What does Mr Brightside mean?

The Killers: Mr Brightside Meaning

Album cover for Mr Brightside album cover

Song Released: 2003


Get "Mr Brightside" on MP3: Get MP3 from iTunes

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. senseiandshino
    click a star to vote
    May 22nd 2009 !⃝

    He's shy and he's met someone who's helping him overcome it. She's become very important to him not necessarily in a romantic way. He's possesive so when she meets this guy visions of them together haunt him. He's very jealous changing his nice guy personality. The "sick lullabyes" are all the things that used to calm him that are no longer working. "Choking on your allibis" refers to himself as he keeps telling himself and her he's fine with this new relationship. "Let me Go" He wants to be released of this intense jealousy. He's becoming obsessed. But he knows it's his own fault for not telling her. He is destined to be the nice guy, the friend, "mr.brightside." "Open up my eager eyes" he wants to see either this relationship come to an end or somehow find some "bright side" to his perdiciment.

  2. HowCouldYou
    click a star to vote
    Apr 15th 2009 !⃝

    Yesterday, I thought the song was about a tragedy, such as,

    A boy thinks that if he gets his older brother or macho buddy to buy some alcohol for him
    or if he helps his underage female friend get into a bar or a drinking or drug party
    that he might be able to get her to like him more because he is attracted to her for her mind and ideas,
    somehow the idea, plan, scheme backfires and he gets impaired drinking or doing more drugs than he can handle and
    through a window or while in the same or adjoining rooms he watches another guy she just met take 'advantage' her
    He watches every move, curious and raging with hormones as all young teens, trying to learn, eager to learn, and
    because he does not believe that anything bad will take place from a kiss and some flirting he can not believe that they begin to undress after some time the two have done something, completed something that the boy did not want to have happen,
    pleasure first then shame and guilt result, It was her first time and she wanted it to be special with a special guy
    and now its over and he caused it and he can't take it back, it was his own fault for asking that other guy for a favor,
    he should have confided in her and just told her how he felt about her, told her, showed her,
    but he couldn't because he was trying to be the good guy she could depend on to watch her back, respect her, and
    protect her like in the movies, male superheroes that protect the damsel but without physical pleasure,
    I never meant for that to happen, I never forgot you, I never thought about love the same, I will never tell what and who I saw

    but there may be more to the song. A type of growth or learning process having to do with the coming of age, becoming an adult
    and being a responsible person, the ramifications of using poor judgement and the effects drugs can have on our lives, Also
    a unique type of 'once in a lifetime' connection with that other person that he shares that they share and will be changed by for the rest of their lives.

    the videos are for show, but there is a consistant thread, they are on the stage to be watched, as we all are, bye for now

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 25th 2009 !⃝

    I heard that this song was about homosexual feelings towards a man.

    Coming out of my cage, and I've been doing just fine - coming out of his denail.

    And all the stuff about she's touching his chest, he takes off her dress...was all apparently jealousy as he wanted the guy.

    I still think its about the girl, but that was the theory that I first heard.

  4. kolocow
    click a star to vote
    Mar 19th 2009 !⃝

    Mr Brightside is about sexual jealosy. The key is the 'i'm mr brightside'. The man is vainly talking to himself,putting on a brave face, whilst at the same time imagining what is happenning to his girl, with his thoughts being interupted and confused.

    The cage is a reference to his own sick state which he seeks to control but again is interupted. Choking on alibis and the price I pay, is self pity through rationality. 'I never' as the song plays out is a confused denial, but you know its a never ending state. Perhaps he has cuckold fantasies.

  5. anonymous
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    Mar 14th 2009 !⃝

    I agree with the interpretation that it's just his insecurity/jealousy getting the best of him. Notice how he starts explaining the scenario after the line "now I'm falling asleep"? He's paranoid that his girlfriend is unfaithful. If you read through the entire song, you see he takes breaks to say things like he knows "it's all in his head" and "jealousy is taking control".

  6. carrie
    click a star to vote
    Mar 11th 2009 !⃝

    i think this song is about a man who has cheated on his girl. when she finds out she is so hurt so just cheats on him back.HE FINDS OUT. the words [how did it end up like this it was only a kiss] is him regreting his mistakes.[coming out of my cage and im doing just fine] is the act that he is putting on to the world, hes playing the victime when he knows it was his unfaithful kiss that started the mess he finds himself in.

  7. anonymous
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    Mar 6th 2009 !⃝

    Call me crazy, but I picture the singer as a roommate of a young married couple, and he's commenting on what they do. All the while, he wishes he could have such a relationship with another. Consider the first line, "coming out of my cage." He could've had a break-up and is getting ready to find another. He could be saying that he's ready for a new relationship and hopes that it will work out better than previous attempts (ergo, being Mr. Brightside, an optimist.) Just trying to be an optimist myself, thinking it could be a positive song...

  8. anonymous
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    Mar 4th 2009 !⃝

    I see this song as a moment that every man goes through when one of his mates tells him that hes just seen his ex with another guy.
    From that moment your head just thinks up all these thoughts of what she is doing with him.

    Coming out of my cage, is coming out of the heartbreak of the relationship, meaning that he is starting to move on and get over her. But then he finds out shes been seen with someone else.

    Hes jumping to conclusions and telling his friends that hes thinking the worst of her being intimate and having sex with this man, his pessimism makes his friends say in sarcastic voice ''well your mr brightside aren't you''.

