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Bones (The Killers song)

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"Bones"
Single by the Killers
from the album Sam's Town
B-side"Daddy's Eyes"
ReleasedNovember 27, 2006 (2006-11-27)
Length3:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Killers singles chronology
"When You Were Young"
(2006) 		"Bones"
(2006) 		"A Great Big Sled"
(2006)

"Bones" is a song by American rock band the Killers, written by lead singer Brandon Flowers, bassist Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronnie Vannucci. It is the eighth track on their second album Sam's Town, released in October 2006. It was originally titled "It's Only Natural" in its early stages. Eventually, the song was released as the second single from Sam's Town in late November 2006.

The single did not match the success of its predecessor and new center-piece track, "When You Were Young", only registering on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States at number 21. The single peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video for the song is the first directed by filmmaker Tim Burton, who would again collaborate with the band on their video for the 2012 single "Here with Me". The cover features a Desert bighorn sheep, the state mammal of Nevada, where the Killers are from.[1]

Music video

The music video for "Bones" marks the music-video-directing debut of film director Tim Burton.[2] Clips of the band were shot Aug. 17–18, 2006, and were edited together along with CGI backgrounds and characters, including a (fitting) Burton staple: skeletons. Michael Steger and Devon Aoki star in the video.

Scenes from the films Lolita, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Jason and the Argonauts, more specifically the scenes with Ray Harryhausen's skeleton-men, are shown behind the band. There is a sequence where Flowers' hand is replaced with that of a skeleton. The beach scenes from From Here to Eternity and 10 are recreated with skeleton figures. The leading couple are seen driving onto the beach where the girl removes her hair to reveal her skull and the man pulls off his shirt to reveal his skeleton. The two leading skeletons are later seen running across the beach to embrace, only for them to crash into one another and shatter to pieces. Then, on the beach, a wave comes over to reveal the two skeletons kissing. At the end of the video, the entire band are skeletons, and they all fall apart at the song's final note.

The drive-in depicted unofficially is that of the West Wind Las Vegas Drive-In Theatre located in North Las Vegas, NV. The clothing worn by the band in the video was preserved in an exhibit at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's entrance cafe before the cafe was demolished in late 2019. At the 2007 Shockwaves NME Awards, it won the award for best video.

Awards

Year Ceremony Award Result
2007 Shockwaves NME Awards Best Video Won
2007 Q Awards Best Video Won

Track listings

UK 7-inch and CD

  1. "Bones" – 3:46
  2. "Daddy's Eyes" – 4:13

UK DVD

  1. "Bones" (music video) – 3:46
  2. "When You Were Young" (music video) – 5:33

European maxi CD

  1. "Bones" – 3:46
  2. "Daddy's Eyes" – 4:13
  3. "Where the White Boys Dance" – 3:26
  4. "Bones" (video) – 3:46
  5. "When You Were Young" (music video) – 5:33

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[3] 22
Canada Rock (Billboard)[4] 33
Ireland (IRMA)[5] 24
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] 16
Scotland (OCC)[7] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 15
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[9] 21

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[10] Gold 35,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[11] Diamond 250,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States October 30, 2006 Modern rock radio Island [12]
United Kingdom November 27, 2006 CD Vertigo [13]
Australia January 22, 2007 Island [14]

References

  1. ^ Appleford, Steve (October 3, 2016). "The Killers Celebrate 10 Years of 'Sam's Town' With Wild Casino Getaway". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  2. ^ James Montgomery (September 6, 2006). "Killers Are (Beetle) Juiced For Tim Burton-Directed 'Bones' Clip". Archived from the original on September 13, 2006. Retrieved October 8, 2006.
  3. ^ "The Killers – Bones". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "The Killers Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Bones". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "The Killers – Bones". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  9. ^ "The Killers Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  10. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  11. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – The Killers – Bones" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  12. ^ "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". FMQB. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  13. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. November 25, 2006. p. 27.
  14. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 22nd January 2007" (PDF). ARIA. January 22, 2007. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
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