, causing the relationship to fail. It also shows how other people's opinions can effect a relationship-"they're taking control." and please stop bringing up Andy, Jenny and Natalie, okay?
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Okay to end this crap about who wrote this song take a glance at the cd. On the inside you can find who wrote what song. Flowers and Keuning wrote this according to that, not the cure.
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If you really listen to the lyrics, he could be jealous of the girl, not the guy.
"I'm coming out of my cage..."
he's gay. -
I think that perhaps Mr Brightside is in love with his female friend. He's been feeling this way for a long time - unable to get over her, and feeling trapped because of it - and hasn't told her until recently. Maybe they ended up kissing accidentally really drunkenly one night ('it was only a kiss') and he, encouraged, decided to tell her how he felt. She told him that she cared about him (being tactful enough not to bluntly turn him down relationship-wise) a lot, but needed time to think about it.
They go out for drinks one night and she hits it off with some other guy. Mr Brightside gets increasingly depressed about this and drinks enough to render himself incomprehensible and on the verge of passing out ('now I'm falling asleep'). He knows now that even though she is aware of how he feels, this is how the situation will ultimately turn out: her not caring about him. Having 'just come out his cage' (that drunk kiss encouraged him a lot) he was feeling a lot more optimistic about the possibility of them going on to be in a relationship, and feeling less hopeless. Now seeing the whole sorry mess, 'how did it end up like this?' he wonders what the hell went wrong. In his state of delirium his imagination runs wild 'now it's all in my head,' and he can see nothing but the girl that he can never have with some strange man who doesn't know her, doesn't appreciate her and who probably won't call her.
This is a bit detailed - I don't think it's necessarily all true but certainly it's watching someone he knows he shouldn't care about that much be with someone else, and despising it all. -
I thank it's about a good guy (Mr. Brightside), always positive, always looking for the good in everyone, falls in love with a hooker/swinger/slut, and it's driving him crazy seeing/imagining her with other men.
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I don't really know about the whole murder trilogy thing - sounds interesting, however I think this song is about the sad truth that the girl is married or attached to another older guy, is miserable with him... Has had a relationship with the younger man ( Mr Brightside ) has feelings for him, but is trapped in the relationship with her spouse or whoever. Secretly, she loves the younger man, and he loves her, but cannot do anything about it. This kind of scenario happens quite often in marriage/affair situations, where the wife or husband (ie: blond girl) is trapped within her marriage, but longs to be with another man.
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ACT I: HE OPENS UP AND FALLS IN LOVE (VULNERABLE)
I'm coming out of my cage
And I�ve been doing just fine
Gotta 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
ACT II:JEALOUSY SETS IN WHEN HE'S NOT AROUND HER- HIS IMAGINATION GOES WILD (FALLS ASLEEP...ALL IN MY HEAD)
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head
but she's touching his chest
Now, he takes off her dress
ACT III: HE CAN'T TAKE THIS FEELING OF JEALOUSY ITS BECOME HIS OBSESSION
Now, let me go
I just can't look its killing me
And taking control
ACT IV: SUMMARY: METAPHOR THAT HE IS NAIVE (SAINT) THAT IS CAST OUT INTO THE UNCHARTED/OVERWHELMING TERRITORY OF LOVE(THE SEA) WHERE HE FINDS HIMSELF GOING TO BED WITH THESE JEALOUS THOUGHTS (SICK LULLABIES) AND WHEN HE DOES SEE HER HIS TWISTED THOUGHTS OF JEALOUSY MAKES ANYTHING SHE SAYS ABOUT THEIR TIME APART AS (ALIBIS) BUT THIS WAS THE PRICE OF FALLING IN LOVE AND SINCE HE KNOWS IT WAS ALL IN HIS HEAD (NO PROOF) HE DESPERATELY WISHES HIS JEALOUS FEELINGS TO BE ALLAYED AND (EAGERLY) LOOKS FOR ANYTHING TO PROVE THESE FEELINGS WRONG. HE DOESN'T CONFRONT HER BECAUSE HE WISHES TO SEE THE (BRIGHTSIDE) OF THINGS SO HE CAN MAINTAIN THEIR RELATIONSHIP - WHAT'S THE ALTERNATIVE FOR SOMEONE THAT IS HOPELESSLY IN LOVE.
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
Cause I'm Mr Brightside
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