There ain't no motive for this crime...
Hot Fuss is the debut album by American rock band The Killers. It was released in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2004, and in the United States on June 15, 2004.
The album was a worldwide success, reaching #1 in the UK, Ireland and Australia. It also generated the band's Signature Song, "Mr. Brightside", which has developed a somewhat mythical reputation for its pop-culture longevity in the UK, where it has remained on the Official Singles Chart for over 330 weeks and counting.
Tracklist:
- "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" (4:04)
- "Mr. Brightside" (3:43)
- "Smile Like You Mean It" (3:54)
- "Somebody Told Me" (3:17)
- "All These Things That I've Done" (5:01)
- "Andy, You're a Star" (3:14)
- "On Top" (4:18)
- "Change Your Mind" (3:11)
- "Believe Me Natalie" (5:05)
- "Midnight Show" (4:02)
- "Everything Will Be Alright" (5:45)
- "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" (4:14)note
Trope Like You Mean It:
- Anti-Love Song: A running theme through the album: A lot of songs here deal with the emotional turmoil that comes with romantic jealousy.
- Audience Participation Song: Live performances of "Mr. Brightside" always turn "It was only a kiss, It was only a kiss!" into a call and response section.
- Concept Album: At least two songs on the album, "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" and "Midnight Show", are officially linked together as describing the murder of a woman by her jealous lover. That has encouraged fans to try and link the rest of the album to that theme as well.
- Early Instalment Weirdness:
- This album takes heavy influence from British post-punk and indie rock, which is likely part of the reason the band blew up in the UK. Though not as drastic of a turn as some other bands' early sound switches, The Killers did take a more Americana-inspired turn later on.
- Brandon Flowers' voice is heavily filtered on this record (specifically using Echo Farm
) to give it a vintage and distant sound. Just about all future projects use his natural voice.
- Gayngst: By far the most common interpretation of "Andy, You're a Star" is that it's about this.
- Production Foreshadowing:
- "Somebody Told Me" is an early example of the synth-driven Arena Rock of Day & Age.
- With hindsight, the album ending with "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" is a hint that the band wants to move beyond that sound.
- Rock-Star Song: "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll", written in response to frustration with being saddled with a limiting "indie rock" label.
