OT: Breaking down "Mr. Brightside"
Here's a pretty thorough in-depth breakdown of how and why the song is so infectious:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuCAFvcrtVc&t=812s
and of course:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ak9Uxtntfk
i could watch that rendition of mr. brightside about 1,000 times and not get sick of it, not one bit. watched that again with the 3 youngest sons looking over my shoulder with the sound cranked up. undoubtedly the most memorable football game i have attended outside of some of our sons' games.
Agree completely!!! Have probably seen it 20+ times, and was fortunate enough to be at The Game, and each time towards the end of the video I remember being at the game at the end and I mildly hyperventilate and have tears of joy! What an amazing experience that was!
i know, right? i was there with one of the boys and pointed to the 'we were sitting here' part. loved the snow, the music, never sat down, the growing confidence of winning as we were just different from the very first series, second TD, and then when we went up 21-13 at the start of the 3rd (after the ross stuff of ohio on their opening series) i just had that peace of mind that they couldn't stop us.
I was the exact opposite on 2 points - a) I seriously do not remember the snow, it was cold, but was so focused on the game don't remember the snow, and b) I was stressed, major BPONE I know, till literally when they failed to convert on their long 4th down. Then the last 58 seconds and watching everyone rush the field were such ecstasy, just a flood of happiness!
i love snow so it was just that much better to have it, like a 'mood enhancer' to me.
as to BPONE, i totally get that but two things i'd say. first, for whatever reason being at the stadium is easier than watching at home and i have no real explanation why. maybe at the stadium there is more to fill the senses? this year, with the game on TV, i literally couldn't watch it. i went hunting, shot a deer and gutted/skinned it in the barn while getting texted updates from my family. i came in from the barn and watched the last (glorious!) 5 minutes on TV.
and second, as to that 2021 game i could just tell we had the scheme and the physicality they couldn't match. you may remember i played for many years and have coached for another 15. it became apparent to me early on that we weren't going to let them walk away from us. i also remember making big mention to my son that the ohio bench/sidelines were dead from the very start of the game. the wolverines were really animated the entire time. ohio was sitting on their heated bench, seemingly slumped into their long winter jackets and a decided, noticeable lack of enthusiasm. you might not have noticed the snow, but they did!
I have the same sense you do, that it's easier to watch being at the stadium. Any loss is tough to watch in person (The Horror; Rose Bowls) but it's harder watching on TV.
It seems to me the difference is that TV makes the game—any sport—seem easier. Add replays, and slow-motion replays, and it looks and feels easier still. TV barely gives us a sense of the speed, the chaos, the violence of any particular play.
I'll go one step further, it just felt different that day. No idea why but from the tailgate all the way through the game something was different. I am normally in the BPONE crowd, but that day just seemed like it was going to happen.
In the stands I never had a sense we were going to lose, never. It was shocking watching the replay later and seeing how close the game actually was into the 4th quarter because that is not how I remember it at all.
OSU 5 star mercenaries. Not into the team culture.
This has been noted by the players on UM teams of recent past. Once they bought in and good team Captain leadership and a big difference has then occurred. Great coaching schemes and Ben Herbert and excellent special team coaching/playing all have combined. Think of all the well coached moving parts that have assembled for the "End Game". https://youtu.be/aXgoJs7_HDY
Was there too. There was no way the stadium was going to let a loss happen that day. It was hungry, electric, and ferocious. I still remember the feeling, it was awesome!
So correct. Made me cry, again.
I hate that dumb song but that video is always glorious.
I'm indifferent to Mr. Brightside, it's not unpleasant, but neither is it memorable, EXCEPT in this context. We used to play Neil Diamond and some stupid Journey song, now it's this. It's a pleasant soundtrack to OSU highlights. I just wish it could drown out that braying donkey Paul Feinbaum.
I was 14 when this song came out so obviously a really impressionable time in my life. From the very first string being picked, this song sucked me in and I loved it.
At one point a buddy of mine and I were talking a number of years ago about if we could hear one song for the first time all over again, what would we choose? I chose Mr. Brightside.
Flash-forward a few years and this song became an anthem for Michigan football. During the time of 2004 and 2021, it had obviously been very dark for the football team both in being unwatchable then just heartbreaking. I don’t remember the name of the author in the fall who wrote on the blog about Michigan football and how it has connected every time of his life, and it is no different for me.
