American rock band The Killers have been awarded two Guinness World Records titles for their hit song Mr Brightside.
The indie-rock anthem, which has dipped in and out of the lower half of the UK’s top 100 singles chart over the past 20 years, has spent the most amount of time in the chart compared with any other song, with 416 non-consecutive weeks as of July 4.
The track has also been awarded the record for the longest stay in the UK singles chart by a group – also with 416 weeks.
In May, the Official Charts Company announced that the track had become the UK’s biggest single never to have reached number one, usurping Wonderwall by British band Oasis.
Speaking to Guinness World Records ahead of one of their gigs at the O2, frontman Brandon Flowers said: “It’s infectious still to us, I know some people can’t wrap their head around it, but you’ll see the response (when you see it live).
“It’s tough not to be touched by it or be excited by it and there’s going to be people tonight who’ve never seen it live, there’ll be some people who’ve seen it 45 times.
“And we just don’t get tired of it.”
Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford said: “Mr Brightside has filled countless dancefloors and been responsible for many end-of-night singalongs since the mid-2000s.
“It was an honour to present The Killers with two Guinness World Records titles for the song, it is a testament to its ability to be loved across generations and stand the test of time as one of the all-time classics.”
Prior to The Killers, the longest stay in the UK singles chart by a group was held by Snow Patrol with their hit Chasing Cars, which has amassed a total of 166 weeks in the top 100 of the UK singles chart as of July 4.
Mr Brightside featured on the track list of the band’s debut studio album Hot Fuss and peaked at number 10 in the charts after it was re-released in 2004.
The band, comprised of Flowers, Ronnie Vannucci Jr, Dave Keuning, and Mark Stoermer, have been playing a slew of shows at London’s O2 arena with special guests Travis and are to play a number of festivals this summer including Lollapalooza in Chicago.
