The Killers awarded two Guinness World Record titles for 'Mr Brightside'

The Killers have achieved a Guinness World Record for their music.

Writer: Scott ColothanPosted 8 hours ago

The Killers, a band hailing from Las Vegas, have been given two Guinness World Record titles for their hit song 'Mr Brightside' from 2003.

In preparation for their upcoming show at The O2 in London, The Killers received two awards from Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford. Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. were recognized for their achievements.

Mr Brightside has achieved a new Guinness World Record for spending the most weeks on the UK singles chart with one song. As of July 4th, 2024, the song has been in the Top 100 for a remarkable 416 weeks.

The group stayed on the UK singles chart for an astonishing 416 weeks, earning them their second Guinness World Record.

The Killers were given a Guinness World Record

Overall, the song 'Mr Brightside' has spent nearly eight years in the Top 100 charts over a span of 60 different chart appearances since it was first released 20 years ago.

Thinking about why "Mr. Brightside" still resonates with fans, Brandon Flowers backstage at The O2 remarked, "It's still catchy for us. I understand that some people may not understand why, but you can see the reaction when we perform it live."

It's hard not to feel emotional or enthusiastic about it and there will be some individuals at the event who are experiencing it for the first time, while others may have seen it repeatedly, up to 45 times.

"And we simply can't tire of it."

Guinness World Records judge Will Munford stated that "Mr Brightside" has been a popular song in clubs and a favorite for karaoke nights since the mid-2000s.

I was very proud to award The Killers with two Guinness World Records for their song. This shows how the song continues to be cherished by people of all ages and remains a timeless classic.

The song 'Mr Brightside' was initially put out in 2003 and then put out again in 2004. It was the first single off the band's first album, Hot Fuss, and reached its highest position at No.10 on June 5, 2004. Surprisingly, it only stayed in the Top 20 for one week - its first week in 2004 - and seven weeks in the Top 40.

In May 2024, the Official Charts Company announced that it had become the top-selling single in the UK without ever reaching the number one spot. It had a total of 5.57 million units, including 1.066 million sales and 530.34 million streams.

During The Killers’ third performance at The O2 in London on Wednesday night, the band started playing ‘Mr Brightside’ just as England won their semi-final match against The Netherlands in Euros 2024.

23 Bands Named After Movies

Formerly known as Earth and then The Polka Tulk Blues Band, the band Black Sabbath chose their name based on their song 'Black Sabbath', which was inspired by the 1963 horror movie of the same name starring the iconic Boris Karloff.

A promotional image for the 1963 film "Black Sabbath" featuring Boris Karloff.

The band Them, from Northern Ireland, became famous for their classic song 'Gloria', which helped launch Van Morrison's music career. They chose to name themselves after the 1954 sci-fi movie called Them!

Check out the promotional image for the classic 1954 scary movie Them!

Back in 1985, a 20-year-old Rob Zombie, also known as Robert Cummings, decided to call his band White Zombie after the 1932 horror film of the same name featuring Bela Lugosi. This classic movie is often credited as the first full-length zombie film, and it played a big role in shaping Cummings' stage persona.

Bela Lugosi and an undead creature in the film White Zombie from 1932.

Once Las Vegas metal band members watched the martial arts movie Kill Bill: Volume 2 by Quentin Tarantino in 2004, they thought about naming their band Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique after a deadly move used by one of the characters. However, drummer Jeremy Spencer felt that name wasn't cool enough. So, they decided to go with Five Finger Death Punch instead.

In the movie Kill Bill 2, Uma Thurman played the character of Beatrix Kiddo, also known as The Bride, and Gordon Liu portrayed the role of Pai Mei.

Iron Maiden's bass player and creator, Steve Harris, chose the band's name after seeing the iron maiden torture device in the 1939 film The Man in the Iron Mask.

A single frame from the 1939 film titled The Man in the Iron Mask.

The French heavy metal band gets their name from Gojira, the original Japanese title for Godzilla. The 1954 Japanese monster movie directed by Ishirō Honda is considered a classic in the world of film.

An advertisement for the 1954 film Gojira, also known as Godzilla.

