The Killers’ Best Songs, Ranked

(Part One: Songs 50-26. For Part Two, click here)

This week, The Killers are releasing Rebel Diamonds, a greatest hits collection (their second to date) intended to commemorate twenty years of the band. As a devout (albeit sometimes closeted) fan of the band, I have to say Rebel Diamonds does a pretty damn good job at capturing the band’s best and biggest songs. Still, with maybe the exception of Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits, no “Best Of” album is perfect. What’s more, Rebel Diamonds couldn’t possibly cover the incredible and occasionally tumultuous history of the band through its first twenty years, a period that’s seen them rise from the ranks of critically maligned early-2000s Strokes and Interpol imposters, weather indefinite hiatuses and live lineup changes, release their best and boldest material in the 2020s, and somehow seem poised to enter their next twenty years as one of the most steady and dependent arena rock bands left standing. And so, as someone who has been mentally working on this list since about 2009, I feel it is my duty to detail the band’s best work. So now, without further ado, may I present The Killers’ 50 greatest songs…

Bonus Track: “Enterlude / Exitlude” – Sam’s Town (2006)

Okay, I lied, a little more ado. But, would there really be any other way to start this list? Admittedly, the two tracks go a bit better with context, that context being to kick off and conclude Sam’s Town in perfectly theatrical fashion.

50. “Runaway Horses” ft. Phoebe Bridgers – Pressure Machine (2021)

I was skeptical of this track before ever hearing it. Not because I dislike Phoebe Bridgers. In fact, quite the opposite. While her own output is largely undeniable, the tracks she features on can vary in quality. Luckily, “Runaway Horses” is a song worthy of her singular voice. True heads will know, however, that this is only Phoebe’s second-best collaboration with the band. The best being this impeccable interview between her and Brandon Flowers for Interview Magazine #Bringbackthefeathercape.

49. “Boy” – Single (2022)

This track was apparently the first song written for Pressure Machine and served as something of a north star for Flowers’ songwriting on the record. You may note that musically, “Boy” has little to do with the sound of Pressure Machine and for that reason was ultimately left off the record. Luckily for those who need it on record, it now has a home on Rebel Diamonds.

48. “Believe Me Natalie” – Hot Fuss (2004)

Over the course of this list, I will vehemently defend Flowers’ lyrical ability to no end. That being said, “Believe Me Natalie” is a pretty good example of why some songs don’t always need the most insightful choruses to be a bop.

47. “Andy, You’re a Star” – Hot Fuss (2004)

When the band sequenced Hot Fuss by putting the five best songs on the album as tracks 1-5, somebody had to know that the transition to track 6 would be abrupt, right? Despite its placement and the abrasive change of speed, “Andy” is a song that’s pretty great in its own right. On a lesser album, maybe it’s a fan favorite.

46. “Tranquilize” ft. Lou Reed – Sawdust (2007)

Is this the most beguiling entry in The Killers’ catalog? For starters, it was issued as the promotional single for Sawdust, the band’s B-sides and rarities collection that was released just two albums into their career. Next, you have the track itself which, musically and lyrically, is one of the darkest efforts by the band (note the children’s choir on the bridge as well as the politically charged closing lyric about a dream in which, “the Bushes and the bombs are tranquilized”). Last but not least, there’s the Lou Reed of it all! Are the Velvet Underground even in the top 50 bands I would associate with the Killers? Who knows, if I could make sense of it all maybe this one ends up higher on the list.

45. “Run for Cover” – Wonderful Wonderful (2017)

A track that dates back to the Day & Age era, “Run for Cover” was finally completed in 2017 with a lyrical assist from Alex Cameron. At the time of its release, it was the most propulsive track the band had put out in years and a bright spot on their weakest album. Today, the track is perhaps unfairly overshadowed by the amount of rippers on the band’s next effort, the far superior, Imploding the Mirage.

44. “Uncle Johnny” – Sam’s Town (2006)

“Uncle Johnny” has a little bit of the “Andy, You’re a Star” problem. It comes as the first track on side two of Sam’s Town following a nonstop run of heavy hitters. But! If you give it the time and attention it deserves (and you should), the song is pretty great on its own. At the very least, you have one of Dave Keuning’s best and most ferocious riffs underscoring the story of a man losing himself to addiction.

43. “Flesh and Bone “– Battle Born (2012)

Battle Born is the most frustrating entry in the band’s entire catalog. Following a four-year break between albums (baffling announced to the public as an indefinite hiatus), expectations were sky-high for the next iteration of Killers’ music. When that music started being teased through trailers, live performances, and eventually the release of “Runaways,” there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that this would be the band’s greatest record. Instead, Battle Born arrived as an uneven collection of painfully earnest could-be hits and downright lackluster misses. Ten years later, the album is undoubtedly underrated and this list recognizes about half of its songs among the band’s finest work. Still, nothing can quite rival the anticipation of the album originally promised through “Flesh and Bone’s” magnificent synth line (first heard at the 1:59 mark here).

