Mr Brightside - The hit that just won't die

[Baxlin]

On 01/04/2021 at 19:43, uk_lefty said:

Yay! A chart where I have heard of 4 out of 5 of the songs. Oh, I don't like any of them and am very unlikely to like the other. Oh well. 

Oh dear.  I've only heard of two of them, and could only hum/sing one, which unfortunately is that awful dirge ‘My Way’.

(But then I was born in the first half of the last century)

[SteveXFR]

On 01/04/2021 at 18:46, Nail Soup said:

 

 

That's a list of bland average news. Nothing but elevator music. 

The only one of them that has really contributed to the future of music was Sinatra and that was accidental. He used his mafia connections to get all rock gigs shut down in Palm Springs so the bands started having generator party's in the desert and Stoner Metal was born thanks to Frank. 

The other bands are just music for people who aren't interested in music. The peak of mediocrity.

[funkydoug]

6 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

The other bands are just music for people who aren't interested in music. The peak of mediocrity.

May sound like that now but the Killers track (which is way out ahead in this list) was energetic, edgy and anthemic when it came out, for a certain demographic. Not muso stuff, but neither were [insert your iconic band of choice].

 

 

[peteb]

31 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

That's a list of bland average news. Nothing but elevator music. 

The only one of them that has really contributed to the future of music was Sinatra and that was accidental. He used his mafia connections to get all rock gigs shut down in Palm Springs so the bands started having generator party's in the desert and Stoner Metal was born thanks to Frank. 

The other bands are just music for people who aren't interested in music. The peak of mediocrity.

Sorry, but that’s complete b0110cks, just 1980s NME-esque pop music snobbery that dismisses anything that has sold more them 100,000 copies as ‘elevator music’. Mr Brightside is a half-decent pop rock anthem that people who love music (but don’t obsess about it) can sing along to.

There are so many urban legends about Sinatra that it’s hard to keep track. Who knows, some of them might even be true, but it is unlikely to be this one!

[ahpook]

It's a great song with a really nice bit of bass playing to go along with it.

I've played it a few times live and its gone down great, really good to see - I'm not really surprised it's spent so long in the charts

Edited April 2, 2021 by ahpook

[Doctor J]

It's a really catchy song and the drumming is superb. I can think of a lot worse.

[Baxlin]

Well, to complete my education, I’ve just watched/listened to Mr Brightside on YouTube, and tbh, I can’t see the attraction. But as ever, see my sig below.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Baxlin

[Leonard Smalls]

I've long since come to terms with the fact that What The People Want is very different from What I Like!

Still, each to their own, vive la difference, der Teufel scheißt auf einen Haufen etc

[MartinB]

The rest of that top ten:

6. THINKING OUT LOUD - ED SHEERAN

7. CHANDELIER - SIA

8. SOMEONE YOU LOVED - LEWIS CAPALDI

9. I GOTTA FEELING - BLACK EYED PEAS

10. RADIOACTIVE - IMAGINE DRAGONS

https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-killers-mr-brightside-claims-record-breaking-260th-week-exactly-five-years-on-the-official-singles-chart-top-100__32800/

[Woodinblack]

Funny, I knew the top 5, but don't know any of the bottom 5.

[peteb]

2 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Funny, I knew the top 5, but don't know any of the bottom 5.

I knew four out of the top five, but only one out of the bottom five. 

[Muzz]

With tsunami of music on various platforms over the last 20 years, it's physically impossible to know every top song in any genre, really...it all depends on how much new music you expose yourself to...or are inadvertently exposed to - three of those next ten I know because we've covered them, or my now-sixteen-year-old son has played to me (the Imagine Dragons one, for example).

The best gig I've been to in the last decade was by a band I hadn't heard of three months previous to that, and only picked it up on social media from a friend...The Hu.

[SteveXFR]

15 hours ago, peteb said:

Sorry, but that’s complete b0110cks, just 1980s NME-esque pop music snobbery that dismisses anything that has sold more them 100,000 copies as ‘elevator music’. Mr Brightside is a half-decent pop rock anthem that people who love music (but don’t obsess about it) can sing along to.

There are so many urban legends about Sinatra that it’s hard to keep track. Who knows, some of them might even be true, but it is unlikely to be this one!

I find Mr Brightside to be extremely average. There's absolutely nothing original or interesting about it. Not as bad as Ed Sheeran though. Just radio friendly unit shifting music written for maximum sales.

That particular Sinatra legend came from a few different stoner metal pioneers (Nick Oliveri, Josh Homme,  Mario Lalli and Pepper Keenan) and its fairly well documented that the police shut down all metal shows in Palm Springs  plus Sinatra was there at that time plus he hated metal. 

[Chezz55]

On 01/04/2021 at 19:43, uk_lefty said:

Yay! A chart where I have heard of 4 out of 5 of the songs. Oh, I don't like any of them and am very unlikely to like the other. Oh well. 

Yep - me too.

[Chezz55]

6 hours ago, MartinB said:

The rest of that top ten:

6. THINKING OUT LOUD - ED SHEERAN

7. CHANDELIER - SIA

8. SOMEONE YOU LOVED - LEWIS CAPALDI

9. I GOTTA FEELING - BLACK EYED PEAS

10. RADIOACTIVE - IMAGINE DRAGONS

https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-killers-mr-brightside-claims-record-breaking-260th-week-exactly-five-years-on-the-official-singles-chart-top-100__32800/

I recognise one of the songs above (and it's not my cup of Ovaltine), and I've heard of three of the above performers.  A clear benefit of being of a certain age, and having my wireless tuned permanently to Radio Caroline. 

