The Killers: "A Dustland Fairytale"

I used to watch David Letterman religiously when I was in college, but late-night TV in general isn't as attractive an option these days as a good full-night's sleep. And even if I was able to stay awake long enough to watch, staying up to the end of the show just so I could see the musical "talent" is just not worth it. Most live performances, irrespective of whichever of the vast myriad of talk shows that are on at that hour, are highly average at best. Recently, however, I managed to keep my eyes propped open long enough to be absolutely transfixed by one group's performance on Letterman. If you missed this amazing performance, I am so excited to be able to share it with you here. From the first plucks of the harp to the final guitar chords, The Killers' performance of "A Dustland Fairytale" had me mesmerized, glued to my seat, and completely drawn in.

From what little I have been able to find about this song, lead singer Brandon Flowers wrote this song about his parents. They met, grew up and fell in love in the same trailer park. His dad was an alcoholic and converted to Mormonism when Brandon was five. (Brandon is still a devout and practicing Mormon, even as a rock-&-roller.) The last part of the song refers to his mother, who is battling cancer of some form, and was still alive as of December of 2008 when Rolling Stone interviewed the band for an article (a very good article, I might add, and worth reading). I considered adding the lyrics, but all I could find were various attempts by someone besides Brandon Flowers to decipher the words. I am including, however, the stanza about his mom:


Now Cinderella don't you go to sleep
It's such a bitter form of refuge
Ahh don't you know the kingdoms under siege
And everybody needs you
Is there still magic in the midnight sun
Or did you leave it back in sixty-one
In the of the cadence in the young man's eyes
And where the dreams roll high


Here's their performance from Letterman. Enjoy!!