| "Read My Mind" | ||||||||||||||||
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| Single by The Killers | ||||||||||||||||
| from the album Sam's Town | ||||||||||||||||
| Released | US February 13, 2007 UK February 26, 2007 |
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| Format | Download, 7", CD | |||||||||||||||
| Genre | Heartland rock, synthpop | |||||||||||||||
| Length | 4:06 | |||||||||||||||
| Label | US Island, UK Vertigo | |||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer | |||||||||||||||
| Producer | Flood, Alan Moulder, The Killers | |||||||||||||||
| The Killers singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||
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"Read My Mind" is a song by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers and is the sixth track on their second album Sam's Town, released in October 2006. It peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted at #15 on the UK singles chart.
In 2009, the song was voted at Number 57 in UK radio station XFM's "100 Greatest Songs of All Time". http://www.xfm.co.uk/onair/shows/xfms-top-100-songs-of-all-time. In the same year, it was voted at Number 71 on Absolute Radio's 100 Best Songs of the Decade [1]
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In an interview with Chicago radio station Q101, lead vocalist Brandon Flowers called "Read My Mind" the best song he has ever written.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe (of Pet Shop Boys) saw The Killers in concert at Brixton Academy at the end of November 2006, where the idea of a remix for "Read My Mind" was discussed between the two parties. The resulting remix, "Pet Shop Boys 'Stars are blazing' mix" featuring additional vocals by Tennant and Lowe, is one of the B-sides for the single, and is featured on the Pet Shop Boys album Disco Four.[2][3]
This song was released as part of an iTunes EP on February 13, 2007, featuring an acoustic version and two remixes. It was also released as the third single from Sam's Town in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2007.[2][4][5]
There was a promotion CD released in the US that featured 10 dance mixes. This included the full Pet Shop Boys mix, as well as an instrumental version and radio edit. It also featured remixes by Gabriel & Dresden, Steve Bays (from Canadian band Hot Hot Heat) and Linus Loves.
The three-track American CD single was released in Best Buy stores. The single is free only with the purchase of Sam's Town.
The video for "Read My Mind" was shot in Tokyo and directed by Diane Martel, shortly before the band embarked on their round of touring to New Zealand and Australia. In an interview, Brandon Flowers called the tune "kind of our favorite song" and promised the clip would find the band "in Tokyo, on bikes."[6]
The video finds The Killers in Tokyo, seemingly just having a good time and carrying out activities synonymous with the freedom of youth. These include riding different bicycles, namely a penny-farthing, recumbent bicycle, a lowrider bicycle, and a regular bicycle decorated with ram's horns, through the Tokyo streets. The band are also seen in a traditional arcade playing session GuitarFreaks and Drummania, playing with leaves in a Tokyo park with some school children, and interacting with TV character Gachapin. The various scenes are intercut with footage of Flowers singing in the middle of the city at a traffic interchange (most likely Shinjuku[7]). The video ends with the four members of the band in a capsule hotel.
The video premiered on February 8, 2007, on MTV's Total Request Live as part of their "Spankin' New Music Week."[8] On the March 23, 2007 episode of VH1's Top 20 Countdown, "Read My Mind" was number one, making it the first time a Killers' video had reached that rank.
Critical response to the single was positive; the song was often praised although the album received highly mixed reviews.[9] Yahoo Music said "the album peaks with the arena-sized 'Read My Mind'".[10] Sven Philipp (with Billboard) called the single "a gloriously melodic Duran Duran-meets-Springsteen tale about "breakin' out of this two-star town."[11] Adrien Begrand with PopMatters said, "The Killers shine on the song, Flowers’s synth offsetting Keuning’s tasteful flourishes wonderfully."[9] NME called the song the "righteous and anthemic album highlight."[12] It was also listed as #12 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2006 even though Sam's Town had previously received negative reviews from the magazine. In reference to the Pet Shop Boys remix, The New York Times called it a "perfect match."[13] This song was also #84 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007.[14]
A remix of the song is featured on the original soundtrack of the NBC television series Friday Night Lights. It is nominated for a 2008 People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Song from a Soundtrack.
This song was also going to be performed as a showcase performance for Chloe Warren, but due to technical complications the performance was cancelled. "Read My Mind" was also used for the promotional video for season 14 of the television show ER on Warner Channel Latin America.
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 32 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 18 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 32 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 20 |
| UK Singles Chart | 15 |
| U.S Billboard Hot 100 | 62 |
| U.S Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 8 |
| U.S Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 1 |
| U.S Billboard Hot Dance Airplay | 1 |
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | International Dance Music Awards | Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track | Nominated |
| 2008 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Song from a Soundtrack | Nominated |
7": Vertigo / 6 02517 24568 6 - UK
CD: Vertigo / 6 02517 24567 9 - UK
CD: Island / ISLR 16704-2 - U.S.
CD: Island / 6 02517 24567 9 - Germany
CD: Island / ISLR 16724-2 - U.S.
| Preceded by "Beautiful Liar" by Beyoncé and Shakira |
Billboard Dance Club Play number-one single May 26, 2007 |
Succeeded by "Glamorous" by Fergie featuring Ludacris |
| Preceded by "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado |
Billboard Hot Dance Airplay number-one single April 28, 2007 - May 12, 2007 |
Succeeded by "Cry for You" by September |
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