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Las Vegas four - piece and indie sleaze godfathersThe Killersare practically memorialise for their contributions to mainstream indie rock in the aughts and onward . The group is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their groundbreaking debut album Hot Fuss in early 2025 , but The Killers are far from just a one - hit wonder .
Their discography is full of hits and each album has a sure acclamation in its own right . Among the dance orchestra ’s long list of acquirement , one controversial lyric stands as a top - tier The Killers lore . Quite asunder from question of its blood , the frequently - maligned , grammatically inventive lyric poem was the nerve center - point of one of the circle ’s biggest hit , which became the most stream song on Spotify in 2008 , and the first single release on the path to a triplex - Pt album succeeder , according to Far Out Magazine .
The Killers' Most Controversial Lyric Explained & How Brandon Flowers Defended It
The lyric in question,“are we human , or are we dancer , " from the chorus line of the stadium - shaking , behind - burning indie ballad perplexed sports fan across the world for its use of " dancer " vs the grammatically correct plural , dancers . The official tidings fromThe Killers camp has always maintained the high undercoat , arguing for the grandness of the hit - single ’s logically dissonant lyric .
The 2000s were marked as an era where " being right-hand " best everything , not so unlike today , and with hard - hitting land site like the burgeoning Pitchfork and the onset of the Internet as both a tool for leisure and claim pop - polish stake , The Killers’controversial refrain from " Human " was ripe for proto - viral interest .
For the booster cable Isaac Merrit Singer of The Killers , Brandon Flowers , he is still treat with push back on that controversial phone line , " are we human , or are we dancer . " However , accord to Flowers , the line is not a error . Moreover , the more controversy and attention the line gets , the more successful the lyric .
In aninterview with Rolling Stone , Brandon says,“I really like what people think but mass do n’t seem to understand " Human … " They think it ’s falderol . But I was ache over those lyrics for a very foresighted clock time to get them right . “According to Brandon , he does not care if the lyric follows expected grammar rules , " I guess it bother people that it ’s not grammatically correct , butI recollect I ’m allowed to do whatever I desire . "
" I really care what hoi polloi think but mass do n’t seem to understand Human … They think it ’s meaninglessness . But I was aching over those lyrics for a very long time to get them right . "
" Human , " which topped a 2014Blinkbox pate for weirdest Sung lyrics , baffle out The Beatles , " I am the Walrus , " is an example of what Flowers considers his tributeto the late gonzo - diary keeper . Flowers ' pick to keep the lyric , which would confound any native - English speaker , ishis creative geographic expedition of the Hunter S. Thompson logical argument , " America is raise a generation of dancers , afraid to take one footfall out of job , " which questions the self-reliance and independence of the modern human .
Known for their intensely personal tracks , like " Mr. Brightside , " " When We Were Young , " and " Somebody Told Me , " " Human " is amuch more worldwide composition that looks far outsideFlowers and Co ’s life story . So what do The Killers mean by " are we human , or are we social dancer " ?
What The Killers' “Are We Human, Or Are We Dancer” Actually Means
The Best Way To Live Radically Is To Be Yourself, According to The Killers
With " Human , " blossom is rebelling against the idea that we need to just sit and take the fresh calloused future tense in which we ascertain ourselves . Likesocial hothead and wicked savant Hunter S Thompson , whose Flowers - quoted line demand the courage of his fellow humans to be unique and take risks for independence , Flowers ’s choice to publish his unexpected lyrical wasmeant to shock his interview and place them deeperinto the idealism of one of The Killers ' top call .
The entireness of " Human " undertake many of the social idiosyncrasies of 2008 life , a ambit of which have been exacerbated with time , and thanks to that cryptic chorus , The Killers were able to snaffle listener andbring them now into the world of the Sung . Are we going to go with the flow or are we going to be ourselves ?
efflorescence leads by examplewith his alternative to use " social dancer " vs. " terpsichorean . " In our seek to rectify the grammatical dissonance of the line , we are raising the metaphoric stakes of the Sung . By accept Flowers ’s lyric , we are actively dismantling any preconceived notions of society , acceptableness , and respectability -by accepting " dancer"we are proving that we are , in fact , " human . "
reservoir : Rolling Stone , RadioX , Far Out cartridge
