(no subject)
I found this while randomly looking for some good Brandon interviews, I think its pretty interesting.
1. Smile Like You Mean It - sets the tone for the emotional environment of the relationship between our narrator and Andy. It's all about denying what's truly there, yet lamenting the loss of innocence as each male character accepts his true desires.
2. Change Your Mind - is the beginning of the connection between the two boys. Mr. Flowers proclaimed the song ''the sweetest''the Killers have done, and it's true. It's the most promising, most hopeful song on the album, and reeks of the possibilities of a new romance. Yet because this romance is between our narrator and Andy, the sweetness of the song is somewhat diluted with suspicion, shame, and guilt. Still, they can?t deny that they've ''both felt like this before.''
3. Somebody Told Me - the story begins to become clearer. The twisted genders of the boyfriends and girlfriends in the chorus become a coded inquiry from our narrator to Andy to see exactly whether or not he's interested. The proverbial ''somebody'' told him that he had a boyfriend, who looked a lot like one of the narrator's old ''girlfriends.'' The narrator has had it with playing games
4. On Top - In the overtly homoerotic "On Top" the two get together. Still, leaving each other with a cigarette and a handshake after their trysts, they can?t acknowledge to other people what?s truly going on.
5. Mr. Brightside - The most significant of those other people is Andy's girlfriend, Jenny. Our narrator's jealousy over Jenny's role in Andy's life permeates the entire album, but is specifically dealt with in "Mr. Brightside," in which the narrator is not possessive of the ''she,'' but rather jealous of her time with the ''he.''It seems that Jenny is an acquaintance of the narrator's; she fuels his jealousy with her presence in both his and Andy's life.
6. Midnight Show - By the Killers' own admittance, a murder occurs on this album. It's Jenny, and the narrator commits the murder. This is all a given. The band, however, does not as explicitly state the gay love theme that drives the murder. It seems not only that the narrator kills Jenny, but also that Andy was there and was involved in the actual process; someone is holding Jenny down, imploring an accomplice to ''drive faster.''
7. Jenny was a Friend of Mine - Post-murder (which takes place outside, in the rain, but doesn't involve drowning-personally, I believe she was strangled), the narrator denies the charges, telling his interrogators that Jenny was a friend of his and he had no motive to commit such a crime. However, if we were to believe that this album depicts a heterosexual relationship, why would our narrator declare Jenny simply a friend?
8. All These Things That I've Done - Guilt sets in after the crime. It seems that the two men cannot stay together. And finally:
9. Everything Will Be Alright - The narrator's attempts (including "All These Things That I've Done") to not only console himself, but also the boy he is losing.
10. Believe Me, Natalie - Which leaves the listener with ''Believe Me, Natalie.How does it fit in? I tried to make this whole theory work with the narrator having a girlfriend as well, but I just don't think it's true. I've come to the conclusion that the Killers are too smart not to have a good old-fashioned red herring on the album. It's sort of in the interest of the narrator's character to detract attention from the secret subplot with a song that doesn't relate to the story, but rather talks about the 1970's disco scene coming to an end. Still, though the song is a red herring, it does invite the listener to explore what's hidden under the Monet, just below the surface.
I'm not sure that I understand this...
1. Smile Like You Mean It - sets the tone for the emotional environment of the relationship between our narrator and Andy. It's all about denying what's truly there, yet lamenting the loss of innocence as each male character accepts his true desires.
2. Change Your Mind - is the beginning of the connection between the two boys. Mr. Flowers proclaimed the song ''the sweetest''the Killers have done, and it's true. It's the most promising, most hopeful song on the album, and reeks of the possibilities of a new romance. Yet because this romance is between our narrator and Andy, the sweetness of the song is somewhat diluted with suspicion, shame, and guilt. Still, they can?t deny that they've ''both felt like this before.''
3. Somebody Told Me - the story begins to become clearer. The twisted genders of the boyfriends and girlfriends in the chorus become a coded inquiry from our narrator to Andy to see exactly whether or not he's interested. The proverbial ''somebody'' told him that he had a boyfriend, who looked a lot like one of the narrator's old ''girlfriends.'' The narrator has had it with playing games
4. On Top - In the overtly homoerotic "On Top" the two get together. Still, leaving each other with a cigarette and a handshake after their trysts, they can?t acknowledge to other people what?s truly going on.
5. Mr. Brightside - The most significant of those other people is Andy's girlfriend, Jenny. Our narrator's jealousy over Jenny's role in Andy's life permeates the entire album, but is specifically dealt with in "Mr. Brightside," in which the narrator is not possessive of the ''she,'' but rather jealous of her time with the ''he.''It seems that Jenny is an acquaintance of the narrator's; she fuels his jealousy with her presence in both his and Andy's life.
6. Midnight Show - By the Killers' own admittance, a murder occurs on this album. It's Jenny, and the narrator commits the murder. This is all a given. The band, however, does not as explicitly state the gay love theme that drives the murder. It seems not only that the narrator kills Jenny, but also that Andy was there and was involved in the actual process; someone is holding Jenny down, imploring an accomplice to ''drive faster.''
7. Jenny was a Friend of Mine - Post-murder (which takes place outside, in the rain, but doesn't involve drowning-personally, I believe she was strangled), the narrator denies the charges, telling his interrogators that Jenny was a friend of his and he had no motive to commit such a crime. However, if we were to believe that this album depicts a heterosexual relationship, why would our narrator declare Jenny simply a friend?
8. All These Things That I've Done - Guilt sets in after the crime. It seems that the two men cannot stay together. And finally:
9. Everything Will Be Alright - The narrator's attempts (including "All These Things That I've Done") to not only console himself, but also the boy he is losing.
10. Believe Me, Natalie - Which leaves the listener with ''Believe Me, Natalie.How does it fit in? I tried to make this whole theory work with the narrator having a girlfriend as well, but I just don't think it's true. I've come to the conclusion that the Killers are too smart not to have a good old-fashioned red herring on the album. It's sort of in the interest of the narrator's character to detract attention from the secret subplot with a song that doesn't relate to the story, but rather talks about the 1970's disco scene coming to an end. Still, though the song is a red herring, it does invite the listener to explore what's hidden under the Monet, just below the surface.
I'm not sure that I understand this...