Song · The Killers
“Smile Like You Mean It” by The Killers
From the album Hot Fuss (2004)
“Smile Like You Mean It” by The Killers appears on 29 radio countdowns from 18 stations between 2004 and 2025. It was first released in 2004 on the album Hot Fuss. Its best result is #10 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 2005. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #32 alternative song of 2005, #1,396 alternative song of all time and #275 of the '00s.
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"Smile Like You Mean It" started out hiding on the flip side of the "Mr. Brightside" single before the Killers slotted it onto Hot Fuss, their 2004 debut. Singer Brandon Flowers wrote it with bassist Mark Stoermer, the band produced it with Jeff Saltzman, who also recorded it, and Mark Needham handled the mix.
Where "Mr. Brightside" is all jealous adrenaline, this one sounds like the morning after: a synth line glinting like cheap chrome, a rolling bass, and Flowers crooning with a wistful ache over the top. It's nostalgia played dead straight, glossy and a little sad, and it's all the catchier for the melancholy.
It was pulled from the album as the third single in America and the fourth in Britain, landing at 15 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and 11 on the UK Singles Chart, and Australian listeners voted it to 39 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 395 | Live 105 | Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) | 500 |
| 2007 | 145 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 226 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 391 | Live 105 | Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) | 500 |
| 2009 | 224 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 212 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 205 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 206 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 208 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2022 | 723 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2025 | 890 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
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