Peak
32
Weeks
20
Score
1,649
Chart Year
2008
This was the first song The Killers recorded for their Day & Age album, in fact it was recorded during their 2007 Sawdust sessions. Stuart Price, who worked with The Killers on several Sawdust tracks, produced it. (Price is best known for co-writing and producing Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor.) Frontman Brandon Flowers told Rolling Stone magazine how they persuaded Price to helm this track: "When we met him, we were just having dinner with him in London about what he was doing for us at Sawdust, helping us with Sawdust. So I just said, 'what are you doing after dinner?' He said he was free, and we went to his house - he has a studio there - and we recorded 'Human.' We just knew that it just sounded so good—it was only a couple hours we spent, and it wasn't much different that it is now." Price went on to produce the rest of their Day & Age. Flowers told Rolling Stone the story of the song: "I think we were at a weird festival in Germany. I was just trying to have it be a simple tune, with classic chord changes. The way I described it to Stuart was - I remember saying this to him at dinner - "I got this thing, it's like Johnny Cash meets the Pet Shop Boys. Let's go record it." Flowers added that the band did "the meat and potatoes" then Price worked on the "landscape." Many of the Killers' fans have been mystified why the song's chorus ("Are we human/ Or are we dancer?"), refers to "dancer" in the singular. Some have wondered if Flowers is in fact singing something else, such as, "denser." MTV News asked Flowers about the nonsensical chorus. He replied: "It's taken from a quote by [author Hunter S.] Thompson: 'We're raising a generation of dancers,' and I took it and ran. I guess it bothers people that it's not grammatically correct, but I think I'm allowed to do whatever I want." He added, laughing: "'Denser'? I hadn't heard that one. I don't like 'denser.'" Thompson, known for his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and for a style of writing known as "Gonzo journalism," committed suicide in 2005, which could explain the lyrics, "Wave goodbye, wish me well, you've got to let me go." >> The verses in the song deal with the moral decay in society. The Sunday Times November 16, 2008 asked Flowers how much this song is a critique of this tabloid celebrity era. The Killers frontman replied: "It's part of that. I'll say it's a mild social statement and I'm leaving it at that. I don't wanna be a preacher. The devotion part, I think of my parents being married for 45 years and how that's a dying thing and I'm trying to hold onto some of those things. I am very old-fashioned, I guess. And the older I get, the worse it is. But I dunno if that's what people want to hear!" The black tuxedo festooned with feathery epaulettes, which Flowers wears in the song's music video was especially made for him by Fee Doran, the designer behind Kylie Minogue's hooded white jump suit in the "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" promo. Flowers told Rolling Stone that he is irritated that people don't quite seem to get the song's lyrics, and that fans are unhappy with its dance beat. He said: "It's supposed to be a dance song, it goes with the chorus If you can't put that together, you're an idiot. I just don't get why there's a confusion about it." This was the most-streamed song on Spotify in 2008, the year that the music streaming service was launched.
I did my best to notice When the call came down the line Up to the platform of surrender I was brought, but I was kind And sometimes I get nervous When I see an open door Close your eyes, clear your heart Cut the cord Are we human Or are we dancer? My sign is vital My hands are cold And I'm on my knees Looking for the answer Are we human Or are we dancer? Pay my respects to grace and virtue Send my condolences to good Give my regards to soul and romance They always did the best they could And so long to devotion You taught me everything I know Wave goodbye, wish me well You've gotta let me go Are we human Or are we dancer? My sign is vital My hands are cold And I'm on my knees Looking for the answer Are we human Or are we dancer? Will your system be alright When you dream of home tonight? There is no message we're receiving Let me know, is your heart still beating? Are we human Or are we dancer? My sign is vital My hands are cold And I'm on my knees Looking for the answer You've gotta let me know Are we human Or are we dancer? My sign is vital My hands are cold And I'm on my knees Looking for the answer Are we human Or are we dancer? Are we human Or are we dancer? Are we human Or are we dancer?
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 18, 2008 | 32 | 94 |
| 2 | Oct 25, 2008 | 52 | 74 |
| 3 | Nov 1, 2008 | 58 | 68 |
| 4 | Nov 8, 2008 | 66 | 60 |
| 5 | Nov 15, 2008 | 66 | 60 |
| 6 | Nov 22, 2008 | 70 | 56 |
| 7 | Nov 29, 2008 | 70 | 56 |
| 8 | Dec 6, 2008 | 63 | 63 |
| 9 | Dec 13, 2008 | 49 | 77 |
| 10 | Dec 20, 2008 | 40 | 86 |
| 11 | Dec 27, 2008 | 41 | 85 |
| 12 | Jan 3, 2009 | 41 | 85 |
| 13 | Jan 10, 2009 | 48 | 78 |
| 14 | Jan 17, 2009 | 44 | 82 |
| 15 | Jan 24, 2009 | 42 | 84 |
| 16 | Jan 31, 2009 | 47 | 79 |
| 17 | Feb 7, 2009 | 48 | 78 |
| 18 | Feb 14, 2009 | 53 | 73 |
| 19 | Feb 21, 2009 | 60 | 66 |
| 20 | Feb 28, 2009 | 70 | 56 |