    In a quite a few killers songs you get the feeling that brandon was a very pessimistic person and heard him say in early interviews that he was worried that people wouldn't like sam's town, he is seen as arrogant now by critics which could be just him trying not to be so pessimistic!!

  9. anonymous
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    Feb 27th 2009 !⃝

    I think that the first stanza of the song has a close relation with the five stages of dieing. "coming out of my cage" refers to actually trying to meet someone.

    "doing just fine" is the singer going through denial that he isn't cut out for being someone's love.

    "gotta be down" is grief, sadness, depression, etc.

    "want it all" is bargaining, after which comes acceptance (the chorus)

    "it started out with a kiss" begins the entire story, explaining that all his problems started out with him falling in love with a girl he barely knows.

    "how did it end up like this" is also rather literal, the singer is trying to figure out how his life has gone to shambles.

    "it was only a kiss" is realizing that it wasn't anything huge, just a kiss.

    the rest of the song is pretty much self-explanitory, except for the chorus.

    "Jealousy, turning saints into the sea" doesn't mean that he's becoming no longer good, but I think it means he is becoming bitter (I think that a better analogy could be made if this is the case, but it fits)

    "swimming through sick lullabies" things that he's told to put him at ease, but really are only making him worse.

    "choking on your alibis" litterally choking on the other person's alibis -- a variation of choking on one's words, only specifying it as an alibis.

    "just the price I pay" the price of not having learned when he was younger

    "Destiny is calling me" well, if your being ultra-literal, he could be receiving a phone call from a girl named Destiny, possibly to reveal something situational related, or he could start realizing he isn't meant for her and she isn't meant for him.

    "open up my eager eyes" revelation of the above fact.

    "'cuz I'm mister brightside" the final stage of death is acceptance. He's looking on the bright side of things, and accepting.

  10. lovingkillers
    click a star to vote
    Feb 12th 2009 !⃝

    Brandon's nickname was or is Mr. Brightside. He woke up one night, with a funny feeling, and went to a bar where he found his girlfriend with another man. This is a true story I read in an interview he gave.

  11. anonymous
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    Feb 9th 2009 !⃝

    What this song is really about it a girl cheating
    Brandon wrote this song after his girlfriend cheated on him

  12. anonymous
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    Jan 21st 2009 !⃝

    This song is about a guy who falls in love with a prostitute,
    all he can do is watch as she makes moves on other man.
    but he cant bare the thought.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 18th 2009 !⃝

    Based on the lyrics but ALSO taking the music video into account as well, I think the song is about a man in love with a prostitute. (in the music video they appear to be in some sort of brothel or whorehouse) But he can't take it because she is always "working" with other guys. in the music video he has to watch her cuddle up with several guys.

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 17th 2009 !⃝

    The guy has a crush on this girl, but shes a slut who sleeps around or flirts with others. However, hes is so retardedly optimistic and in such deep denial he still likes her, but can never have her.

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 17th 2009 !⃝

    In my opinion 'Mr. Brightside' isn't at all about him being all optimistic and positive, but completely on the contrary. When I hear of 'Mr. Brightside' I immediately think sarcasm. When someone calls them self "Mr. Brightside" or like "Mr. Sunshine", they're saying it sarcastically, as in they're everything BUT happy/optimistic. The tile of the song is ironic. The guy is totally insecure, pessimistic, and full of doubt.

    example:
    -"so how are you today?"
    -"oh I'm just peachy! my car broke down, I lost my job, my dog died. yeah, I'm just another happy-go-lucky son of a bi*ch enjoying this wonderful freaking life. I wonder what other crap is just going to happen tomorrow; maybe a car will hit me and I can finally be free. Yup, that's me, 'Mr. Brightside', always thinking in the positive."

    The song is about a guy who's falling in love, but is sort of a creep who's all clingy and stalkerishy. He "falling asleep", but he can't help but think that his girlfriend is going to sneak off the second he's does and meets up with some other guy and cheats on him. Then he starts to imagine her and this other guy fooling around; "But she’s touching his—chest." All this insecurity is building up in him and is "killing" him and the jealousy is "taking control." He knows "it’s all in my head" but he can't help it and its making his stomach "sick." "Jealousy, turning
    saints into the sea," this is him saying how his envy is so strong is whole world is turning upside down (because saints are in the sky, but now they're in the "sea"). However, even though he feels jealous and insecure, he bottles it up and puts on a happy face for everyone(him being in denial); and thus making people see him as "Mr. Brightside".

    Bottom line, basically the song is describing his inner demons/insecurities/jealousy/envy. Then he says "But it’s just the price I pay" as in feeling like crap on the INSIDE is the price he pays for acting all smily and happy on the OUTSIDE. "Destiny is calling me Open up my eager eyes" "‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside" this part here is trying to say his inner conscience (destiny) is trying to tell him to open up his eyes, which are always too eager and willing to see the bad in life rather the good, because he's "Mr. Brightside" (which we now know is sarcastic and really means 'mr. negative')----> translation:

    -Destiny/little angle that sits on your shoulder/conscience: "hey mr. negative who's always insecure about everything, Open up your freaking eyes that are always too eager to see bad stuff and see that she's not cheating on you!!!"

    *another clear evidence of this is their music video. now does he really look like he's all happy and positive -______- C'mon people open up your superficial ignorant minds and see the song for more that what it may seem like on the surface; dig deeper into the meaning!! >:[*




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