When You Were Young
Encyclopedia
"When You Were Young" is a song written and performed by The Killers, and is the third track on their second album
Sam's Town
, released in October 2006. The song was released as the lead single
from that album in September 2006. It has proven to be one of their most successful singles, peaking at #14 on the U.S. Hot 100, as well as their only number 1 to date on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks
. It is also their highest charting single to date in the United Kingdom
and Australia
, peaking at numbers 2 and 10 respectively.
The song, that is in the key of B major
and written in common time
, displays the band's move towards a more "heartland rock
" style, as it is part of an album that was supposedly heavily influenced by the music of Bruce Springsteen
. The song itself was reportedly influenced by Springsteen's "Born to Run
" and "Thunder Road
". The song was nominated for the 2007 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Song", and the single's video, directed by Anthony Mandler
, received a nomination in the category of "Best Short Form Music Video". The single was ranked #69 on iTunes Top 100 Best Sellers: Songs of 2006. The song also made #4 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2006
.
The song appears in the video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
, SingStar Amped, and Rock Band. The single's B-Side "All the Pretty Faces" appears in Guitar Hero 5
.
The song was featured in the third section of the 2006 Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show and is played regularly before Baltimore Orioles
games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
.
In 2009 it was voted at Number 37 in UK radio station XFM
's and strangely enough, number 3 in XFM's 1000 greatest songs ever. (Beaten by Muse's Knights of Cydonia
and the Killers Mr. Brightside
).
, Mexico
. The visual style was inspired by the films Japón
and Batalla en el Cielo
both directed by Mexican film director Carlos Reygadas
.
In a frame story
, it tells the story of a young woman around the age of 20. The video opens with her arriving at a large, white, wooden cross in a rocky hill. She mourns in front of it until a man, who had been desperately searching for her, shows up and comforts her. The following scenes are mostly flashbacks that would illustrate the story of how they came to be there.
The first of these flashbacks is one in which the same woman is praying at a church; after leaving, she encounters the man outside. They kiss and it is evident that there is a romantic relationship between them. One day she arrives home to their shared house to find the man in bed with another woman; seeing them together, she leaves the house, heavily distraught. As the woman runs through the town with tears in her eyes, the video flashes back to their joyous wedding, making it clear that they are husband and wife and that they were thoroughly happy together. The next scene is another flashback in which the man gazes on as she pours water on her legs, demonstrating the attraction he had for her.
Later, the video cuts to a very early scene in the story, set within a bar that the man appears to own. The woman enters and introduces herself for the first time to her future husband, who at the time was chatting to his future mistress. It appears as though she had applied for employment at the bar, because he promptly gives her an apron and leads her away into another room, much to the annoyance of the other woman. In this room the Killers are playing to a small crowd within the bar. She shares a prolonged look with Brandon Flowers as he sings the last verse, before turning away to attend to the man's instructions. The final shot of the music video comes back to the first scene set next to wooden cross, with the woman still on the ground and her husband there with her.
The video stars Sonia Couoh and Gustavo Sanchez Parra.
There is also an alternate version of the video in which the woman jumps off a cliff instead of reconciling with the husband.
This video has currently over 13 million views on YouTube
.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Sam's Town
Sam's Town
-Band:*Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, keyboards, bass *Dave Keuning – guitar, background vocals*Mark Stoermer – bass, background vocals, guitar *Ronnie Vannucci – drums, percussion-Additional musicians:...
, released in October 2006. The song was released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from that album in September 2006. It has proven to be one of their most successful singles, peaking at #14 on the U.S. Hot 100, as well as their only number 1 to date on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
. It is also their highest charting single to date in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, peaking at numbers 2 and 10 respectively.
The song, that is in the key of B major
B major
In music theory, B major is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps....
and written in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
, displays the band's move towards a more "heartland rock
Heartland rock
Heartland rock is a genre of rock music that developed in the 1970s and reached its commercial peak in the 1980s, when it became one of the best-selling genres in the United States. It was characterized by a straightforward musical style, a concern with the average, blue collar American life, and a...
" style, as it is part of an album that was supposedly heavily influenced by the music of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
. The song itself was reportedly influenced by Springsteen's "Born to Run
Born to Run
The album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...
" and "Thunder Road
Thunder Road
Thunder Road is the title of a 1958 drama–crime film about running moonshine in the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee in the early 1950s. It was directed by Arthur Ripley and starred Robert Mitchum, who also produced the film, co-wrote the screenplay, and is rumored to have directed much of the...
