The real murder that inspired a classic song by The Killers
On The Killers’ debut album, Hot Fuss, murder was a theme that ran throughout the record, with ‘Midnight Show’ and ‘Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’ both focused on the topic. The latter was inspired by the heartbreaking story of Jennifer Levin and her tragic passing.
The pair of songs mentioned above were part of the group’s ‘Murder Trilogy’, which also included ‘Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf’, which appeared on their 2007 album, Sawdust. During an interview with The Guardian, Brandon Flowers explained his fascination with writing about murder came from the Morrissey song, ‘Sister, I’m A Poet’, which featured the line: “The romance of crime”. Detailing further, he explained: “I studied that line a lot. And it’s kind of embedded in me.”
The group also had a song called ‘Where Is She?’ written from the perspective of the mother of Jodi Jones, a Scottish teenager murdered by her boyfriend in 2003. However, the Scottish press were furious with the creation, and the group ultimately shelved it.
With ‘Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’, The Killers were virtually unknown when it was released, and the crime was also from 1986; therefore, it wasn’t as fresh in the media’s mind, which allowed the band to release the song without scrutinisation.
Rather than the murder itself, their song focussed on the interrogation of the killer, Robert Chambers, who told officers that he didn’t have any motive to kill Jenny Levin and “she was a friend of mine”. This line stuck with Flowers, who found it an intriguing line of defence.
“We had the verse forever, and we knew in our hearts that it was good,” Flowers later told American Songwriter. “But we wondered if we’d ever get past that verse. And then the day came where (bassist) Mark (Stoermer) started playing the chorus. And it could have been anybody. Because we’re able to work together like that it helps us to avoid being stuck a lot of the time.”
The story of Levin’s death was controversial, with Chambers claiming she died during rough sex. During the trial, he eventually pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter, which carried a five-to-15-year sentence. The media coverage painted Levin as a perpetrator rather than a victim, with him alleging he pushed her off after she sexually assaulted him, and Chambers was anointed as the “Preppy Killer”.
It’s not just The Killers who have gravitated towards the disturbing tale of Levin’s murder by Chambers. Additionally, Hole wrote ‘Jennifer’s Body’ about the murder, and post-punk icons Sonic Youth penned ‘Eliminator Jr.’. Elsewhere in popular culture, the harrowing tragedy was referenced in American Psycho and Law and Order.
Listen below to ‘Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’.
