The Killers recently confirmed the November release of their greatest hits album, Direct Hits. While we love “When You Were Young” and “Human” as much as everyone else, we’ve also identified some gems that we love and that haven’t been included on Direct Hits.
“Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” (2004)
This is a huge omission from Direct Hits. Sure, it was never released as a single from Hot Fuss, but we’d argue that it’s as good a song as the Killers have ever made.
The lyrics tell the story of a young man being questioned by police about the murder of a girl, Jenny, and its dark narrative and that perfect bassline remain gripping nine years on.
Our favourite version of this track is from the Killers’ headline set at T in the Park in 2007. Brandon Flowers, the lead singer, really does look murderous.
“Sam’s Town” (2006)
The original studio version of this song kicked off The Killers’ sophomore album with a huge statement of intent: we’ve moved on from Hot Fuss. “Sam’s Town” is a huge, breathless rock song, but as much as we love the original, we’d argue that two other versions of the song surpass it.
First, the acoustic version performed at Abbey Road studios and released on Sawdust, the Killers b-sides and rarities album; and second, the version played at the band’s gig at the Royal Albert Hall in 2009.
Both versions of the song start with the same gentle piano, but it’s the latter we prefer. It gradually builds, adding in bass, drums, guitar and gorgeous, soaring violin that brings genuine poignancy to “Sam’s Town”.
Next page: Three more great tracks from the Killers, Spotify playlist
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