Read My Mind (The Killers song)

Lore & Background

Lead vocalist Brandon Flowers called "Read My Mind" the best song he had ever written. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys saw the Killers in concert at Brixton Academy in late November 2006, where the idea of a remix was discussed. The resulting remix, "Pet Shop Boys 'Stars Are Blazing' Mix," featuring additional vocals by Tennant and Lowe, appears as a B-side and on the Pet Shop Boys album Disco Four. The song was released as part of an iTunes EP on February 13, 2007, featuring an acoustic version and two remixes, and as the third UK single on February 26, 2007. A US promotion CD included ten dance mixes, among them the full Pet Shop Boys mix, an instrumental, a radio edit, and remixes by Gabriel & Dresden, Steve Bays, and Linus Loves. A three-track American CD single was available only at Best Buy stores, free with purchase of Sam's Town.

Critical response was positive. Yahoo Music said the album peaks with the arena-sized "Read My Mind." Billboard's Sven Philipp called it "a gloriously melodic Duran Duran-meets-Springsteen tale about 'breakin' out of this two-star town.'" PopMatters' Adrien Begrand noted that the Killers shine on the song, with Flowers's synth offsetting Keuning's flourishes. NME called it the "righteous and anthemic album highlight." Rolling Stone listed it at number 12 on its 100 Best Songs of 2006 despite having given Sam's Town negative reviews. The New York Times called the Pet Shop Boys remix a "perfect match." The song ranked number 84 on MTV Asia's Top 100 Hits of 2007. In 2020, Paste ranked it number one on its list of the 20 greatest Killers songs; in 2021, American Songwriter ranked it number five on its list of the 10 greatest Killers songs.

The music video was shot in Tokyo and directed by Diane Martel, shortly before the band embarked on the New Zealand and Australian leg of the Sam's Town Tour. Flowers said the clip would find the band "in Tokyo, on bikes." The video shows the band members in various parts of Tokyo: playing with Japanese school children in Shinjuku Park, interacting with a Japanese Elvis impersonator in Kabukicho, releasing balloons in front of Nihonbashi Jogakkan Girls High School, and riding bicycles past the Ichogaoka Hachiman Shrine in Asakusabashi. It ends with the four members checking into a capsule hotel followed by Japanese television character Gachapin. The video premiered on February 8, 2007, on MTV's Total Request Live. On the March 23, 2007, episode of VH1's Top 20 Countdown, "Read My Mind" reached number one, the first Killers video to do so.

Reader's Guide

"Read My Mind" stands as one of the Killers' most acclaimed songs, frequently cited as a highlight of Sam's Town despite the album's mixed reception. Its commercial performance—reaching number 62 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topping three other Billboard charts—underscores its crossover appeal, while its enduring presence on critics' lists (including number one on Paste's 2020 ranking of the band's greatest songs) attests to its lasting regard. The song's legacy is further shaped by the notable Pet Shop Boys remix, which The New York Times called a "perfect match" and which appears on the Pet Shop Boys' Disco Four. The music video, shot in Tokyo and directed by Diane Martel, became the band's first to top VH1's Top 20 Countdown. The song also received a nomination for a 2008 People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Song from a Soundtrack, and a remix was featured on the soundtrack of the NBC series Friday Night Lights. Its use in promotional material for season 14 of ER on Warner Channel Latin America further extended its reach. The song's critical and popular endurance, combined with its distinctive remixes and video, solidify its place as a key work in the Killers' catalog.