42. “Terrible Thing” – Pressure Machine (2021)

One could write a whole blog on Bruce Springsteen’s influence (both real and perceived) on The Killers over the course of their career. As a massive fan of both artists, “Terrible Thing” is the closest the band has come to making a song that actually sounds like Springsteen (actual Bruce collaboration included). “Terrible Thing” is a haunting ballad, stripped down to bare parts, that narrates the suicidal thoughts of a boy struggling with his sexuality in a close-minded town. Many have tried to make songs as chilling and poignant as the ones found on Nebraska. Not many have come this close.

41. “Goodnight, Travel Well” – Day & Age (2008)

Unless I’m mistaken, this is both the longest Killers song and the oldest cut from a studio album that the band has never played live. That’s a shame. I often wonder if having such massive hits right away kept the band from pursuing more slow-burning epics like “Goodnight, Travel Well.” It’s certainly a side I’d love to see them explore more.

40. “Here With Me” – Battle Born (2012)

Could this have been a classic in another life? Or at least in another decade? I still can’t help but think this song is begging to be wailed at an arena full of swaying fans. And when that horn part hits (maybe it’s a horn-like synth)? Come on! Alas, there’s just something a bit out of sync here that’s always held the tune from reaching its full potential. If I had to guess, it’s the clash of unapologetic 80s pop balladry with a chorus of “Don’t Want Your Picture on my Cellphoneeeee.”? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve screamed it out, but never without a slight twang of embarrassment. With The Killers, the magic ultimately lies in being able to scream out these choruses with reckless abandon.

39. “Sweet Talk” – Sawdust (2007)

I have no notes for Sam’s Town. If I did though, it’d be that you can’t leave this song off the album. It’s one of the best performances by the entire band. By the time the track reaches its final chorus, it’s as transcendent as almost any other moment in the band’s discography. Maybe this is the reason why the band felt a pressing need to release a B-sides collection so early?

38. “The Man” – Wonderful Wonderful (2017)

For most of my fandom, it was decidedly uncool to like The Killers. You know what, I’m pretty sure it still is. In any case, the band’s early music was critically derided for being too ambitious and earnest at a time when you weren’t really supposed to look like you were trying all that much (for a much more detailed exploration of this subject, read The Killers’ chapter in Lizzy Goodman’s masterful Meet Me in the Bathroom). Following that, there was an even more frustrating period where the band continually got knocked for writing songs and albums that didn’t have the bravado of something like Hot Fuss or Sam’s Town. Seriously, pick a lane, critics. Somehow, “The Man,” was the song that seemed to rehabilitate The Killers in the critical eye. Backed by a James Brown sample, the song is bombastic, campy, ridiculous, and worthy of all the praise it garnered. It’s just a bit ironic then, given the critical success of the track, that the album it was promoting, Wonderful Wonderful, would turn out to be the band’s weakest effort. You can’t win them all I guess.

37. “Shot at the Night” – Direct Hits (2013)

My initial feelings toward “Shot at the Night” were a bit begrudging to say the least. First off, it was released as the promotional single for the band’s much-too-early greatest hits compilation, Direct Hits (Killers, if you’re reading this, please let me manage your archival releases!). As for the track itself, it was easy to dismiss at first. An M83 contribution, a “Coming in the Air Tonight” drum rip, and a massive chorus repeated for 3 minutes? Big deal. And yet, it’s just about impossible to let the song go. As a track, it may be the definition of undeniable. At the very least, it certainly earned its keep as a now-proven greatest hit.

36. “Human” – Day & Age (2008)

I have almost certainly ranked this song too low. For the first years of my Killers fandom, this would have easily landed in the top five of this list. But out of all the band’s songs that became actual radio hits, “Human” is maybe just the one I’ve heard too many times. That being said, I once saw Brandon Flowers break this out during a solo show, and in that context, it was sublime. And for a second time, Brandon #bringbackthefeathercape!

35. “Imploding the Mirage” – Imploding the Mirage (2020)

We’re now at a point in the list in which I don’t have the musical expertise to identify what makes some of these songs so catchy (apologies to all those reading!). But honest to god, this song is such an earworm, it’s unbelievable. Killers albums have a tendency to end on heavier or more somber notes. This title track, however, is an uptempo bop that’s the perfect way to close out an album of all rippers.

