Most frequent collaboratorJonathan Rado · 21 tracks
GenresAlternative RockIndie RockNew Wave
Complete Artist
100%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 76 of 76 tracks
Who writes The Killers' songs?
Brandon Flowers, mostly, but the arrangement changes by album. On Hot Fuss he shares every song with the member who wrote the part, on Sam's Town he is often the only name, and on Day & Age every track is credited to the Killers as a group. Of the 76 tracks here, 66 name a member and 15 carry a collective credit.
By the Numbers
7
Studio Albums
76
Tracks Credited
100%
Self-Written
35 million
Records Sold
25
Years Active
47
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 76 / 76 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 76 tracks: how many The Killers wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
The Killers has a writing credit100%
13%
87%
Sole author10tracks13%
Co-written66tracks87%
Outside writers0tracks0%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
The Killers's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 76 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)100%
Composer (music)67%
Producer45%
Performer100%
Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on
Percentage of all 76 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.
Member
Period
Lyrics
Music
Production
Performance
Brandon Flowers
2001-present
87%
0%
1%
0%
Dave Keuning
2001-present
18%
18%
0%
0%
Mark Stoermer
2001-present
34%
34%
0%
0%
Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
2002-present
32%
32%
0%
0%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
The Killers's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
2004Hot Fuss
2006Sam's Town
2008Day & Age
2012Battle Born
2017Wonderful Wonderful
2020Imploding the Mirage
2021Pressure Machine
Early · 100% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
100%
2000s
Hot Fuss, Sam's Town +1 more
100%
2010s
Battle Born, Wonderful Wonderful
100%
2020s
Imploding the Mirage, Pressure Machine
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where The Killers sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
The Killers
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Written by Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
Somebody Told Me
Hot Fuss
Written by Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
All These Things That I've Done
Hot Fuss
Written by Brandon Flowers, Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
When You Were Young
Sam's Town
Written by Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
Read My Mind
Sam's Town
Written by Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer, Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
Bones
Sam's Town
Written by Brandon Flowers, Mark Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
Human
Day & Age
Written by The Killers
Wrote it
Spaceman
Day & Age
Written by The Killers
Wrote it
A Dustland Fairytale
Day & Age
Written by The Killers
Wrote it
Runaways
Battle Born
Written by Brandon Flowers, The Killers, Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
The Man
Wonderful Wonderful
Written by Brandon Flowers, Mark Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., Jacknife Lee, Robert "Kool" Bell, Ronald Bell, Don Boyce, George Brown, Robert Mickens, Otha Nash, Claydes Charles Smith, Dennis Thomas, Richard Westfield, Brandon Richard Flowers, Robert Bell, Claydes Smith
Co-wrote
Run for Cover
Wonderful Wonderful
Written by Brandon Flowers, Mark Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., Alex Cameron, Jacknife Lee, Bob Marley, Stuart Price, Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
Caution
Imploding the Mirage
Written by Brandon Flowers, Mark Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., Alex Cameron, Shawn Everett, Jonathan Rado, Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
My Own Soul's Warning
Imploding the Mirage
Written by Brandon Flowers, Brandon Richard Flowers
Co-wrote
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. F Flood · AM Alan Moulder · JS Jeff Saltzman
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Brandon Flowers is on almost everything, but the Killers do not write the same way twice. On Hot Fuss he shares each song with whichever member wrote the part, so Dave Keuning has "Mr. Brightside" and Mark Stoermer has "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine". Sam's Town credits Flowers alone on most of it. Day & Age hands all ten tracks to the Killers as a group. Battle Born mixes both, and the later albums bring outside names in through samples and co-writes: Ryan Tedder, Alex Cameron, Kool & the Gang's writers for a sample, Neu! and Can for another. Of 76 tracks, 66 name a member and 15 carry a collective credit.
Quick Facts
FromLas Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2001 with the same four members ever since
DebutHot Fuss sold over seven million copies worldwide
Signature song"Mr. Brightside", written by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning
Records soldMore than 35 million worldwide
One collective albumDay & Age credits all ten tracks to the Killers rather than to individuals
Authorship66 of 76 tracks name a member; 15 carry a collective band credit
Creative Fingerprint
One frontman on nearly every song, with the credit shape changed deliberately from album to album, from named members to the band as a whole.
The Story
The Killers formed in Las Vegas in 2001 and released Hot Fuss in 2004, an album carried worldwide by "Mr. Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me". Seven studio albums have followed, moving from new wave to heartland rock to the Americana of Pressure Machine. They have sold more than 35 million records.
Awards & Recognition
Five Grammy Award nominations at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards for Hot Fuss and its singles
Headline sets at Glastonbury Festival in 2007 and 2019
More than 35 million records sold worldwide
Frequently Asked Questions The Killers
Who writes The Killers' songs?
Brandon Flowers, mostly, but the arrangement changes by album. On Hot Fuss he shares every song with the member who wrote the part, on Sam's Town he is often the only name, and on Day & Age every track is credited to the Killers as a group. Of the 76 tracks here, 66 name a member and 15 carry a collective credit.
Who wrote "Mr. Brightside"?
Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning. Keuning wrote the guitar figure the song is built on, which is why he shares the credit.
Every track on it is credited to the Killers collectively rather than to any individual, the only album where that is true from start to finish. Stuart Price produced it and the writing was done as a group.
How many records have The Killers sold?
More than 35 million worldwide. Hot Fuss alone accounts for over seven million of that.
Have The Killers won a Grammy?
No. Hot Fuss and its first three singles brought five nominations at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in 2005, and the band has been nominated since without a win.
Has the line-up changed?
No. Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. have been the band since 2002, though Keuning and Stoermer stepped back from touring for parts of the 2010s.
Why do outside writers appear on the later albums?
Nephi, Utah, the small town Brandon Flowers grew up in. It is the band's quietest record, made with Jonathan Rado and Shawn Everett, and it is written almost entirely by Flowers.
Which Killers album sold the most?
Hot Fuss, with over seven million copies worldwide, 3,750,000 in the United States and 2,370,000 in the United Kingdom.
The Killers
