If you were looking for a fight song to play at sporting events, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers probably wouldn’t be among the top candidates. Though the upbeat, anthemic track served as the Las Vegas-based quartet’s breakout debut single in 2004, it’s a pretty depressing song. I could write a 10,000-word essay on “Mr. Brightside,” but I’ll sum it up as best I can.
The song is sung from the perspective of someone worried about their significant other cheating on them, inspired by an unfortunate real-life incident that lead singer Brandon Flowers experienced. After having their suspicions confirmed, the song’s chorus ends with the tongue-in-cheek remark that they’re “Mr. Brightside.”
Despite the song’s sad lyrics, it has become prevalent at sporting events. But no sports team has made it as much a part of its identity as the Michigan Wolverines football team has.
Sung during the intermission between the 3rd and 4th quarters, “Mr. Brightside” is one of the best things about the live experience at Wolverine games. And College Football 26 captures it perfectly.
“But It’s Just The Price I Pay”
The inclusion of “Mr. Brightside” in College Football 26 is a pretty big deal, as singing the song has become a tradition for Michigan fans since 2017, when fans began to sing it a cappella during a wet rivalry game against Michigan State. And the rest, as they say, is history. Soon, it became a fixture at Michigan Stadium and is now sung by 100,000+ fans in unison.
Unfortunately, this tradition wasn’t captured in College Football 25. But in CFB 26, it’s here in all of its glory.
In between the 3rd and 4th quarters, the fans can be heard singing “Mr. Brightside” right as it begins going into the song’s infamous chorus.
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis
But it’s just the price I pay, destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes, ’cause I’m Mr. Brightside
Funny enough, it sounds like this was taken straight from a real-life game as well. Or, at least a video of a real game. Seriously, compare the audio from the clip above to this footage found on YouTube. It’s uncanny!
Did we know that “Mr. Brightside” was going to be among the newest team celebrations and traditions featured in College Football 26? Of course we did! But seeing it in all of its glory is something else. EA Sports really outdid itself this year.
