The song The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers wishes he had written
Unlike most people The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers grew up with in Utah, he wasn’t interested in the grunge bands who dominated radio airwaves during the 1990s. Instead, thanks to his older brother, he looked to the 1980s for inspiration, which spoke to him on a personal level.
Flowers was proudly different from the rest of the pack and allowed bands such as The Smiths and The Cure to shape him musically, helping The Killers craft their own unique sound. Even two decades into his career with the group, they still hark back to the golden era of pop, with their 2023 single ‘Spirit’ unashamedly channelling Depeche Mode.
Before discovering American new-wave sensations, The Cars, Flowers hadn’t found a band he could relate to, but that all changed thanks to the Ric Ocasek-led group. They acted as a portal into a bright new world that felt like home to Flowers, and even though he found the group as an adolescent, they remain one of his favourite groups. They are also responsible for the one song The Killers vocalist wishes he’d written.
Speaking about his love of the band, Flowers once explained to Rolling Stone: “I got a cassette of The Cars’ Greatest Hits. I got a brother who is 12 years older than me, he was born in 1969, and so his high school years were just full of fantastic music so in’ 93/94, when grunge was in full swing, it just wasn’t speaking to me, and he was able to pass this other music onto me which otherwise I wouldn’t have been exposed to, I don’t think.”
From that point, Flowers was instantly hooked. Soon, he began listening to more bands from that era in a similar vein. Following the death of Ocasek in 2019, The Killers paid a poignant tribute to the late musician during a show in Pennsylvania, covering ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’. Furthermore, Flowers told the audience: “The Cars had it all: the looks, the hooks, Beat-romance lyrics, killer choruses, guitar solos that pissed off your parents, dazzling music videos.”
During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2005, Flowers could only cast his mind to the back catalogue of The Cars when he was quizzed about the one song he wished he’d written.
Flowers said: “‘Since You’re Gone’ is a pretty good one, but I’ll go with ‘Heartbeat City.’ [Sings] ‘Oh, I’m glad you made it, I can’t complain/Oh, Jackie, what took you so long?’ I love the Cars! There’s a kid who lives down the street from me; he’s about fourteen. That’s the age when I started getting into the good stuff, so I bought him the Cure’s The Head on the Door and the Cars’ Greatest Hits.“
Although Flowers can’t boast about writing ‘Since You’re Gone’ or ‘Heartbeat City’, he is responsible for many classics. Additionally, a year before the death of Ocasek, The Killers frontman had the honour of inducting The Cars into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was the privilege of a lifetime.
Listen to ‘Heartbeat City’ below.
