Music video
The band released two music videos for "Miss Atomic Bomb", with a tour video directed by Giorgio Testi released on November 2, which captures footage of the band performing in the UK while on their Battle Born World Tour. The second, and official video was released over one month later, on December 11. The video was directed by Warren Fu, who had directed Battle Born's first single, "Runaways".
Part live action and part animation, "Miss Atomic Bomb" has been dubbed "the epic companion to Mr. Brightside", and the video continues the love triangle depicted in the 2004 hit "Mr. Brightside" music video. "Miss Atomic Bomb" sees actress Izabella Miko and actor Eric Roberts reprise their roles from the "Mr. Brightside" video. As "Miss Atomic Bomb" is considered to be a companion to "Mr. Brightside", the premise of the music video is similar but broader.
Synopsis
The music video begins with an elderly man sitting alone in his trailer home, reflecting on his past when he notices a letter on his doormat. The memories take form in animation, featuring the man in his youth, depicted as an animated Brandon Flowers, in the company of his band (animated versions of Keuning, Stoermer, and Vannucci). He is watching a young girl's (Izabella Miko) dance recital from his garage when she notices him observing her, before they are interrupted by her teacher who draws the curtains. However, he later seeks her out at her home, and it is presumed that they fall in love with each other.
One night, the young woman has finished a performance but grows tired of her teacher and runs off from the stage to seek out Flowers. He is happy to see her when she finds him; and, he takes her through a motorbike ride through the desert. However, the paranoid jealousy that Flowers bears begins to surface as he catches sight of a faceless stranger in the desert, which is likely to be a figment of his imagination. Later, when the woman is shown to have won the Miss Atomic Bomb pageant alongside her dance partner (Eric Roberts), a surly Flowers who is performing at the pageant with his band, becomes more resentful and believes that the man is in love with his girlfriend. Akin to the events in "Mr Brightside", the imaginary stranger in the desert forms its identity as the dance partner and Flowers makes his way towards the young woman's house in a troubled state. He arrives there on New Year's Eve in Las Vegas to propose to her, but he catches sight of the car that her dance partner owns and becomes certain that she is having an affair with him. He leaves the engagement ring on the ground and walks away. As he walks through Las Vegas, he has hallucinations of women who are kissing other men as his girlfriend kissing her dance partner. Flowers then ages visibly and heads for his trailer home in the desert as he is plagued by visions of the young woman's fate after he abandoned her on that night all those years ago.
The video then transitions to real-life acting, showing the elderly man in the present opening a letter from his then-girlfriend. Glimpses of the writing reveal that she was uncertain about what had happened the night that he had walked away from her on New Year's Eve. The memories then repeat in live acting, with the young woman tearfully holding up the engagement ring that he had left behind and recalling the night that she had found him in the desert. The young woman is shown to be dancing alone in her apartment, although Flowers imagines her partner kissing her behind the curtains. It is revealed that all the events which occurred from Flowers' point of view were fictional and that it was indeed his paranoid jealousy which overcame him. As the New Year's countdown ends, the young woman rushes out onto her balcony in excitement, only to see Flowers standing in the street glaring up at her and then walking away bitterly, leaving her in confusion. The last shots of the music video show the letter on the doormat disappearing and the elderly man sitting alone in his trailer home, reflecting on his past as a photo of the young woman on his shelf slowly begins to fade from view.
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning. After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in their early days, both Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. joined the band in 2002. The band's name is derived from a logo on the bass drum of a fictitious band portrayed in the music video for the New Order song "Crystal".
Brandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist. He serves as the lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers.
Stuart David Price is an English electronic musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer known for his work with artists including Madonna, Dua Lipa, The Killers, New Order, Kylie Minogue, DMA's, Example, Take That, Missy Elliott, Scissor Sisters, Pet Shop Boys, Brandon Flowers, Gwen Stefani, Seal, Keane, Jessie Ware, Frankmusik, Hard-Fi, Hurts, Everything Everything, Rina Sawayama, and Darin. His acts include his own band Zoot Woman, Les Rythmes Digitales, Paper Faces, Man with Guitar, Thin White Duke, and the parodic French moniker Jacques Lu Cont.
