100 Greatest Songs of the 00’s #50 The Killers – Somebody Told Me

Released: 2004

In the years since The Killers’ debut album Hot Fuss was released so many people have adopted extreme positions on it’s merits that sensible conversation on the topic is impossible; in these hands it’s either a peerless devotional to 90’s indie rock or wedding reception dancefloor kryptonite.

Of course Brandon Flowers and co. were always unlikely to escape their backstory, particularly their origins in and around Las Vegas and especially their peculiar long distance love affair with British music. American bands we knew just didn’t want to sound like ones from over the pond – since ancient times, (Or the day The Beatles folded) these had just been the rules.

Without wanting to go anywhere near whatever Hot Fuss is or isn’t, however sincere the facsimile was intended to be, when The Killers hit a seam they were as good as many of the bands they were trying not get caught imitating. Mr.Brightside has long been the victim of it’s overplayed success, but Somebody Told Me’s zonking, desperate synths and breathless chorus couldn’t be denied, the U2-meets-Duran-Duran aesthetic making it possibly (probably) one of the first landmark tracks of the century. Nobody likes a copycat, but like all the best forgeries, you couldn’t this one apart from the original.