34. “My God” ft. Weyes Blood – Imploding the Mirage (2020)

Is now a good time to talk about the various features and writing credits on Imploding the Mirage? Adam Granduciel (The War on Drugs), Alex Cameron, Lindsey Buckingham, K.D. Lang, Weyes Blood, and Lucius? 2020 was a hazy time for everyone, but when the credits for ItM were first released, I couldn’t help but think I was living through a fever dream. We’ll get to the other features in a bit, but here it’s time to give “My God” it’s due. The track is a magnificent blend of utterly bombastic 80s pop juxtaposed with a surprising amount of lyrical insight. Given Flowers’ background, one would be forgiven for thinking the song may have an overly strong religious bent. Instead, Flowers’ repeated “My God,” is more a statement of sheer exclamation as he navigates the changing circumstances around him.  

33. “Running Towards a Place” – Imploding the Mirage (2020)

One of Flowers’ best lyrical performances, each verse of “Running Towards a Place” ups the ante from “Give me the eyes that I might see / the good in my people and the trouble in me” to “Give a heart that I may stand / for what I believe in.” The ultimate payoff is in the bridge in which Flowers directly quotes William Blake’s “Auguries of Innocence,” “Can you see the world in a grain of sand? / Can you find heaven in a wildflower hold it in the palm of your hand?” That the song is an old-school 70s rocker in the style of Tom Petty or The Eagles is really just an added bonus.

32. “On Top” – Hot Fuss (2004)

This spot is hereby reserved for whatever your favorite track is from side 2 of Hot Fuss. Mine has always been “On Top.” Because of that, I remain forever jealous of the people who not only got to see it live in a rare performance, but one with Danielle Haim on drums.

31. “A Dustland Fairytale” – Day and Age (2008) / “Dustland” ft. Bruce Springsteen – Single (2021)

There’s nothing I can say about “A Dustland Fairytale” that Bruce Springsteen hasn’t already. The following is his text to Brandon Flowers that spurred their collaboration and rerelease of the track, “Watching Glastonbury. You guys have become one hellacious live band my brother! Love the gold suit! We gotta do Dustland one day.” Speaking of rereleasing old material…if Bruce isn’t a good enough reference, take note that “Dustland” also appears to be Taylor Swift’s favorite cut from the band (I have no idea if this is real).

30. “Lightning Fields” ft. K.D. Lang – Imploding the Mirage (2020)

An unofficial sequel to “A Dustland Fairytale,” “Lightning Fields” is written from the perspective of a widower reflecting on the time he had with his wife and his role in their relationship. While “Dustland” starts off as a ballad before exploding in the second half, “Lightning Fields” rollicks the whole way through. At each chorus, you almost wonder where Flowers and the band can go from there.  

29. “Wonderful Wonderful” – Wonderful Wonderful (2017)

Mark Stoermer is often noted as the songwriting force behind the band’s darkest sounding material and “Wonderful Wonderful” is no exception. Carried by Stoermer’s menacing bassline, the song fits a style of minor-key music that, frankly, I’d love to see the band explore more. On most Killers’ songs it’s easy enough to hear the oft-cited new wave and americana influences, but “Wonderful Wonderful” is a cut where an influence like Smashing Pumpkins really shines through.

28. “Cody” – Pressure Machine (2021)

I told you I would be defending Flowers’ lyrical abilities, right? For those with their doubts, let’s take a look at “Cody.” The song is yet another track on Pressure Machine detailing the ups and downs of life in a small, rural community. From the outside, Flowers paints a complicated picture of a boy (the titular Cody) who probably needs help from a mental health professional but due to the close-knit and religious nature of his community is merely chalked up as being “just a different type of kid.”

What’s especially marvelous about the song, however, is how Flowers juxtaposes Cody’s juvenile misbehavior in the verses against Cody’s own perspective of the town in the choruses. By the time we get to the third chorus, you can practically hear Cody, channeled through Flowers’ voice, dripping with disdain at the idea of a town continually waiting for some religious miracle to “Roll down the mountain to the sound of sad strings.”

Musically, I must make note not just of the horns that come in on each chorus (a wonderful flourish), but of Dave Keuning’s ripping guitar solo that does what I will call the “One of these Nights” effect by coming in at 10x the volume of the rest of the track.

27. “Be Still” – Battle Born (2012)

For as much as one can compare The Killers to their indie-rock peers, it’s hard to imagine any of their contemporaries writing something so bold and earnest. And look, I’ve already noted in a few places where the band’s biggest swings have come up a little flat. But when they connect, and boy do they connect here, it’s really what sets them apart.

26. “This River is Wild” – Sam’s Town (2006)

An absolute monster of a song. Because of their knack for melody and pop shimmer, it’s easy to lose fact of how hard many Killers songs do in fact rock. Here that ability is on full display with Dave Keuning’s soaring guitar, Mark Stoermer’s churning bass, Ronnie Vannucci’s furious drumming, and one of Flowers’ best vocal performances. The crack in his voice at “sometimes I shake a little” is peak performance.

End of Part One! For Tracks 25-1, click here!