Many people say that the well-known Irish shoegaze band got their name from the 1981 Canadian horror movie My Bloody Valentine. But according to MBV's singer and guitarist Kevin Shields, they didn't realize they had the same name as the movie until a few years after they started the band. Shields described the film as "really bad and awful."

A scene from the 1981 scary movie My Bloody Valentine.

Glenn Danzig chose to name his very important horror punk band after the last film of Marilyn Monroe, which was released in 1961 and called The Misfits.

Marilyn Monroe was featured in the 1961 film The Misfits.

The band Godspeed You! Black Emperor from Canada takes its name from the 1976 Japanese documentary God Speed You! Black Emperor, directed by Mitsuo Yanagimachi. The movie showcases a gang of bikers known as the Black Emperors.

God Speed You! Black Emperor made its debut in 1976 as a movie.

The band Merseybeat was inspired by the classic Western movie The Searchers, featuring John Wayne and directed by John Ford.

John Wayne's performance in the 1956 film The Searchers.

The band Mogwai from Scotland took their name from the adorable creatures featured in the popular 1984 film Gremlins. These creatures transform into terrifying gremlins if they are fed after midnight.

The adorable main Mogwai named Gizmo in the movie Gremlins.

The initial act of a series honoring Russ Meyer films, influential Seattle grunge band Mudhoney chose their name from Meyer's movie Mudhoney released in 1965.

A snapshot from the film Mudhoney, directed by Russ Meyer in 1965.

Back in 1985, before Mudhoney even existed, a group of hard rockers from Los Angeles chose their name after the Russ Meyer film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! The movie is about three go-go dancers who go on a crime spree involving kidnapping and murder in the California desert.

A snapshot from the 1965 film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! by Russ Meyer.

After seeing bands like Mudhoney and Faster Pussycat derive their names from Russ Meyer movies, the Norwegian psychedelic rock band Motorpsycho decided to pay tribute to Meyer's intense 1965 film Motorpsycho by adopting it as their own moniker.

A snapshot from Russ Meyer's film from 1965 titled Motorpsycho

The rock band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club from San Francisco took their name from the motorcycle gang in the movie The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando.

Marlon Brando and his motorcycle gang in the movie The Wild One (1953)

The metalcore band from America took their name from Atreyu, the character found in Michael Ende's fantasy novel The NeverEnding Story and its film version released in 1984.

In the movie The NeverEnding Story, there is a character named Atreyu.

Even though they weren't specifically inspired by a film or character, Bring Me The Horizon got their notable name from a quote by Captain Jack Sparrow in the 2003 movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. In the film, actor Johnny Depp, portraying Sparrow, utters the line: "Now, bring me that horizon!"

Johnny Depp played the character Captain Jack Sparrow in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

The band name Billy Talent was chosen by the Canadian rock group, drawing inspiration from the character Billy Talent portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie in the mockumentary Hard Core Logo from 1996.

Callum Keith Rennie, known for his role as Billy Talent in the movie Hard Core Logo, was a standout performer in the film.

Brooklyn alternative rock band They Might Be Giants took their name from the 1971 funny mystery movie with George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward.

The advertisement for the film They Might Be Giants from 1971.

Eppu Normaali, a beloved rock band from Finland, got its name from the Finnish version of "Abby Normal" in the movie Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks.

In the classic comedy horror film Young Frankenstein from 1974, the character Igor admits that he borrowed the brain for the monster from a person named "Abby Normal."

Even though the members of the gothic rock band have not officially stated whether it is true or not, there are rumors circulating that guitarist Brian James decided to call the band The Damned after watching the 1969 historical drama film of the same name.

A snapshot from the film The Damned, released in 1969.

The band from Birmingham, known for their popular songs 'She Drives Me Crazy' and 'Suspicious Minds', took their name from the movie All the Fine Young Cannibals released in 1960 featuring Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood.

Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood starred in the film All the Fine Young Cannibals in 1960.

Yes, it's true that they're not classified as rock music, even though they were recently inducted into the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Duran Duran's name actually comes from Dr. Durand Durand, a character played by Irish actor Milo O'Shea in the 1968 sci-fi film Barbarella.

The character of Dr. Durand Durand is featured in the film Barbarella from 1968.

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