". The song was nominated for the 2007 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Song", and the single's video, directed by Anthony Mandler
Anthony Mandler
Anthony Mandler is a commercial and music video director, who has written and directed music videos for several artists. His most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna...
, received a nomination in the category of "Best Short Form Music Video". The single was ranked #69 on iTunes Top 100 Best Sellers: Songs of 2006. The song also made #4 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2006
Triple J Hottest 100, 2006
The 2006 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2007. It is the fourteenth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as voted by listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....
.
The song appears in the video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
, SingStar Amped, and Rock Band. The single's B-Side "All the Pretty Faces" appears in Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5 is a music video game and the fifth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision, and released internationally in September 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, 3 and Wii consoles...
.
The song was featured in the third section of the 2006 Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
Fashion Show and is played regularly before Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...
.
In 2009 it was voted at Number 37 in UK radio station XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
's and strangely enough, number 3 in XFM's 1000 greatest songs ever. (Beaten by Muse's Knights of Cydonia
Knights of Cydonia
"Knights of Cydonia" is a song by English alternative rock band Muse and is the closing track on the British release of their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. The song's title comes in part from the region of Mars named Cydonia, famous for the "face on mars"...
and the Killers Mr. Brightside
Mr. Brightside
"Mr. Brightside" is a song performed by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. The song is featured on the group's debut album Hot Fuss and was written by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning....
).
Music video
The music video for this song was filmed in TlayacapanTlayacapan
Tlayacapan is a town and a municipality located in the northeast part of Morelos state in central Mexico. It is located 60km east from the state capital of Cuernavaca and about 1.5 hours south of Mexico City. It is a rural area, whose way of life has not changed much over the 20th century, with 90%...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The visual style was inspired by the films Japón
Japón (film)
Japón is the 2002 debut film of the Mexican director Carlos Reygadas.- Plot :The film follows a man going through an acute existential crisis. He leaves Mexico City to go to camp and prepare for his death, staying with an old Indian widow in her ramshackle home overlooking a desolate canyon...
and Batalla en el Cielo
Batalla en el cielo
Battle in Heaven is a 2005 Mexican-French-German film. It is the second film by director Carlos Reygadas who previously directed the Mexican film Japón. It was entered into the 2005 Cannes Film Festival...
both directed by Mexican film director Carlos Reygadas
Carlos Reygadas
Carlos Reygadas is a Mexican filmmaker known for his three films Batalla en el Cielo, Japón and Silent Light . After Batalla en el Cielo, he was known for his raw depiction of sex in his films and the use of old or ugly-seeming characters...
.
In a frame story
Frame story
A frame story is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories...
, it tells the story of a young woman around the age of 20. The video opens with her arriving at a large, white, wooden cross in a rocky hill. She mourns in front of it until a man, who had been desperately searching for her, shows up and comforts her. The following scenes are mostly flashbacks that would illustrate the story of how they came to be there.
The first of these flashbacks is one in which the same woman is praying at a church; after leaving, she encounters the man outside. They kiss and it is evident that there is a romantic relationship between them. One day she arrives home to their shared house to find the man in bed with another woman; seeing them together, she leaves the house, heavily distraught. As the woman runs through the town with tears in her eyes, the video flashes back to their joyous wedding, making it clear that they are husband and wife and that they were thoroughly happy together. The next scene is another flashback in which the man gazes on as she pours water on her legs, demonstrating the attraction he had for her.
Later, the video cuts to a very early scene in the story, set within a bar that the man appears to own. The woman enters and introduces herself for the first time to her future husband, who at the time was chatting to his future mistress. It appears as though she had applied for employment at the bar, because he promptly gives her an apron and leads her away into another room, much to the annoyance of the other woman. In this room the Killers are playing to a small crowd within the bar. She shares a prolonged look with Brandon Flowers as he sings the last verse, before turning away to attend to the man's instructions. The final shot of the music video comes back to the first scene set next to wooden cross, with the woman still on the ground and her husband there with her.
The video stars Sonia Couoh and Gustavo Sanchez Parra.
There is also an alternate version of the video in which the woman jumps off a cliff instead of reconciling with the husband.
This video has currently over 13 million views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Covers
- ColdplayColdplayColdplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
covered the song at an unplanned appearance for MENCAPMencapThe Royal Mencap Society is a charity based in the UK that works with people with a learning disability.-Profile:Mencap is the UK's leading learning disability charity working with people with a learning disability and their families and carers...