 

[DawnPatroller]

4 hours ago, Muzz said:

 

The best gig I've been to in the last decade was by a band I hadn't heard of three months previous to that, and only picked it up on social media from a friend...The Hu.

The Hu are gaining TRACTION. Clearly though, I need to get with the program because I cannot see what the fuss is all about.

As for Mr Brightside - there's not many songs that make me want to shoot myself in the head when I hear them (actually, that's not even true - there's lots). Pre-lockdown I too was subject to hearing the same old same old set list every time I went to work on a Saturday night and ohhhhh I don't miss it.

[Nail Soup]

29 minutes ago, MHMSWC#03 said:

The Hu are gaining TRACTION. Clearly though, I need to get with the program because I cannot see what the fuss is all about.

As for Mr Brightside - there's not many songs that make me want to shoot myself in the head when I hear them (actually, that's not even true - there's lots). Pre-lockdown I too was subject to hearing the same old same old set list every time I went to work on a Saturday night and ohhhhh I don't miss it.

Was that working in a pub which has covers bands?

Mr Brightside looks to be here for a while I’m afraid

Edited April 3, 2021 by Nail Soup

[DawnPatroller]

8 minutes ago, Nail Soup said:

Was that working in a pub which has covers bands?

Mr Brightside looks to be here for a while I’m afraid

No, I do fun casino events at weddings and parties and there's always a hired band too.

I know Mr Brightside isn't going anywhere soon. And as a bonus, I've had it in my head since I made my post half an hour ago so that's great as well 😂

 

[peteb]

4 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

I find Mr Brightside to be extremely average. There's absolutely nothing original or interesting about it. Not as bad as Ed Sheeran though. Just radio friendly unit shifting music written for maximum sales.

That particular Sinatra legend came from a few different stoner metal pioneers (Nick Oliveri, Josh Homme,  Mario Lalli and Pepper Keenan) and its fairly well documented that the police shut down all metal shows in Palm Springs  plus Sinatra was there at that time plus he hated metal. 

Mr Brightside is a really good anthemic pop rock tune that has engaged many punters. Whether it is to your taste is neither here nor there, but you should be able to appreciate it for what it is. In a world of formulaic manufactured pop cr*p that has dominated the charts for the past 20 plus years, I actually find it quite encouraging that a genuine rock song heads that list.

I think that is well known that Sinatra wasn’t a big fan of rock and roll in general, but to be honest I doubt that he would have been too bothered about heavy metal in particular. It is likely that HM wasn’t considered to be really the kind of entertainment that would appeal for the general clientele in Palm Springs, although times are starting to change as the old Vegas clientele die off and the late boomers rock and roll generation get older and start seeing big stage classic rock events in Vegas hotels as more appealing!

[Vin Venal]

Whether Sinatra had a hand in it directly or not, I dunno, but its definitely true that Palm Springs was a super Conservative, boring place to grow up for a generation of suburban punk kids in the 80s, with all the clubs and bars catering to that middle aged, middle class, golf and cadillacs demographic which Sinatra kind of epitomises.

As often happens, that oppressive environment fostered a really cool, self contained, alternative, DIY scene, and without venues, it was based around generator parties where kids would get high, skate, and listen to music in the desert.

And that birthed stoner rock.

[Muzz]

I can't be doing with anything by Jaco Pastorius, does that mean he wasn't a hugely talented and influential bassist? Nope, it just means I don't like his stuff, and that's on me, not the facts...the 'I don't like it therefore it's rubbish' mindset is just that, a personal mindset, and nothing to do with how good a particular piece of music is in terms of what it was trying to achieve.

[Muzz]

On 03/04/2021 at 18:15, MHMSWC#03 said:

The Hu are gaining TRACTION. Clearly though, I need to get with the program because I cannot see what the fuss is all about.

You need to see them live - I liked their stuff (and that video for Yuve Yuve Yu is worth watching just for the landscapes) beforehand, but live they were extraordinary - that throat-singing at a zillion db through a huge PA, literally shaking the room? It's life-changing...and if there was ever a language made for metal, it's Mongolian...I didn't understand a word all night*, but that didn't matter... 😀

 

* The main fella only spoke two phrases of English** which were 'Thank you, Manchester' and 'Next song is'...

** Still two more than my Mongolian...

Edited April 5, 2021 by Muzz

[DawnPatroller]

24 minutes ago, Muzz said:

...and if there was ever a language made for metal, it's Mongolian...

😮

You talking up a big game there, friend 😁

I've got a mate keeps posting their vids on my FB, she's nuts about them. But shan't argue with you about the landscapes in their videos.

[Muzz]

Oh, come on - you could order a latte in Mongolian and it'd sound like a declaration of war; stand in front of a metal band and drop it two octaves, it's nothing short of epic... 😀

[ubit]

On 01/04/2021 at 19:48, Reggaebass said:

Wow, it’s streamed 1.2 million times a week ,  I had to google it and still don’t know it😁

It's a great song. We used to cover it and it always went down a storm. I can't believe it's that old. Now I feel old!😧