The University of Michigan adopted The Killers smash hit ‘Mr. Brightside’ as its unofficial football anthem on Oct. 1, 2016 during a game against Wisconsin. It has stuck ever since.
Mr. Brightside, a song from 2003, is about the jealously and paranoia that comes when someone expects his/her partner of cheating on him/her. There is no tie between The Killers, a Las Vegas band, and the Wolverines.
It seems like an odd choice, when there are so many other songs that either relate to the blue and maize, or provide a less depressing, more inspiring message. And yet, the song creates one of the most exhilarating environments in college football.
As soon as the famous guitar riff starts to play, lead vocalist Brandon Flowers chimes in:
COMING OUT OF MY CAGE AND I’VE BEEN DOING JUST FINE!
There are very few openings to a song that hit as hard as Mr. Brightside. And practically everybody knows the words, even if 90% of them are wrong. Thus, the song was a resounding hit when it first played throughout Michigan Stadium back in 2006.
Now, seven years later, it is a staple in Ann Arbor. Michigan usually plays Mr. Brightside at some point during the first half and eventually cut out the audio to let fans take it A capella.
The Big House holds a capacity of 107,601 fans and they all join voice to belt it out together. Big Ten Network made sure to feature the glorious sing-a-long in all its glory as the Wolverines beat up on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday. Electric would be an understatement!
Love Michigan or hate Michigan, Mr. Brightside has become one of the coolest traditions in college football. This is what it is all about— guys and girls being dudes, belting out a rock song about a cheating spouse without a care in the world.