Global record authority Guinness World Records™ has presented The Killers (USA) with two certificates ahead of their concert at London's O2 Arena on Monday night for their hit song “Mr Brightside,” which has already won two iconic Guinness World Records (GWR) titles.
The group's indie rock anthem has achieved an astounding record of spending a staggering 416 weeks in the Top 100 of the UK's Official Singles Chart as of July 4, 2024, making it the most cumulative weeks spent in the UK Singles Chart (by a single song).
The Las Vegas quartet also earned a second Guinness World Records title with the song, the longest stay in the UK singles chart by a group, also at 416 weeks. To put this longevity into perspective, the song has spent a total of almost eight years in the Top 100 across 60 separate chart appearances.
“Mr. Brightside” was first released in 2003 and re-released in 2004. The song was the first single from the band's debut album, Hot Fuss, and peaked at number 10 on June 5th, 2004. Incredibly, the song spent just one week in the top 20 during its first week of 2004, and seven weeks in the top 40.
In May 2024, the Official Charts Company revealed that the song had grossed a total of 5.57 million units (sales of 1.066 million and streams of 530.34 million), making it the biggest single to never reach number one in the UK.
The song's enduring popularity on streaming services has kept “Mr. Brightside” at the bottom of weekly countdowns for the past two decades.
Guinness World Records presented The Killers with two certificates to commemorate their record-breaking performance of the song at London's O2 Arena on Monday night, where the band is playing six massive shows as part of their Rebel Diamonds tour.
Backstage at the O2 before the show, The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers said of “Mister Brightside”: “For us, the song is still infectious. I don't think some people get it, but the reaction is clear. [when you see it live].
“It's hard not to be moved and excited. There are some people here who have never seen it live tonight and some who have seen it 45 times.
“And we never get tired of it.”
Guinness World Records Adjudicator Will Mumford said: “Mr. Brightside has packed countless dance floors and inspired countless end-of-night sing-alongs since the mid-2000s. We're honoured to present The Killers with two Guinness World Records titles for this song, which has been loved by generations and is proving its ability to stand the test of time as a timeless classic.”
For historical context, Frank Sinatra's “My Way” spent a total of 122 weeks in the Top 50 (at the time) between 1969 and 1972, and an additional two weeks in the Top 75 upon its 1994 reissue, meaning the song previously held the title for the longest cumulative number of weeks atop the UK Singles Chart (a single).
By 4 July 2024, Lewis Capaldi's “Someone You Loved” (2019) had spent 236 weeks in the UK charts (and is still charting), solidifying its second place position behind “Mr Brightside”, while Ed Sheeran's “Perfect” (2017) had spent 191 weeks in the charts and was in third place.
Prior to The Killers, the longest-serving group in the UK singles chart was Snow Patrol with their hit “Chasing Cars.” The song had spent 75 weeks in the chart as of February 2008, and by 4 July 2024 had spent a total of 166 weeks in the Top 100 of the UK singles chart.