This song, paired with this video, gets me emotional every. single. time.
I used to like the song a lot but it has been overplayed everywhere and now I really can’t stand it.
I bet that if you come out of your cage you'll be doing just fine.
Despite all of my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.
Sorry, wrong song.
This version of the song may help that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Is it killing you?
Taking control?
I used to like the song a lot but it has been overplayed everywhere and now I really can’t stand it.
I kind of know what you mean, it has been somewhat overplayed; but viewing this video, going through the various components and layers, gave me a new appreciation of it.
This is too goddamned coincidental for my liking.
I've literally been watching the Oridnary World (banger) and Everybody Rules the World (banger) episodes this past 45minutes. Never heard of the guy or this series until a bit ago.
He is addicting. I've been an addict for about 6 months. Good Luck.
Rick Beato is GREAT! I discovered him last year for some reason. He made me interested in music again. His breakdowns and explanation of these great songs is spellbinding for lay people like me. I appreciate the artists and songwriters far more now, their genius is more apparent with these explanations. He picks out some great songs to dissect and explain. Check out his videos. Great find OP!
When I saw the thread title, I thought, "this sounds like something Rick Beato would do." Sure enough...
Rick Beato is a good follow if you like music.
I never realized there were other Rick Beato fans on the Board.
Indeed there are. It's great to have him reveal things about songs you know. And it's a crying shame that music companies are more interested in making him take down certain What Makes This Song Great vids, than in increasing sales on old music that Rick exposes to a new audience.
Yep.
I'll definitely check this out, and in a similar vein this is another really cool podcast about music appreciation:
https://strongsongspodcast.com/
Jealousy!
Better question is how this song made it to Michigan? The Killers are from Vegas, if I recall correctly.
During a commercial the Michigan football DJ played the song, when play resumed the DJ stopped the song but the students/ crowd kept singing the song without the music while the game was playing. Next game, the same thing happened. Thus, Mr. Brightside being played during Michigan games became a thing
Thank you. The MGoGirlfriend and I had been wondering. She always liked the song, but thought it was an odd choice to play during a football game. I believe was her comment. was, "Not exactly the happiest song in the world."
Of course, this is a woman who graduated from UM, but never attended a football game until we went to the 67-65 shootout with Illinois. So she wasn't familiar with the concept of BPONE, and didn't realize that as a Michigan football fan, happiness is just a sometime thing.
Aha! In an earlier post, while acknowledging the power of the MUSIC, I questioned how the WORDS made it a Michigan favorite, as it's full of self-flagellation.
But of course: BPONE. The words are BPONE but the music is driving, powerful, infectious, fun. Like Michigan football the past couple years.
as a Michigan football fan, happiness is just a sometime thing.
For anyone who needs an explanation. Can't get any more succinct than this.
...with moments of grandeur. Rhapsody in ...!
About 4 years ago somebody asked me essentially the same question, and my response at the time was "that song couldn't be any more Michigan if it went 9-3 and got invited to the Citrus Bowl."
Fortunately our definitions of what is "Michigan" have changed since then, but the song is kind of an awesome snapshot of the state of mind of Michigan football fans of the late 2010s.
Jedi me, chopped younglings like celery. Pod racing on tatooine. Choking out my enemies. Lucasfilm is calling me
I've never liked that song
I read that the song is so popular because, like Chris Rock said to the audience in Selective Outrage, everyone has been cheated on (or they can empathize).
This is why I hate the song
I don't think it's anything special, but I have no desire to ruin others enjoyment of it, just have to shrug at people who love it.
Maybe he'll do "Pump It Up" next...
By Elvis (Costello)?
The song that was kind of Michigan hockey's "anthem" last year.
This just adds to the anticipation for football.
Hoping the squad is having a productive Spring Camp.
Go Blue!
It is my sincere hope that they are as well, and that the weather at the Spring Game is nothing like the 3-6 inches of snow that we are supposed to get tomorrow around Ann Arbor. That said, it is Michigan, and we've had measurable snow in April....May too, come to think of it.
Hoping any snow that may fall will have melted by next weekend - and that Spring Fever is on campus for JD’s visit.
Go Blue!
Having absolutely zero musical background, these types of videos are just amazing to me. The level of work and artistry that goes into these songs and remains hidden to most of us is incredible.