"Bling (Confession of a King)" is a song by American rock band the Killers. It is the fourth track from the band's sophomore album, Sam's Town (2006). The song was written by frontman Brandon Flowers and bassist Mark Stoermer, and produced by Flood, Alan Moulder and the Killers. Despite not being a single, "Bling" is one of the Killers' most popular songs, being played live over 450 times as of October 2025.[4][5]
"Bling" is written in the key of D major.[6] The song was written by frontman Brandon Flowers and bassist Mark Stoermer, and was produced by Flood, Alan Moulder, and the Killers, the three of whom produced the entirety of Sam's Town. In an interview with The Guardian, Flowers remarked that "Bling" is actually chronicling the "victorious story of [his] dad forswearing–overnight–alcoholism and Catholicism to become a Mormon when Brandon was five."[7] In terms of genre, "Bling" has been described as alternative rock,[8]anthemic rock[9], and heartland rock[10], with its sound also being attributed to artists such as Springsteen.[11]
Release and reception
"Bling" was released alongside the rest of Sam's Town on September 27, 2006 in Japan, and October 3 in the US.[12] The song received positive reviews from critics. "Bling" was compared to Springsteen by Slant magazine and The Independent. who described the song as "Springsteen-esque" and similar to "Bruce Springsteen [with a] big, vaulting chorus and bombastic tone", respectively.[10][11] Bring the Noise UK praised "Bling" for having "cold pianos and Flowers belting out lyrics that struggle to cope with the feeling of failure [...] in stunning solo style," noting that the song "gets its warm glow going with parading percussion, racing bass and guitars, and self-assured singing courtesy of the quartet".[13] Krissi Murison of NME remarked that "Bling" is "basically ‘Knights of Cydonia’ minus Matt Bellamy’s squawking".[14]
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