Cinema NDN: Don Diablo Explains How His Official Rework of The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" Came About

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Don Diablo Explains How His Official Rework of The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" Came About

The future house kingpin also released the official music video for the track.

When Don Diablo took on the daunting task of remixing one of the most inescapable rock songs of the 21st century, the thought of an official release didn't even cross his mind.

There are a litany of hoops to jump through when working with a song as iconic as The Killers' "Mr. Brightside." Licensing issues, band approvals, and convoluted clearance obstacles are just three of the headaches associated with the initiative. When he first produced his dazzling version of the generational anthem, which officially hit streaming platforms on August 20th, Diablo clearly had those hurdles in mind, saying that it was exclusively for his DJ sets. After teasing it in many of his live shows, the future house kingpin ended up receiving an overwhelming amount of feedback on his edit, so he reached out to The Killers.

"Mr. Brightside by The Killers is not only one of the biggest indie rock anthems of all times [sic] it has also been a big part of the soundtrack of my life since the day it was released. Originally I just wanted to make a special version of the song exclusively for my DJ sets, but reactions have been so strong that we decided to reach out to the band and their management," Diablo wrote in the description of the official music video for his "Mr. Brightside" cover.

"A few years went by but then suddenly the last pieces of the puzzle fell together and I got the official blessing to release my version of 'Mr Brightside' for the rest of the world," he continued. "I tried to maintain the spirit of the original whilst adding some more emotional and melodic layers, so I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working on the song. Sometimes we all need a little reminder to embrace the BRIGHT SIDE of life."

The official music video for Don Diablo's take on "Mr. Brightside," which was filmed by Josh Neuman, is out now. You can watch it in full below.