Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll

An ironic take on hipster culture by the Killers.

Last updated 22 October 2026

The Killers' track "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" appears as a bonus cut on European vinyl pressings of their first album, Hot Fuss, from 2004. On UK and Australian releases, it took the place of "Change Your Mind." It was also released as a UK promotional single in 2004.

Overview

The lyrics of "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" offer an ironic perspective on hipster culture. In August 2009, frontman Brandon Flowers told Time Out Chicago that he disliked the snobbery associated with such scenes, stating that the band preferred to embrace big songs. Former tour manager Ryan Pardey noted that the song was inspired by the band's early performances at Cafe Espresso Roma, which he owned, where customers would drink coffee and read newspapers while the Killers played, paying little attention. Flowers later cited the song as his least favorite Killers track in a September 2009 Rolling Stone interview, saying hearing it makes him want to "crawl under a rock." Despite this, the band performed it live in 2011 at London's Scala for the first time in four years, and the following day opened with it at Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park.

Did You Know?

A re-recorded version of the song appears on the band's 2007 compilation album Sawdust.
The song reached number 13 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
It reached number 71 on the Billboard Pop 100 chart.