"Mr. Brightside" is the debut single of American rock band the Killers. It is taken from their debut studio album, Hot Fuss (2004). Written by band members Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, it was one of the first songs the Killers ever wrote. Two music videos were made for the song: the first one was shot in black and white and features the band performing in an empty room. The second one, based on the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, was filmed for the song's re-release.
Izabella Miko is a Polish actress, dancer, film producer, and environmental activist. She is best known for starring in the film Coyote Ugly and the music videos "Mr. Brightside" and "Miss Atomic Bomb" by The Killers. While a dance student in Poland, Miko was recruited to study at the New York City Ballet at age 15 and later studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute. She made her American film debut in Coyote Ugly (2000), followed by a starring part in the vampire thriller The Forsaken (2001).
"Smile Like You Mean It" is a song by American rock band the Killers, written by lead vocalist Brandon Flowers and bassist Mark Stoermer. Originally released as a B-side of "Mr. Brightside" in September 2003, it is featured on their debut studio album Hot Fuss (2004). It was the third single from the album released in the United States and the fourth in the United Kingdom, reaching number 15 on the Billboard U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. It also received substantial radio airplay in Australia, where it was ranked number 39 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.
"When You Were Young" is a song by American rock band the Killers. It was released on September 18, 2006, as the lead single from their second studio album, Sam's Town (2006). The song was written and produced by The Killers and co-produced by Flood and Alan Moulder.
"O Baby" is a song written and recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was produced by John Cale and released as the first single from the band's 11th studio album, The Rapture. Melody Maker wrote : "O Baby is the wonderful prelude to Rapture" and it is "deliciously pop".
"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.
American rock band the Killers have released seven studio albums, one live album, three compilation albums, one extended play, 38 singles, four promotional singles, and 39 music videos. Part of the post-punk revival movement, the Killers are influenced by music styles of the 1980s and 1990s. The band has sold over 28 million records worldwide. The group's debut album, Hot Fuss (2004), brought the band mainstream success, spawning four UK top-20 singles, including "Mr. Brightside". The album has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and seven-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), selling seven million copies worldwide.
"Don't Shoot Me Santa" is a song by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. The song was released November 27, 2007, as a digital download. A portion of the proceeds from this song went to AIDS charities as part of the Product Red campaign, headed by Bono and Bobby Shriver. It is The Killers' second Christmas download single following 2006's "A Great Big Sled".
"Human" is a song by American rock band the Killers. Written by and produced by the band members and co-produced by Stuart Price, it was released as the first single from their third studio album Day & Age (2008).
"The World We Live In" is a song by American rock band The Killers, taken from the band's third studio album Day & Age (2008), it was released as the third single in the UK and Europe. In North America and the rest of the world, "A Dustland Fairytale" is the third single.
The Flamingo Road Tour was the 2010 solo concert tour by American recording artist, Brandon Flowers, who is the lead vocalist for the rock band, The Killers. Visiting North America and Europe, the tour supported his debut album, Flamingo. The tour has received praise from both spectators and critics alike, including being named one of the "Best Shows of the Summer" and "'Must See Fall Tours" by Spin.
"Only the Young" is the second solo single by American singer-songwriter and The Killers frontman, Brandon Flowers, from his debut studio album Flamingo. The song was written by Flowers and produced by Stuart Price.
"Runaways" is a song by American rock band the Killers. It was released in 2012 as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Battle Born (2012). Carly Rae Jepsen covered the song on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.
"Here with Me" is a single from American rock band The Killers' fourth studio album, Battle Born. It was released as the third single from the album on December 16, 2012, and was written by Brandon Flowers and Fran Healy.
"Just Another Girl" is a song by the American rock band The Killers. It was released as the second single from their compilation album, Direct Hits. The song was premiered on VH1, and subsequently played on mainstream radio.
Miss Atomic pageants are held in the United States, generally, in Nevada, to celebrate the City of Las Vegas's modernity.
Young Bombs are a Canadian electronic music duo currently signed to Sony Music Canada. The duo is based in Vancouver, British Columbia and is composed of DJ/producers Tristan Norton and Martin Kottmeier. Starting in 2014, the pair began working on remixes for acts like The Chainsmokers, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Galantis, and numerous others. In 2019, they began releasing original music for the first time with the single, "Starry Eyes", which reached No. 31 on the Dance Club Songs chart.
