My Own Soul's Warning

"My Own Soul's Warning"
Single by the Killers
from the album Imploding the Mirage
ReleasedJune 17, 2020 (2020-06-17)
Studio
Length4:34
LabelIsland
SongwriterBrandon Flowers
Producers
The Killers singles chronology
"Caution"
(2020)
"My Own Soul's Warning"
(2020)
"Dying Breed"
(2020)
Music videos

"My Own Soul's Warning" is a song by American rock band the Killers from their sixth studio album, Imploding the Mirage (2020). It was released on June 17, 2020, as the album's second single.[1][2]

Background

Album lead track, "My Own Soul's Warning" was written near the end of the Imploding the Mirage sessions, when frontman Brandon Flowers was worried that the album didn't have a single and he started to panic.[3] It was the final song written for the album.[4]

The band struggled to get the right mix for the song, going through nearly 90 mixes of it, with Flowers describing it as a “stubborn son of a bitch.”[3]

Writing about the song for Apple Music, Flowers said that the song was about "repentance", which he acknowledged is "not a typical subject in a pop or rock song". He said he wanted to "write something that was meaningful to myself and that felt like it was going to transcend and resonate with a lot of people in a stadium or inside their headphones."[5]

It is Flowers' favourite song on the Imploding the Mirage album.[3]

The band leaked the intro to the song during a live stream on Instagram in April 2020, two months before it was released.[6]

The cover artwork is by African-American artist Thomas Blackshear.

Music videos

Two music videos have been made for the song.

First video

The first music video, released via YouTube on July 16, 2020, is a sneak peek from a forthcoming short film with director Sing Lee tied to the Killers' then-upcoming album Imploding the Mirage.[7][1] The film will premiere on Apple Music. The music video has snippets reminding of an Americana theme. There are a number of stories going on.[8]

Second video

The second music video, directed by Michael Hili, premiered on YouTube on August 20, 2020, just over a month after the first video. It features frontman Brandon Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. going on a road trip together in a pickup truck through cornfields and snow-covered forests.[9]

Awards and accolades

Year Ceremony Award Result
2021 MTV Video Music Award Best Rock Nominated

Uproxx listed it as No. 5 on its Best Songs of 2020.[10] NME listed it as No. 14 on its Best Songs of 2020.[11]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Imploding the Mirage.[12]

Recording locations

Personnel

The Killers

Additional personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2020) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[13] 27
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[14] 39
Canada Rock (Billboard)[15] 4
Scotland Singles (OCC)[16] 23
Switzerland Airplay (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 79
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 84
US Adult Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[19] 4
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[20] 7
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[21] 19
US Rock & Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[22] 10

Year-end charts

Chart (2020) Position
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[23] 35
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[24] 32

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various June 17, 2020 Island

References

  1. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (June 17, 2020). "The Killers Won't Heed 'My Own Soul's Warning' on New Song". Rolling Stone.
  2. ^ "The Killers release new single 'My Own Soul's Warning'". NME. June 17, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Greene, Andy (May 5, 2020). "How the Killers Started Over Again". Rolling Stone.
  4. ^ "Brandon Flowers Reviews Every Album By The Killers". UPROXX. August 12, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  5. ^ Imploding the Mirage by The Killers on Apple Music, August 21, 2020, retrieved June 27, 2024
  6. ^ AmbrixMUSE (April 24, 2020). The Killers - Instagram Live (24/04/2020). Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Jon Blistein (March 20, 2020). "Killers Tease New Short Film With Grand 'Caution' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Killers Announce Album Release Date, Plus 'My Own Soul's Warning' Video". Billboard. July 16, 2020.
  9. ^ Johnson, Josh (August 20, 2020). "The Killers premiere new "My Own Soul's Warning" video". ABC News Radio. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  10. ^ "The 50 Best Songs Of 2020". Uproxx.com. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  11. ^ "The 50 best songs of 2020". Nme.com. December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  12. ^ Imploding the Mirage (liner notes). The Killers. Island Records. 2020. B0032028-02.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "The Killers – My Own Soul's Warning" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  14. ^ "The Killers – My Own Soul's Warning" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  15. ^ "The Killers Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "Schweizer Airplay Charts 41/2020 - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Killers Chart History (Adult Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  20. ^ "The Killers Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "The Killers Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  22. ^ "The Killers Chart History (Rock & Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "Adult Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  24. ^ "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.