“When You Were Young” - The Killers [online exclusive]
If you ride the coattails of various dance-rock bands into the mainstream … and then you criticize fellow label-mates The Bravery and Fall-Out Boy for doing the same to you… and then you warn listeners against the supposed dangers of emo… and then you call your unfinished record “one of the best albums in the past 20 years”…. Well, then you better make a damn good album to back it up.
“When You Were Young,” the world’s first peek at this purported masterpiece, is not one of the best songs of the past 20 years. It’s not even one of the best 20 songs of the past year. It’s merely “ok,” or perhaps “kinda good,” or maybe even “good” – assuming you can dissociate The Killers from the hype, controversy, and headlines that orbit the band. But come on, let’s be honest here. This band is asking for it. They’re braggarts. They’re goading us. They want to be legends NOW, and they’re supposed to measure up.
Problem is, “When You Were Young” just isn’t good enough. It doesn’t validate Brandon Flowers’ behavior with lifetime shit-starting rights. Yes, this does sound like an improved band, but The Killers are still doing the copycat thing – they’re just copying someone else. The Killers aren’t riding Duran Duran’s coattails any more, and this song shows them clutching to Bruce Springsteen’s blue jeans all the way down Thunder Road. That’s right. The Boss and The Killers, somehow combined.
It sounds weird because it is weird. Flowers’ vocals are awkward and loose, and his convulsing throat turns a nice stab at Springsteen’s passionate songwriting into an overly earnest mess. “When You Were Young” would fare fine on a particularly strong album, but The Killers will have to produce more proof of that supposed hits package before we cut them any slack.
To judge for yourself, check out Steregum’s post with full audio.
-- Andrew Leahey
July 18th, 2006 at 2:08 am e
No mustache pic?
I do like the song though; it’s no “Somebody Told Me,” but it’s good.
July 18th, 2006 at 1:41 pm e
“...and this song shows them clutching to Bruce Springsteen’s blue jeans all the way down Thunder Road.”
Good one.
July 20th, 2006 at 6:31 am e
the song sounds fine. i love it.
give them some slack man, i mean we all know the band has loads of controversies in the past(mainly caused by brandon), but..come on.
October 30th, 2006 at 4:35 pm e
“he doesnt look a thing like jesus…” brilliant. Its like a fantasy wrapped in a memory, its a definate 10.
November 7th, 2006 at 1:26 am e
The Killers once again prove to the world that they knew more about music that anybody does in dance-rock genre and mainstream. I really love this album.
July 12th, 2007 at 5:04 pm e
kjdkjkjsd
October 27th, 2007 at 1:40 am e
there is nothing good about the killers and i agree fully with the person who posted this article.