This song is about growing up and moving on from the past, trying to make yourself a better person. It was written by lead singer Brandon Flowers when he was working as a bellman at the Gold Coast casino in Las Vegas. Since this was before cellphones, he would call his friends from work and leave song ideas on their answering machines if inspiration struck.
Like their hit "Mr. Brightside," this song has two videos. The first version has The Killers singing while walking down a London street. The second version was directed by Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn, and features a surreal, dreamlike sequence where The Killers, dressed as cowboys, are attacked by scantily clad female warriors armed with boomerangs (possibly inspired by the Russ Meyer film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!).
The Killers often play this as the closer for their concerts, and the lyrics, "I got soul but I'm not a soldier" have become a sing-along moment. Lead singer Brandon Flowers told Rolling Stone about the line in 2009: "I can specifically remember being in Ronnie Vannucci's garage when I wrote it that. I don't know why I wrote it, but I know I'd been listening to a lot of U2's Joshua Tree and All That You Can't Leave Behind. Some people act like that line is nonsense, and I just don't understand that. If you listen to the song, it makes perfect sense. Our fans get it."
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.