. - Amy MacdonaldAmy MacDonaldAmy MacDonald is an American author of children's books. Her works include Little Beaver and the Echo, which has been translated into 28 languages around the world, and Rachel Fister's Blister. Her first book, a satire of Jill Krementz's children's books, was A Very Young Housewife.Amy MacDonald...
covered the song in her native Scotland and at Lowlands Fest in 2008. - Biffy ClyroBiffy ClyroBiffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, comprising Simon Neil , James Johnston and Ben Johnston...
covered the song on live radio on "Today FM". - Simon WebbeSimon WebbeSimon Solomon Webbe is an English singer-songwriter, actor and music manager. He is best known as a member of the British boyband Blue.-2001–2005: Early Career And Blue:...
, a former member of British boy band Blue, covered the song on BBC's Radio 1 in the Live Lounge and on tour. - Taking Back SundayTaking Back SundayTaking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
covered the song at London's Taste of Chaos Nov 18, 2006. - Astrid SwanAstrid SwanAstrid Swan is a Finnish musician and singer. She records in English. Her album Poverina was released May 11, 2005 in Finland and May 22, 2007 in the U.S....
covered the song on KCMP in April 2007. - The NoisettesThe NoisettesNoisettes are an English indie rock band from London, comprising singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa, guitarist Dan Smith, and drummer Jamie Morrison...
covered the song on March 25, 2009 on BBC's Radio 1 in the Live Lounge. - SynthpopSynthpopSynthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
artist Joy ElectricJoy ElectricJoy Electric is the brand label for a series of electropop/synth pop productions by Ronnie Martin. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of Dance House Children, a band Ronnie was in with his brother Jason Martin of Starflyer 59. Starflyer 59 bass player...
covered the song on the 2009 album Favorites at PlayFavorites at PlayFavorites at Play is an album by Joy Electric. The album consists solely of covers of songs from nine different artists. It is the first such album from Joy Electric.-Track listing:In parenthesis is the artist who originally performed the song....
.
CD: Island / ISLR16591-2 United States
- "When You Were Young" (radio version) - 3:39
- US Promo
CD: Vertigo / 170 765-8 United Kingdom
- "When You Were Young" - 3:39
- "All the Pretty Faces" - 4:44
CD: Island / 0 602517 07658 7 Germany & Germany
- "When You Were young" - 3:39
- "All The Pretty Faces" - 4:44
- "When You Were Young" (video)
- "All The Pretty Faces"
CD: Island / ISLR 16633-2 United States
- "When You Were Young" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Radio Edit) - 3:58
- "When You Were Young" (The Lindbergh Palace Radio Edit) - 4:31
- "When You Were Young" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix) - 6:23
- "When You Were Young" (The Lindbergh Palace Remix) - 6:59
- "When You Were Young" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Dub) - 6:23
- "When You Were Young" (The Lindbergh Palace Dub) - 6:50
- US promo
2x12": Island / B0007884-11 United States
- "When You Were Young" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix) - 6:23
- "When You Were Young" (The Lindbergh Palace Remix) - 6:59
- "When You Were Young" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Dub) - 6:23
- "When You Were Young" (The Lindbergh Palace Dub) - 6:50
Official versions
- "When You Were Young" (Radio Version) / (Album Version) - 3:39
- "When You Were Young" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Radio Edit) - 3:58
- "When You Were Young" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix) - 6:23
- "When You Were Young" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Dub) - 6:23
- "When You Were Young" (The Lindbergh Palace Radio Edit) - 4:31
- "When You Were Young" (The Lindbergh Palace Remix) - 6:59
- "When You Were Young" (The Lindbergh Palace Dub) - 6:50
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
2 |
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
10 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
10 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
14 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 20 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
45 |
| Dutch Mega Top 50 Mega Top 50 The Mega Top 50 is a Dutch music chart, originally started on May 23, 1969 as the Hilversum 3 Top 30. Throughout the years, the chart has had several names and lengths:*1969 - 1974: Hilversum 3 Top 30... |
25 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 40 |
| U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 30 |
| U.S.Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
18 |
Sales and certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil - ABPD | Diamond | 500,000+ |
| United States | Platinum | 1,000,000+ |
Awards
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Grammy Awards | Best Rock Song | Nominated |
| Best Short Form Music Video | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | MuchMusic Video Awards MuchMusic Video Awards The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos.... |
People's Choice: Favorite International Group | Nominated |
| Best International Video - Group | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Shockwaves NME Awards | Best Track | Nominated |
| 2007 | Q Awards Q Awards The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event... |
Best Video | Won |
External links
- http://www.vevo.com/watch/the-killers/when-you-were-young/USUV70602506"When You Were Young" music video on VevoVevoVevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
]