It’s probably safe to say that The Killers have been doing just fine since Hot Fuss was released.
The Las Vegas band’s debut album dropped June 7, 2004 — 20 years ago Friday. Hot Fuss has been certified six-times Platinum by the RIAA and spawned The Killers’ signature song, “Mr. Brightside.”
Among the defining alternative rock singles of the 2000s, “Mr. Brightside” introduced the world to The Killers’ ’80s-referencing sound as frontman Brandon Flowers expresses his — sing it with us — “jealousy” over another man hooking up with the girl he loves.
“It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?” Flowers famously protests.
“Mr. Brightside” hit #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, which remains their peak on the chart, and is now certified Diamond by the RIAA. The song is especially beloved in the U.K.: in May, the Official Charts Company announced that “Mr. Brightside” had become the country’s biggest single to never hit #1, a distinction previously held by Oasis‘ “Wonderwall.”
Along with “Mr. Brightside,” Hot Fuss includes the singles “Somebody Told Me,” “All Theses Things That I’ve Done” and “Smile Like You Mean It.”
The Killers will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hot Fuss by playing a surprise concert at New York City’s intimate Bowery Ballroom club on Friday. Tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.
The anniversary festivities continue with a 10-show Las Vegas residency, kicking off in August.
The Killers’ most recent album, their seventh, is 2021’s Pressure Machine. They put out a new greatest hits compilation, Rebel Diamonds, in December.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.