From a coffee shop in Las Vegas to the top of history’s greatest mountain:
Mr. Brightside is the Bangers IV champion.
“Mr. Brightside” 29, “All The Small Things” 27
Instagram: 24–19
Google Form: 5–8
I knew you people didn’t like Cascada *that* much.
There’s an implication here that Mr. Brightside is the greatest banger released between 1990 and 2014, and it’s hard to argue with that implication. We have the votes to prove it. Personally? I disagreed, but I am but one voter in these brackets. One humble voter among 56 of us contributing our opinions to the community. That’s the beauty of democracy, folks.
Mr. Brightside’s greatness begins with its opening notes, the kind of electric guitar work that sends a crowd into a downright tizzy. It continues when The Killers make the decision to forgo custom and simply repeat the first verse back again rather than say anything new after the initial chorus. When you think about it, this is a confident move. It’s like a football team running the same play until the defense shows it can stop it. No new friends, no new play calls, no new verses. We’re sticking with what works.
I think this audacity is part of what pisses off the haters, like Mr. Darkside. The Misters Darkside of the world can’t handle a band willing to bet on itself and throw its best pitch. It scares them. If Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning were willing to do this with their debut single, in what other ways might they push convention? Perhaps Mr. Darkside is merely an institutionalist, scared of these up-and-comers who are now 40-year-old dads. (For me, I think my sense of distance from Mr. Brightside comes from the fact that I think The Killers are the greatest band of all time and I also think Mr. Brightside isn’t a top-five song of theirs, even if it’s admittedly a top-one banger.)
So, congratulations to Mr. Brightside, and to all the voters who kept the faith through these last two years of Bangers Bracket civil war. I’m happy for you, and I’m happy for The Killers, and the next time someone asks, walking out of a wedding reception, whether Mr. Brightside is the greatest banger of all time, I will confidently tell them the answer.
“Yes.”
